Saturday 22nd February 2025 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC ticked off two more games in the NCEL Division One this past week, as the run-in sees numerous teams around Wakefield jockeying for position amidst an increasingly congested fixture list.
One of those teams, Brigg Town, played host to Wakefield on Tuesday evening in what was set to be a huge game for both sides. Wakefield went in to the game fourth, off the back of a draw against Shelley last time out, whilst Brigg sat one position above them, having recently taken points off league leaders Horbury Town.
Two new signings went straight in to the Wakefield starting line-up on a freezing evening in Lincolnshire; Igor Mlynarski at right-back and Kelan Swales on the left wing, whilst Romario Dunne continued up front following his loan move to the club. Kiyani Morris, excellent of late, was the unfortunate player to drop to the bench as Curtis Morrison was favoured on the opposite wing to debutant Swales. The rest of the side had a familiar look about it, with manager Steve Bodle again favouring Billy Mole as the advanced midfielder.
It seems odd to say it but, despite continuing their mammoth unbeaten run with last week’s draw, thanks to a mixture of heavy pitches, injury and fixture pile-up, things haven’t quite clicked for Wakefield of late. Therefore, a statement performance against play-off rivals would be the perfect tonic for The Falcons. And, that’s just what they got as the new boys inspired Wakefield into a blistering performance that saw Brigg humbled at home.
It took just 17 minutes for Swales to bag a debut goal, and it was one symptomatic of Wakefield’s intensity and precision on the night. The winger started the move on the edge of his own box after a Brigg attack was cut out, playing an outside-of-the-boot pass up the left wing to Dunne. The striker progressed into the final third before curling a defence splitting cross toward the run of Mo Gashi. Swales had also burst a lung to join the attack and it was he who got his boot to the ball on the edge of the Brigg box, playing a quick one-two with Gashi before cooly finishing the move with an excellent finish.
Ten minutes later Wakefield deservedly doubled their lead with another sweeping move that again saw Gashi provide the assist for Swales in what already has the signs of an exciting telepathy between the two. Swales initially drifted over to the right side where he received a pass from Mlynarski, before cutting in-field to initiate a quick give and go with Gashi, who played an inch-perfect pass through the heart of the Brigg defence for Swales to meet in the box and finish clinically with the outside of his boot.
Further chances came for Wakefield, with Dunne looking lively up front and testing the goalkeeper on a couple of occasions. The away side were in control and had the momentum, but things fell even more in their favour shortly before the break when Brigg were reduced to ten men following a late, high and crunching tackle that left Mole in a heap on the floor.
Ironically, a depleted Brigg enjoyed their best spell of the game just after half-time, with Wakefield having a momentary lull in what had been an exceptional level of performance. It was however Wakefield who continued to pose the biggest goal threat, and Dunne eventually got his first goal for the club after the hour mark as Wakefield again turned up the heat.
Wakefield capitalised on a good spell of possession, with the ball recycled from the left for midfielder Scott Smith to play an exquisite pass out to the right byline. Full-back Mlynarski met the ball and then played a perfect, low cross for the smartly placed Dunne to tap-in from close range.
As the game drew to a close, substitutes Morris and Jaydan Sandhu had started to give Brigg a new headache with their movement and trickery, and it was the latter who added a fourth for Wakefield with his first goal in eight matches and ninth of the season. It was another good move as he initially switched the play to Mole on the right edge of the box. Mole attempted a quick interchange with an advanced Chris Salt, only for a Brigg defender to block his path to Salt’s incisive pass inside. However, Sandhu showed great anticipation to steal in and strike a low finish to the far post to complete the demolition of Brigg in the 79th minute.
There was still time for some late chaos, first as Wakefield goalkeeper Owen Evans went off injured. That meat striker Shay Evans-Booth, who had already entered the fray up-front earlier in the half, donned the gloves for a second time this season much to the enjoyment of the travelling Wakefield fans. Then, just before the end of the game, Sandhu’s lively cameo off the bench turned sour when his over-exuberance got the better of him with what appeared an innocent, but poorly timed and poorly executed tackle that drew a straight red card. The aftermath also saw a second yellow for Brigg’s Joshua Jordan for his reaction, whilst one of their substitutes also saw red for kicking a ball on to the field towards the referee.
None of that, from a Wakefield perspective at least, was enough to dampen what was an outstanding performance and an equally outstanding result, as attention immediately turned to the weekend game at home to eighth placed South Leeds.
Wakefield, having now leap-frogged Brigg into third place, went into the game looking to extend their unbeaten run to 18 games in the league. South Leeds were actually the last team to beat Wakefield in the reverse fixture back in October, a result that saw the end for previous manager Junior Roberti and initiated the changes to the management and squad that have seen an unlikely title charge become a reality.
