Saturday 6th September 2025 | Austin Ainsworth
The NCEL Division One is well and truly in full-swing as summer turns to autumn and, since the arrival of Jason Blunt, so too are Wakefield. After a shaky start in the league, The Falcons headed into this past week’s double-dose of league action with the chance to make it five wins in a row and to move third in the table.
First up was a trip to Winterton Rangers on Wednesday evening who, aside from an opening day win, have lost every game since and sat bottom of the table prior to kick-off. Form often counts for nothing at this level of football, and so it transpired in a closely fought match that proved to be a little too close for comfort for The Falcons.
Blunt was absent for the game, so that meant Iain Trearty and new assistant-manager Mark Maspero took charge of proceedings. They stuck with the 4-3-3 seen in recent matches but, in the absence of Akeel Francis and Igor Mlynarski, Bolton Makwedza moved to right back, whilst Billy Mole moved to an unfamiliar position on the left of a front three comprising of Ash Flynn and Max Rhodes. There was also a debut in midfield for defensive midfielder Mo Conteh.
The game was a scrappy affair, with Wakefield dominating possession but little by way of goal-mouth action. What action there was was exclusively in front of the Winterton goal, though the home goalkeeper was barely tested, with Wakefield’s best chance coming just before half-time when defender T’Nique Fishley stretched to get onto the end of a good ball in, though he could only divert his effort wide.
There was somewhat of a role-reversal after the interval, with a renewed effort from the home side seeing them pepper the Wakefield goal. Wakey goalkeeper Owen Evans was called in to action on a couple of occasions, once when preventing embarrassment from a defensive mix-up that saw a Winterton player run in on goal, and then with a fine save down low.
Just as things were getting tense from a Wakefield perspective, and arguably against the run of play, Makwedza capped a fine performance at right-back with his first goal for Wakefield in the 72nd minute.
As is often the case this season, the chance came from an exquisite Tom Hinton delivery from the left. The cross was half-cleared as far as Makwedza who pounced with a vicious, first-time strike low into goal.
The goal was enough to settle any nerves, with Wakefield controlling proceedings from then on and seeing the best of the few remaining chances. There was no second goal however, with the game ending in a narrow 1-0 win to the visitors, who made the long trip back from Scunthorpe with another three points.
That moved The Falcons into the weekend with a chance to complete their longest winning run in the league since a seven game stretch in February during the last campaign. Interestingly, it was the team who Wakefield started this most recent run against – Armthorpe Welfare – who were the visitors to The Millennium stadium on Saturday.
The two sides have gone in different directions since Blunt guided Wakefield to victory over Armthorpe just a few weeks ago; Wakefield now looking to make it five wins from five, whilst Armthorpe – the league’s early pace-setters prior to being overcome by Wakefield – have lost both matches since that game.
Blunt returned to the dugout and – aside from moving Fishley to right-back in place of the injured Makwedza, with Ashley Grayson returning to partner captain Chris Salt in defence – the starting line-up and formation were unchanged from midweek.
What was different for Wakefield was their endeavour, intensity and overall quality – the home side were like a pack of rabid dogs in their pressure of the opposition, their relentlessness matched equally by Blunt’s incessant encouragement and instruction from the touchline.
As a result, the home side were dominant, and were unfortunate to only be two goals up at half-time. As has often been the case since Blunt’s arrival, the first of those goals came early, with Rhodes bagging his first for the club in the eighth minute in clinical fashion.
Salt played an excellent ball up which could only be headed away as far as Hinton 20 yards from goal. He drilled the ball into the feet of Flynn on the edge of the box, who played a lovely reverse pass through the lines for Rhodes’ inside run from the right. The striker showed no hesitation as he shot with his first touch, low to the far post to give Wakefield a deserved lead.
Flynn himself then had two good chances to score but saw his efforts go begging, before he eventually did grab a goal in the 37th minute. A good bit of Wakefield possession found its way to Owen Thomas, who had moved infield from his left-back position. The defender dinked a smart ball through Armthorpe’s defensive line, who were all at sea as Flynn made a dart across his marker before firing a devastating shot off, high into the roof of the net.
The second half started much the same as the first, with Wakefield eventually extending their lead in the 57th minute through Hinton with his fifth goal in his last six games. As is becoming the norm for the already talismanic midfielder, this was another wonder-strike from distance, as Wakefield’s high press caused another turnover in possession and led to the ball dropping at Hinton’s feet 25 yards from goal on the right side of the pitch. Wakefield’s no. 11 let it drop and then thumped a left-footed strike to the far post, that rose all the way to the top corner to put the home side 3-0 up.
