Saturday 19th April 2025 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC’s NCEL Division One campaign came to a familiar climax at the weekend, with a play-off semi-final for the third time in three seasons. Having gone one better than their fourth placed finish in the last two seasons, Wakefield’s eventual finishing position of third ensured, for the first time, the hugely important game would be played at home.
In-form Dearne & District, who finished fourth in the league, were the visitors to the Millennium Stadium, which was packed out with 923 fans for the big game. Finishing positions aside, on recent form, Dearne were perhaps the favourites for the game having beaten Wakefield twice in the regular season. They also came into the game with a perfect record of five wins from their last five.
As for Wakefield, an incredible unbeaten run tailed off at just the wrong time at the business end of the season, and they came into the game with three wins and two losses, although their last game was a confidence boosting home victory over Brigg Town in the week previous.
That game saw a new formation, in a late-season switch to a back three for Wakefield, as manager Steve Bodle has been searching for solutions amidst a rocky end to the season, with player absences and injury to contend with.
The change worked well and seemed to get several players into positions that suited them. And so with that in mind, and perhaps with the recent defeat to Dearne also in mind – in which Wakefield were bullied and overrun – Bodle stuck with the same team and formation for the big game.
That meant Scott Loach made his fourth consecutive start in goal behind a back three of Nathan Whitehead, Chris Salt and Brad McGowan; the latter two possibly the first names on the team sheet having been responsible for 16 clean-sheets in their 25 games together since the turn of the year.
Likely player-of-the-season Scott Smith made his 37th start – the most of any player – in anchoring the midfield, whilst Igor Mlynarski and Curtis Morrison occupied the wing-back positions. Jaydan Sandhu has played his way back into contention in recent weeks and, as the player who mosts benefits from this new formation, started alongside Mo Gashi in attacking-midfield. That left a front two of Kelan Swales and Anthony Dwyer.
Wakefield were slightly uphill and into wind in the first half and that perhaps contributed towards making the half a tense, closely-fought affair. As expected the game was a physical affair, with the referee seemingly happy to allow persistent grappling to go unpunished. Nonetheless, unlike the recent defeat to Dearne, Wakefield appeared more than up to the challenge and stood up well to the test. Although, in an incident that foretold the frustration to come, Mo Gashi was harshly punished for a yellow card, for what was just the first foul of the game in the seventh minute when he went in for a 50/50 challenge.
The first big chance of the game came Wakefield’s way in the 16th minute when Swales, looking for his seventh goal in 14 appearances, latched on to a half-cleared ball on the edge of the box. He chested it down and struck a dipping, half-volley that beat the ‘keeper but clattered off the crossbar.
The game came to life and Dearne displayed the danger they posed when they went straight up the other end with an attack down the left, and drew a fine, reaction save from Loach at his near post from a low and firm shot.
On a day that ultimately led to Wakefield ruing their hard luck, they suffered their first misfortune in the 28th minute when captain McGowan was forced off due to injury. He had initially got the bumper crowd off their seats when he won a tackle in crushing, but fair, style minutes earlier. He then bravely played on for the best part of five minutes with what later turned out to be a broken bone in his leg. Kiyani Morris, unfortunate to miss out on the starting line-up after a brilliant season, came on in his place as Wakefield moved to a more conventional 4-3-3 to accommodate the change.
The ensuing minutes saw both sides have efforts from the edge of the box go amiss, before Wakefield were let off the hook minutes from half-time when Dearne won the ball centrally, 30 yards from goal, with a tackle that saw Wakefield appealing for a foul. It wasn’t given and the subsequent pass through saw the away side beat the offside trap with two players running in on goal. It seemed certain that the player with the ball would play a simple, squared pass to his teammate to beat the on-rushing Loach, but a heavy touch allowed the Wakey goalkeeper to pounce at his feet and keep the scores level.
Ultimately it was Wakefield who may have wondered how they didn’t go into the interval ahead, with the increasingly influential Morris missing out with two big chances before the break. Before that, a mazy run into the box from the right saw him flattened but the referee was controversially unmoved by the appeals for a penalty.
As the game moved into first half stoppage-time, Morris’ first opportunity came from a corner at the back post, but he got his header all wrong. Then, another blistering run into the box from the right saw him beat several men before his stretching, toe-poked shot two yards from the post could only find the side-netting. Morris still finishes a fine season as Wakefield’s joint top-scorer with 12 goals, but how he, and Wakefield, would have wished for one more given what was to come.
With the wind and gradient possibly playing a bigger part on proceedings than is obvious to the naked eye, the second half was a complete contrast to the first. Wakefield were utterly dominant and penned Dearne into their own defensive third.
The pace of Wakefield’s play both on, and off, the ball, was a level above recent weeks and Wakefield were equally as effective when holding possession through the outstanding midfield trio of Smith, Sandhu and Gashi as they were in going more direct; Dwyer key to that in holding the ball up excellently, running the channels and being an all-round menace.