Bodle made one change to the starting line-up from midweek, with Morris brought back into the side in place of Morrison on the right wing. Every game poses different challenges and that proved the case here, with Wakefield tasked with overcoming a defensive minded South Leeds who were set up in a 5-3-2 formation, whilst also having to contend with a heavy Featherstone pitch.
That perhaps impacted the quality of the game, with the free-flowing football of midweek less on show in what was a workmanlike Wakefield performance. Bodle has turned Wakefield in to a side that start with a foundation of doing the basics right, and that can therefore win in a variety of ways. That was again on show here, with a first half goal from Dunne – his second in as many matches – enough for Wakefield to earn the three points.
His goal, 34 minutes in to the game, came from Wakefield’s best bit of play in the half. Centre-back Chris Salt has quickly become a fan-favourite for his dominant, gladiator-like performances at the back, but he showed another side to his game when he displayed great vision and skill to pick out the run of Igor Mlynarski down the right with a perfectly weighted, lobbed pass. The full-back raced on to the ball and, much like in midweek, drilled a dangerous cross from the right corner to the centre of the six yard box, where Dunne had timed his run perfectly to allow for a simple finish.
Wakefield had further half-chances throughout the game, mainly through Mole whose 50th goal for the club continues to elude him. Aside from Dunne’s goal however, the home side’s only other shot on target came in the 70th minute, when Salt drew a fine save from the South Leeds goalkeeper with a headed attempt from a Wakefield corner.
There was no question that Wakefield were the better side, and they moved the ball well enough despite the challenges of the pitch. However, with no second goal to show for their dominance, even with what is arguably the league’s best defence, a one goal lead is always a dangerous scoreline.
South Leeds had failed to muster a shot of any kind in the game as the 90 minutes drew to a close, but could have easily broken Wakefield hearts at the end when two good chances presented themselves from nowhere. The third minute of injury time saw a loose ball in midfield eventually fall to a South Leeds attacker on the right edge of the Wakefield box. He struck a low shot towards the far post that the 347 fans in attendance viewed in slow motion, as it narrowly zipped past the other side of the post.
Then, a minute later, South Leeds were awarded a free-kick midway through the Wakefield half. It was lumped forward and initially cleared to the edge of the box, before a shot came back in towards Evans in goal. He parried the ball away, but right back in to the danger area in front of goal, where a South Leeds attacker met it, but somehow shot over the bar. It was unclear if he would have been offside, but nonetheless it was too close for comfort for a Wakefield side who were glad of the final whistle seconds later.
The three points will be all that’s remembered at the end of the season, and they are points for Wakefield that have an increased sense of value after the two teams above them – Wombwell Town and Horbury Town – both dropped points. Wakefield remain third in the league, but now know their destiny is their own should they win all of their games.
The title-race is certainly shaping up to be a tight and thrilling affair, and the next chapter for Wakefield comes quickly in midweek when they visit Swallownest for a game under the lights on Tuesday 25th February 2025; kick-off: 19:45PM.
South Leeds Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 1-0
Attendance: 347
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Owen Evans – Igor Mlynarski, Chris Salt, Brad McGowan (C), Callum Charlton – Scott Smith, Mo Gashi – Kiyani Morris, Billy Mole, Kelan Swales – Romario Dunne
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
62m, Curtis Morrison for Kiyani Morris
62m, Shay Evans-Booth for Mo Gashi
77m, Jaydan Sandhu for Romario Dunne
83m, Morgan James for Kelan Swales
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 58% – 42% South Leeds
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 209 – 133 South Leeds
Goals:
34m, Romario Dunne
Wakefield AFC Assists:
34m, Igor Mlynarski
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Chris Salt (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 6
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 3
South Leeds
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Brigg Town Match Stats
Half Time: 0-2
Full Time: 0-4
Attendance: 202
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Owen Evans – Igor Mlynarski, Chris Salt, Brad McGowan (C), Callum Charlton – Scott Smith, Mo Gashi – Curtis Morrison, Billy Mole, Kelan Swales – Romario Dunne
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
62m, Kiyani Morris for Curtis Morrison
65m, Jaydan Sandhu for Scott Smith
67m, Shay Evans-Booth for Romario Dunne
77m, Morgan James for Kelan Swales
85m, Nana Nyarko for Owen Evans
Possession:
Brigg Town 41% – 59% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Brigg Town 163 – 211 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
17m, Kelan Swales
28m, Kelan Swales
63m, Romario Dunne
79m, Jaydan Sandhu
Wakefield AFC Assists:
17m, Mo Gashi
28m, Mo Gashi
63m, Igor Mlynarski
79m, Chris Salt
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Jaydan Sandhu (Red)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 6
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shot off Target: 3
Brigg Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 1