Saturday 3rd January 2026 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC were back at home for their first NCEL Division One match of 2026 on Saturday, welcoming 18th placed Athersley Recreation to a packed out Hunters Stadium.
The Falcons, fourth at the start of the day, were looking to make it to ten league games unbeaten whilst Athersley – belying their lowly league position – came into the game buoyed by a shock, but well deserved, home win over promotion-pushing Worsbrough Bridge last time out.
That result would have no doubt served as a stark warning for Wakefield of the need to keep their focus and avoid any costly slip-ups. With that in mind, manager Jason Blunt named the strongest possible side and reverted back to his tried and tested 3-4-3 formation; the only change from the previous victory over Nostell seeing Jerome Greaves start in place of suspended star midfielder Tom Hinton. That meant there was a slight tweak up top as Akeel Francis and Basile Zottos – making his second start in a row – joined Greaves in a front three that saw Francis operating wider than usual.
On a bitterly cold day, it took Wakefield some time to warm-up; Athersley initially looking lively before the game settled into a pattern of dominant Wakefield possession against the stubbornly solid away side.
Wakefield did have an early sight of goal when Ethan Kachosa struck the post, but so did Athersley on the break when Wakefield’s Drew Bremer was forced into a brilliant, stretching save from close range to prevent a shot destined for the top corner. That, and another similar attack down Athersley’s left that was spurned, was as close as the Barnsley side got to Wakefield’s goal, as their mission soon turned to backs-to-the-wall defending.
Athersley held out until the 32nd minute before their increasingly desperate attempts at regaining possession led to a central free-kick 20 yards from goal. Greaves struck a testing, low effort which the ‘keeper spilled to allow captain Billy Mole a tap-in as reward for his quick thinking and quick reactions. Mole, who was dominant throughout the game in midfield, now has a record-extending 56 goals for the club as he also quickly-approaches the top of the Wakefield all-time appearance charts.
Athersley saw a man sent off not long after that for a second bookable offence, and that had the 489 fans in attendance sensing another home rout for The Falcons. However, the home side had to settle for the just the one goal lead at half-time with them no doubt seeking a shift to a higher gear in the second period.
Although Wakefield remained utterly dominant after the interval, their dominance largely manifested itself into slow build-up and sideways passes as the game drifted through an increasingly mundane second period. That was largely to 10-man Athersley’s credit, as they remained supremely committed and well-organised. But, there was a worrying sense that Wakefield were getting too comfortable with what was still a slender lead and had taken their foot off the gas.
That all changed in the final 15 minutes as Wakefield sprung to life, increasing the speed of their play and finally seeing some efforts on goal. Substitute Ben Dyer could have scored with a free header at the back post which was saved, whilst Mole almost doubled his tally with a low, first-time effort from 20 yards after good Wakefield possession.
The second goal, and buffer for the three points, did eventually come in the 81st minute in spectacular fashion when a Wakefield corner resulted in Francis getting hold of the ball just off the right wing on the corner edge of the Athersley box. In what was initially thought to be a goal of the season contender, but will now remain “assist of the season”, Francis cut inside and then executed a curling, “rabona” effort to the far post which, on first sight, appeared to float right in to the far corner. However, it soon became apparent that defender Matthew Swift got the final, crucial touch at the back post to score his second goal for the club.
That intervention killed any Athersley hope and a third Wakefield goal soon followed. Defenders Bolton Makwedza and Owen Thomas combined to make it happen; the latter – now with four assists in three games as evidence of his continued influence and improvement – made it happen when he rose high in the box to head the ball towards Makwedza with his back to goal. The imposing defender shrugged off his marker three times as he had several attempts at getting the ball down and under control, before turning to finish from point-blank range for his fourth goal of the season.
HIs effort put some gloss on Wakefield’s performance and ensured a score more akin to what would have been predicted prior to kick-off, although the score didn’t do justice to how hard they were made to work for it.
Nevertheless, the all-important end result ensured Wakefield made it to 10 unbeaten whilst also propelling them up the table and into second. There will likely be further changes near the summit of the league though, as Wakefield now move into what is nearly two weeks without a game; their next match coming at home on the evening of Friday 16th January against Brigg Town; kick-off 19:45PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 3-0
Attendance: 489
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Drew Bremer – Bolton Makwedza, Matthew Swift, Mo Conteh, Ethan Kachosa, Callum Nicell, Billy Mole (C), Owen Thomas – Basile Zottos, Jerome Greaves, Akeel Francis
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
68m, Ben Dyer for Jerome Greaves
82m, Jordan Costa for Ethan Kachosa
82m, Oli Robinson for Basile Zottos
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 74% – 26% Athersley Recreation
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 436 – 172 Athersley Recreation
Goals:
32m, Billy Mole
81m, Matthew Swift
87m, Bolton Makwedza
Wakefield AFC Assists:
81m, Akeel Francis
87m, Owen Thomas
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Basile Zottos (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shot off Target: 3
Athersley Recreation
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0