There was a little set-back for Wakefield minutes later when a rare Armthorpe attack saw them break through the middle and almost in on goal. Salt, in his desperation, darted back and lunged to prevent the attack, though got little, if any, of the ball. The resultant free-kick was easily defended, though the real cost for Wakefield came in the red card shown to their captain for the initial foul, with him deemed to have prevented a goalscoring opportunity.
Blunt was calm and calculated in his strategy, moving Wakefield to a 5-3-1 formation which, combined with the sheer standard of performance of each of Wakefield’s players, ensured the home side remained clearly the better of the two outfits despite their man disadvantage.
Amazingly in such trying circumstances, Wakefield even extended their lead with two more goals, with Flynn completing his brace in the 80th minute after a lethal counter-attack. There was an obligatory assist for Hinton for the goal too who, as well as wowing fans with the quality of his goals this season, is also wowing fans with his sheer output; this game seeing him complete his seventh assist to add to his five goals in just nine games. The pass was a thing of beauty from the left wing, as his sweeping cross-field ball played Flynn in behind the entire Armthorpe defence. The striker still had work to do as he ran the remaining 20 yards to goal fighting off pressure from his marker, before just getting a shot off past the onrushing ‘keeper to take himself to six goals for the season.
Wakefield added the fifth five minutes later in similar fashion, this time through substitute James Tetley, who benefitted from a crafty Zante Rose-Campbell thru-ball to dart into the box and clip a good shot in off the goalkeeper for his first goal for the club.
Between that and further late chances for Wakefield to extend their lead even further, there was time for a consolation from Armthorpe – the first Wakefield have conceded in Blunt’s now five games in charge – when the home side’s offside trap wasn’t quite right and an Armthorpe attacker ran through on the left. He cut the ball back towards Wakefield’s penalty spot, where Charlie Clegg was on hand to finish well past Evans.
Aside from slightly dampening Wakefield’s recently excellent defensive record, the goal was insignificant in the course of this game, which ended 5-1 – a scoreline that in no way flattered an excellent Wakefield.
With 10 games now completed for The Falcons in the league, Wakefield’s season is starting to take shape with them moving to third in the league behind, Dearne and District and Harrogate Railway in first and second respectively.
There is a rare free midweek for Wakefield now, before Blunt takes his men back to Lincolnshire next weekend, this time to face 18th placed Brigg Town on Saturday 13th September 2025; kick-off 15:00PM.
Armthorpe Welfare Match Stats
Half Time: 2-0
Full Time: 5-1
Attendance: 412
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Owen Evans – T’Nique Fishley, Chris Salt (C), Ashley Grayson, Owen Thomas – Mo Conteh, Callum Nicell, Tom Hinton – Max Rhodes, Ash Flynn, Billy Mole
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
67m, Lance Freidrich for Max Rhodes
73m, Zante Rose-Campbell for Billy Mole
81m, James Tetley for Ash Flynn
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 42% – 58% Armthorpe Welfare
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 190 – 325 Armthorpe Welfare
Goals:
8m, Max Rhodes
37m, Ash Flynn
57m, Tom Hinton
80m, Ash Flynn
85m, James Tetley
88m, Charlie Clegg
Wakefield AFC Assists:
8m, Ash Flynn
37m, Owen Thomas
80m, Tom Hinton
85m, Zante Rose-Campbell
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Chris Salt (Red)
Billy Mole (Yellow)
Tom Hinton (Yellow)
Ash Flynn (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 6
Shot off Target: 2
Armthorpe Welfare
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Winterton Rangers Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 0-1
Attendance: 187
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Owen Evans – Bolton Makwedza, Chris Salt (C), T,Nique Fishley, Owen Thomas – Mo Conteh, Tom Hinton, Callum Nicell – Max Rhodes, Ash Flynn, Billy Mole
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
70m, Lance Freidrich for Mo Conteh
79m, Zante Rose-Campbell for Max Rhodes
90m+2, Ashley Grayson for Bolton Makwedza
Possession:
Winterton Rangers 40% – 60% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Winterton Rangers 188 – 272 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
72m, Bolton Makwedza
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Ash Flynn (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shot off Target: 2
Winterton Rangers
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 6