Saturday 26th October 2024 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC fans have had to endure 14 football-less days since The Falcon’s last outing – an 8-0 drubbing of Yorkshire Amateur in the league. Although there has been no on-field action in that time for Wakefield, there has been plenty off it; that 8-0 demolition-job proving to be interim manager Iain Trearty’s last match, as a new management team of Steve Bodle and assistant Lee Needham – both having enjoyed recent successes with Clay Cross Town and Shirebrook FC – have made the move to Wakefield.
Bodle was made to wait to take charge of his first game, after last week’s eagerly anticipated FA Vase First Round clash against North Shields was called off at the last minute due to a flooded Featherstone pitch. And, after Wakefield’s West Riding County Cup tie away to Club Thorne Colliery was also called off in midweek, The Millennium Stadium was again the place to be on Saturday when the two finally got to work.
As was originally planned, Step Five North Shields would be the first team to stand in the way of Bodle’s Wakefield. There could hardly be a sterner test for his first Wakefield game, given North Shields ply their trade a level above Wakefield, and that only because issues with their ground rating saw them demoted from Step Four the season before having finished seventh.
Things weren’t made any easier with a raft of absentees and ineligible players leaving Wakefield with a match-day squad of just 14. It is unclear whether Bodle will favour a certain system with Wakefield but, given the players available, he lined his side up in a 5-3-2 formation. The defence had a familiar look about it, with Jack Durkin retaining his place as captain, whilst Jaydan Sandhu also continued in his favoured attacking midfield role. Tantalisingly, the line-up also saw Akeel Francis and James Eyles – both prolific since joining the club – partner each-other as out-and-out strikers.
Wakefield were looking to progress to the second round of this competition for the first time, whilst North Shields have won the trophy as recently as 2015. The gulf in league standing and past history didn’t show, in what was a closely fought, competitive match of few chances.
There was little action in front of either goal early on, however Wakefield did have the best of the early chances when, having absorbed some pressure, Owen Evans expertly collected a cross and set Eyles free in behind the North Shields defence with an excellent goal-kick. Eyles, the master of scoring from the unlikeliest of positions, did well to latch on to the ball before seeing his audacious attempt at a lobbed, half-volley from 20 yards out on the right go over the bar.
Wakefield, already visibly more compact and organised after just a few training sessions under the new regime, limited North Shields to scraps and battled for every ball. However, as the half drew to a close, the away side did have the best chances to edge ahead. First, their striker held his run well to meet a cut-back cross from the right, though somehow nudged his shot wide of the near post. And, just before half-time, a rare loose ball in the Wakefield box saw a North Shields player find space to fire a shot at goal, although he somehow blazed the shot over the bar.
That meant the sides went in level at the break and the score was a fair reflection of the game up to that point. The pattern of the game was such that the tie was always likely to be determined by the finest of margins, and that proved to be true early in the second period when North Shields went ahead from a set-piece. Ben Harmison was the man on the scoresheet after he rose highest in a crowded six yard box to head a corner in at the back post. The goal had a hint of irony about it in that it came from a set-piece – previously an achilles heel for Wakefield – despite them looking so much more solid from a defensive point of view in this game.
Also ironic was the fact that Wakefield were arguably the better side in the second half and certainly had the better chances to score. Wakefield nearly levelled proceedings in the 54th minute when a charging, underlapping run from Kieran Haigh saw a slick give and go between him and Jamie Allsop, before the former cut the ball back for Francis in the box. The striker, as skilful as he is strong, deftly controlled the ball mid-turn, before squaring for midfielder Morgan James. James’ initial shot was sliced, before Eyles stuck a leg out closer to goal, but also saw his effort go just wide of the goal.
Francis then had his own opportunity to get Wakefield back in to the game 15 minutes from time when he capitalised on a defensive slip to grab the ball in the box after a wonderful, outside-of-the-boot pass straight from the Sandhu playbook. The striker, eager to extend his record to eight goals in 13 matches, opened up his body and tried to curl a shot to the far post. There wasn’t enough whip on the shot, which was saved, much to the frustration of Eyles who was perfectly placed for a tap-in had Francis opted to pass.
Wakefield continued to battle but struggled to open North Shields up, the closest they got to an equaliser when Sandhu saw a wicked, swerving effort from distance thwarted by a fingertip save 10 minutes from time.
It meant that North Shield’s solitary goal was all that separated the two sides as Wakefield bowed out of the cup. As disappointing as that is for Wakefield, Bodle will rightly only take positives from the game. Wakefield were greatly limited with players in key positions unavailable, but it was encouragingly evident that every man on the field knew the role they were sent out to do and as a result Wakefield looked a well-drilled, difficult to break-down side full of endeavour and commitment. When joining the club, Bodle himself hinted in his belief that whilst Wakefield have been known as perhaps the most technically gifted side in the league, there is room for improvement in other areas – will to win, mentality, structure and solidity to name a few. The early signs are that a new era for Wakefield will see an evolution in style, one that will look to merge the best of both worlds, and that leaves room for only optimism with so much of the season left to play.
There is now a quick turnaround as Wakefield return to league action on Tuesday evening, with the early challenges for a new look Wakefield getting no easier as The Falcons visit one of the league’s early pace-setters, Wombwell Town; kick-off: 19:45PM on 29/10/2024.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 0-1
Attendance: 346
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Owen Evans – Steve Smith, Jack Durkin (C), Ben Holmes, Kieran Haigh, Jamie Allsop – Morgan James – Nana Nyarko, Jaydan Sandhu – Akeel Francis, James Eyles
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
69m, Kenan McKenzie-Grey for Ben Holmes
86m, Brady Coldwell for Nana Nyarko
STATS
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 59% – 41% North Shields
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 223 – 150 North Shields
Goals:
49m, Ben Harmison
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Morgan James (Yellow)
James Eyles (Yellow)
ATTEMPTS
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 6
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shot off Target: 3
North Shields
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 2