Saturday 15th August 2026 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC were back in NCEL Division One action on Saturday, looking to bounce back from another set-back in the previous week that saw them fall to a 1-0 defeat at home to Brigg Town.
That result sent Wakefield back into mid-table in the league’s early standings, and meant they came into this weekend’s game with a record of won two, lost two. Despite the probable feelings of worry and disappointment that surround their early season record, the six points that Wakefield have accumulated in their first four games is in actual fact a total only bettered in the very first of their five seasons in the NCEL.
Wakefield’s opposition were newly promoted Kinsley Boys, an ambitious side who all but destroyed the Central Midlands League last year on their way to promotion, ex-Wakefield striker Lucas Stubbs leading their charge with 48 goals. Joining him were a cohort of players to have featured for Wakefield in their earlier days – Jock Curran, Louis Andre and Tom Davies. And all four started for the side that came into the game in 16th place, with four points so far.
As for The Falcons, manager Jason Blunt again made changes, though stuck with the back three seen in recent weeks. Zak Cottle and Craig Nellthorpe came back into the side, with the former starting at right wing-back and the latter in midfield alongside Callum Nicell. That led to further tweaks of players’ positions, as captain Owen Thomas moved into the back three, Curtis Morrison to left wing-back and player-of-the-month Kenzie Dillon back to an attacking midfield position. He played behind a front two of Shay Evans-Booth and James Eyles.
On a fast and tight pitch, the physical home side had the better of the early action in what was a game of direct football for both sides; intensity and physicality taking precedence over skill and quality.
Wakefield absorbed some early pressure from Kinsley with central defenders Thomas, Conteh and Josh Lockwood standing strong in guarding their box. The back three cleared everything and provided Wakefield a platform to build from. Kinsley possessed real bite in midfield though, and Wakefield struggled to hold onto any meaningful possession.
Kinsley also found joy in wide areas, often having an extra man against Wakefield’s isolated full-backs which at times saw The Falcons stretched and exposed. Aside from a shot from distance that struck Drew Bremer’s crossbar, there was no sign of a goal for either side however. Despite that, Blunt had perhaps seen enough to prompt a change to his system.
Although remaining fluid, Wakefield shifted to what most resembled a 4-3-3, with Eyles moving over to the left wing and Curtis Morrison moving to the right-wing. Morrison, Wakefield’s main production line so far this season, shifted the game’s momentum after the tweak, his direct runs and dangerous crosses getting Wakefield up the pitch.
With Wakefield seeing more of the ball, they were better able to add some quality to the game and the first real dose of that led to the game’s opening goal in the 28th minute. Some good possession in a tight area on the right saw Nicell bypass the press and then loop a lobbed pass into the penalty area. Eyles watched for the ball coming over his head, having timed his run perfectly, and executed an inch-perfect, first time lob over the goalkeeper for his third goal of the season.
The away side then enjoyed a good period in the game, Eyles nearly repeating his earlier trick when he again raced off the shoulder of the last man and saw a cheeky lob go just wide of the goal.
Kinsley saw some moments of danger either side of half-time, Bremer making a good save before the interval before Curran wasted a chance to score against his old club when he skied from the edge of the box just after the re-start.
It was then Wakefield who could, and should have, extended their lead. First, Eyles leaped to get his head to a cross at the back post, though his looping effort was an inch off target and bounced off the post, before substitute Ify Ofoegbu finished the rebound into an open net but was given offside.
Then, just after the hour mark Wakefield were correctly awarded a penalty when a dangerous cross from the right was blocked by the raised hand of a nearby Kinsley defender. Nellthorpe initially looked to step up before Eyles took the ball, but Wakefield’s top goalscorer saw his well-struck effort to the goalkeeper’s left parried away with a fine, stretching save.
That opened the door for a nervy finish for Wakefield, particularly with their apparent recent vulnerability to conceding late in games. As a result, they continued to drop deeper as Kinsley launched a barrage of balls into the Wakefield box, all either handled well by Bremer or the defenders in front of him.
Bremer was also at the centre of a chaotic delay to the game when he was bundled over after intercepting a ball into the box. What followed was a ridiculous procession of Kinsley players crowding him and continuing to push him over, as he almost comically clung to the ball. A flurry of yellow cards were eventually handed out, including to Bremer.
Kinsley, despite their late dominance, struggled to craft any real chances of note, until injury time saw them let Wakefield off the hook with a wayward shot at the back post from an unmarked player who had time to pick his shot. A late free-kick then provided the home side with one final chance in the sixth minute of injury time, with the ball half-cleared to the edge of the box. For a moment, it seemed Kinsley had found their equaliser as a thunderous shot was sent back towards goal, before Bremer leapt across his line to get a fingertip to it; preserving his clean-sheet and the three points for Wakefield.
Grinding out a win like this in such testing circumstances is sometimes as valuable as a dominant victory, with Wakefield perhaps reminding themselves and a few others that they can match teams physically and win in different ways. The challenge now for Wakefield is to put successive wins together, though that won’t be easy as their next fixture sees Selby Town visit The Hunters Stadium off the back of a strong start to the season; kick-off 19:45PM on Friday 21st August 2026.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-1
Full Time: 0-1
Attendance: 88
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Drew Bremer – Mo Conteh, Josh Lockwood, Owen Thomas (C) – Zak Cottle, Craig Nellthorpe, Callum Nicell, Curtis Morrison – Kenzie Dillon – Shay Evans-Booth, James Eyles
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
54m, Ify Ofoegbu for Shay Evans-Booth
79m, Sam Drake for James Eyles
90m+3, James Woodhouse for Kenzie Dillon
Goals:
28m, James Eyles
Wakefield AFC Assists:
28m, Callum Nicell
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Craig Nellthorpe (Yellow)
Drew Bremer (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 1
Kinsley Boys
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 5