Friday 30th January 2026 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC were back on the road this past weekend, and back to the traditional, Saturday afternoon kick-off with a trip to 13th placed Goole AFC. With The Falcons – unbeaten in 12 – sitting second in the NCEL Division One, they were pushing for a fifth win in succession as their relentless pursuit of league-leaders Dearne & District continues.
On the face of it, Wakefield have been at their free-scoring best of late, scoring at least three goals in nine of their previous 12 games unbeaten – a run that has comprised of 10 wins and two draws. However, with their most recent 3-0 victory over Winterton Rangers as a perfect example, some of the wins have certainly been more difficult than the scoresheet would suggest; that last game going right to the wire before two late goals sealed the points.
Saturday’s contest against Goole – with two wins in their last five – had an entirely different vibe; two goals in either half for visiting Wakefield ensuring there was a processional, almost stress-free, feel to the game as Goole were unable to lay a glove on a dominant Wakefield.
Wakey manager Jason Blunt did spring somewhat of a surprise with his selection, continuing with the 4-2-3-1 formation seen recently, but shifting Tom Hinton into a deeper midfield role as Billy Mole started on the bench. That also meant Akeel Francis – who captained the side – moved deeper into the hole behind striker Jerome Greaves, who made his first start in three games. The rest of the line-up remained unchanged, with club captain Chris Salt continuing his return from injury with a spot on the bench next to his usual deputy Mole.
Wakefield were immediately on the ball from the off, starting a passing carousel that never stopped for the rest of the game. The visitors looked at ease as the ball was circulated side-to-side and back-to-front at will, all as Blunt vociferously conducted his orchestra from the side. Ever the perfectionist, Wakefield’s dominance didn’t relax the manager one bit, with constant requests for patience and simplicity.
In truth, as in recent games, his mild frustration likely came from Wakefield failing to convert utter dominance into regular, clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Two did come along almost immediately, with Greaves seeing a volley from close range bounce up and over the bar, before Owen Thomas played a sumptuous ball over to find the smart run of Francis, who was denied when one-versus-one.
After that, there was a lull in goalmouth action, though Wakefield did eventually take the lead in the 30th minute through Greaves with his third goal for the club. The goal came after winger Basile Zottos switched to the left wing, where he cut inside and unleashed an effort on goal. And, just as it appeared the ‘keeper would scoop the ball up, Greaves had timed his run perfectly to steal in across goal and divert the ball around the goalkeeper.
Shortly after, in another incident following a free-kick awarded to Wakefield, Goole were temporarily reduced to 10 men as one of their players was sin-binned for something said to the referee. Wakefield have been here before though, and a failure to build on a lead has led to second halves that were less comfortable than they could have been.
That wasn’t the case in this game, with a buffer introduced just before half time through the excellent Ethan Kachosa. Hinton played a corner from the left short to the winger who turned inside and looked to swing a cross in to the far corner. Whether his effort was indeed a cross, or a perfectly guided, bonafide attempt at goal, the ball curled beautifully and wickedly towards goal and found it’s spot, beyond the reach of the goalkeeper, just inside the far top corner to make it 2-0.
Goole very briefly threatened a response at the start of the second half, with a slack turnover in possession leading to a quick-fire counter-attack and cross to their man in the middle of the Wakefield box. Fortunately for the visitors, the attacker’s glancing header went just wide of Drew Bremer’s goal.
Bremer – looking for his 10th clean-sheet of the season – was then called into action moments later with a fine save from close range, after another turnover in possession that drew some coarse words from an unimpressed Blunt on the sidelines.
As previously referenced, even at 2-0, Blunt’s demands are such that his instructions to his team never wavered even with a 2-0 lead, and that no doubt played a part in an upturn in the intensity of Wakefield’s performance. The Falcons soon returned to dominance and increasingly had Goole penned into their own half. Chances soon arrived, though some moments broke down through the wrong choice of final pass.
Along with intensity, a calmness and control returned to Wakefield’s play, exhibited beautifully in the 64th minute when a brilliant period of possession eventually saw defender Matthew Swift gracefully drive forward with a fine bit of control, before his one-two pass off Greaves allowed him to slide Francis in on goal – the latter’s shot well saved at the near post.
That was a warning to Goole of Wakefield’s capability, and a third goal did soon follow after the introduction of Eliel Anku from the bench. A further passage of slick possession saw the ball shifted from right to left, before eventually falling to Thomas who continued his outstanding run of goal-contributions with a teasing, low cross behind the Goole defensive line. The accuracy of the cross was such that the goalkeeper was drawn into an uncomfortable attempt to dive low and intercept, though he couldn’t hold the ball as Anku raced in to tap the ball home for his second goal of the campaign.
That goal served to finish the tie, but another came 10 minutes later in the 80th minute when Kachosa doubled his tally for the game to two, and his tally for the season to four, when he was also on hand to finish from close range. This time the ball came in from the right, with substitute Lance Friedrich playing a high cross that saw both Anku and Bolton Makwedza making a nuisance of themselves as they crowded the defender. Perhaps because of that, the Goole player could only deflect the ball up in the air, before half-clearing it as it dropped back down. Kachosa then came racing from deep to arrow a shot to the opposite side of the goal – an effort that made it an impressive eight times already in all competitions this season that Wakefield have scored four or more goals in a game.
Four was the least Wakefield deserved, with the next ten minutes into stoppage time seeing a host of Wakefield efforts either well saved by the busy Goole ‘keeper or just miss the target. The best of those came through Hinton, who graciously touched and turned on the edge of the box, before unleashing a shot towards goal that was somehow clawed away by the stretching Goole no. 1.
The result, and performance, ensured Wakefield’s confidence remains sky high as the end-point of the season continues to move closer; with an added bonus of Wakefield’s play-off rivals Harrogate Railway dropping points, meaning they now sit 6 points adrift of Wakefield with two games in hand; whilst Worsbrough are wedged between the two, three adrift of Wakefield with one game in hand. Meanwhile, Wakefield are nine points off leaders Dearne having both played 31 games. It’s certainly still a tough ask, but The Falcons are giving themselves a chance through their consistency of performance and relentlessness of results.
Wakefield’s next obstacle to overcome arrives this Friday evening, 13/02/2026 at home to 10th placed Crowle Colts; kick-off: 19:45PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-2
Full Time: 0-4
Attendance: 1795
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Drew Bremer – Bolton Makwedza, Matthew Swift, Mo Conteh, Owen Thomas, Callum Nicell, Tom Hinton – Basile Zottos, Akeel Francis, Ethan Kachosa – Jerome Greaves
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
68m, Billy Mole for Callum Nicell
68m, Eliel Anku for Jerome Greaves
72m, Chris Salt for Mo Conteh
77m, Lance Friedrich for Basile Zottos
82m, Jordao Costa for Akeel Francis
Possession:
Goole AFC 27% – 73% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Goole AFC 147 – 390 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
30m, Jerome Greaves
45m+2, Ethan Kachosa
70m, Eliel Anku
80m, Ethan Kachosa
Wakefield AFC Assists:
30m, Basile Zottos
45m+2, Tom Hinton
70m, Owen Thomas
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shot off Target: 5
Goole AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2