Chances kept coming for The Faclons, the first almost immediately after half-time when Salt went up for a corner and acrobatically twisted his body to get a boot to the ball at the back post, which was cleared off the line and only narrowly prevented from going into goal with Dearne putting bodies on the line in a goal-mouth scramble.
As the hour-mark approached another good opportunity came for Wakefield when some outstanding harrying from Swales saw an attempted pass-back to the Dearne goalkeeper go awry on the right edge of the box. Swales stole-in and crossed back towards Dwyer in the six yard box. With the goalkeeper out of position, it would have been a simple finish, however a Dearne defender recovered excellently to intercept the cross with a crucial, outstretched leg. Wakefield won the ball back instantly and played it back inside to Sandhu, whose menacing shot from distance forced the goalkeeper into an uncomfortable save to his right.
Given the manner of Wakefield’s performance, and the significant contrast to recent defeats, Wakefield fans could not have asked more of their side and, as the game moved towards the last 20 minutes, belief was probably high that Wakefield would come out on top.
However, lady-luck was not on Wakefield’s side and the game descended into a frustrating tale of misfortune for the home side from then on. Having already lost their captain in the first half, Gashi – who alongside Sandhu had orchestrated Wakefield’s dominance of the half – was lost due to concussion following a brave challenge in the middle of the park.
Kieran Watson came on in his place as Wakefield again shifted formation to a 4-2-2-2. For a brief period that worked well for The Falcons, as the extra man up-front posed even more problems for an increasingly penned-in Dearne. And Watson could’ve had his first Wakefield goal when he reacted quickly to contort his body at the near post to chest a Swales cross narrowly wide of goal.
Wakefield weren’t given the chance to profit from their ascendancy though, as a controversial red card saw the game swing back towards Dearne. As if the loss of Gashi wasn’t hard enough, it was the influential Sandhu – perhaps Wakefield’s best player until then – who fell victim to what many saw as a harsh decision from the referee. He drove into the box and stretched out a foot to keep control of the bouncing ball, but appeared to think better of it as it was apparent the Dearne defender would get there first. As he turned his stoods down and away, the defender went rolling over the challenge and fell dramatically to the ground. There was no doubt it was a foul, however the referee left the ground utterly stunned when he showed Wakefield’s man a straight red card. It was a sad end to the game for Sandhu, who left the pitch to rapturous applause and, after a difficult season that has seen him in and out of the side, still finishes the campaign with the most appearances and most goal involvements; his 10 assists and 11 goals in 43 games showing his enduring worth to Wakefield.
The home side would have to do without him for the last 15 minutes however, as they reverted to a rear-guard action, defending multiple Dearne corners and crosses. It looked as though the game was heading for penalties as the regulation 90 minutes expired. However, there was still further tragedy, and controversy, to befall Wakefield in the second minute of added time.
Dearne found themselves attacking down the right and drilled a shot from within the box that fired straight into the side-netting. The linesman instantly pointed for a goal-kick, only for the referee to unfathomably award a corner. Predictably, with how proceedings had unfolded for Wakefield, the resultant kick was headed into goal at the near post by Dearne’s Jamie Austin, with the large contingent of away fans behind Dearne’s goal reaching new levels of wildness in celebrating on the pitch with Dearne’s players.
There was another lengthy stoppage to the game following a medical emergency in the ground, meaning over 10 minutes of added time was eventually played. However, with a man disadvantage, Wakefield were limited to half chances and a dubious penalty shout for a pull on Salt in the box, as Dearne were able to see the game out to inflict the same, cruel fate on Wakefield for the third time in three seasons.
Dearne will now face Wombwell Town – victorious in their semi-final over Ilkley Town – in the play-off final. For Wakefield, they are left to reflect on another season that, for a time, promised so much more, but in which they again fell short. Their record for wins, points per game and finishing position bears remarkable similarity to last season which, for all of the change and investment, could be seen as a disappointment. However, since Bodle took charge in October, that record dramatically improves; with a win percentage of 72 and 18 clean-sheets across 32 games.
Unfortunately for Wakefield the season started well before October but, nonetheless, Bodle appears to have pointed the way for The Falcons in the second half of the season, and the aim now must surely be to retain the bulk of the side he has built. If Wakefield can do that and avoid the ins-and-outs of this season – many of which were enforced due to injury – under Bodle, and with a more stable side, belief will never be higher that Wakefield can finally maintain a season-long push at their promotion dream.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 0-1
Attendance: 923
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Scott Loach – Nathan Whitehead, Chris Salt, Brad McGowan (C) – Igor Mlynarski, Scott Smith, Curtis Morrison – Jaydan Sandhu, Mo Gashi – Kelan Swales, Anthony Dwyer
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
28m, Kiyani Morris for Brad McGowan
67m, Kieran Watson for Mo Gashi
90m+5, Shay Evans-Booth for Scott Smith
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 65% – 35% Dearne & District
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 171 – 97 Dearne & District
Goals:
90m+2, Jamie Austin
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Mo Gashi (Yellow)
Jaydan Sandhu (Red)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shot off Target: 2
Dearne & District
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 3