Saturday 6th August 2022 | Austin Ainsworth
Newly promoted Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League champions Wakefield AFC continued their start to life as a Northern Counties East League Division 1 side when they faced Shirebrook Town – 15th placed finishers in the NCEL last season – on Saturday.
The jump to Step six of the national league pyramid will bring many challenges for Wakefield, not least the wider geographical span of the league. That meant Wakefield were faced with a near 50 mile trip to Derbyshire to meet a Shirebrook team looking for their first win, after an opening day home loss to Harrogate Railway.
For Wakefield, it was all about continuing several months of outstanding achievement; league winners in their first full season – tick; positive pre-season with several eye-catching performances – tick; a win in their first NCEL game against Glasshoughten Welfare – tick. So what of their first away-day test at semi-professional level? It took until the last of five added minutes of injury time to find out, but Wakefield came away with their fledgling undefeated record intact; with the two sides sharing the points after a 2-2 draw.
Manager Gabe Mozzini handed debuts to goalkeeper Lloyd Horridge and right-back Aaron Pilkington; Lucas Stubbs continued his second-coming with a first start of the season on the left wing; whilst Billy Mole made a welcome return to his favoured no. 10 position. However with seven of the starting 11 regulars last year, it was a Wakefield side familiar to the numerous away contingent within the 135-strong crowd, and one that showed the obvious trust Mozzini has in last season’s title-winners being able to handle the step-up in level.
Not surprisingly that faith appeared well-founded as Wakefield made the better start to proceedings and dominated possession high up the pitch from the off. Playing up the sloping pitch didn’t appear to deter the away side, as the possession started to reap chances for Wakefield after 10 minutes. Predictably last season’s top-scorer Jake Morrison, had the first sniff of a Wakey goal when he fired off a shot on the swivel close to goal, but the home ‘keeper made the first of a number of good saves.
Several more chances came for Wakefield throughout the half, the best just after 15 minutes when Stubbs charged towards goal in from the right but was only able to fire his shot straight at the Shirebrook goalkeeper.
Having struggled to break through Wakefield’s high press in the early stages, Shirebrook did start to find their way out and saw more of the ball as the half wore on. They themselves had a gilt-edged chance to take the lead midway through the half when the Shirebrook forward latched on to a defence-splitting pass but was only able to screw his shot wide with the goal at his mercy. It was a lucky escape for Wakefield, who were optimistically appealing for an offside that never came.
The home side also did well to contain Wakefield’s playmakers – namely Danny Youel in midfield and Mole just in front of him – with the duo rarely afforded any time on the ball. The outlier to that came on 30 minutes with one glistening piece of tiki-taka football on the edge of the box involving them and Jock Curran, who all three combined to tee-up Morrison for a half-volley on the edge of the box that was saved by the goalkeeper.
Wakefield looked to move up a gear in the second half and did so after 10 minutes, with half-time substitute Owen Kirman providing a cushioned pass to Wakefield marksman Morrison on the halfway line to release him in on goal. Having seen the goalkeeper way off his line he needed no invitation to hit an audacious half-volley from 30 yards out, which wormed its way past the backtracking goalkeeper who had left too much of an angle for a striker of Morrison’s quality to aim at. For a striker who lives at the top of the goalscoring charts, the goal – aside from giving Wakefield a deserved lead – moved him to three goals in two for the season, top of Wakefield’s own chart and joint-second in the NCEL.
At that point it would have taken the most pessimistic of Wakefield supporter to think Wakefield wouldn’t go on and build on that early second half lead, but a combative Shirebrook side were never going to lay down and things can always change at a moment’s notice in the game of football. That told as debutant goalkeeper Horridge – excellent in both command of his area and distribution of the ball up to that point – had a moment to forget on the hour mark.
The Wakefield ‘keeper had looked to play out from his box, but the Shirebrook striker was quick enough in his harrying to block the pass. It would have been a certain goal, as the rebound played the Shirebrook forward in on goal, as Horridge turned to chase. However, it was an even darker fate for the away side and Horridge himself, as he was unable to prevent himself from an almost automatic attempt to pull the Shirebrook forward down.
It meant an inevitable red card for Horridge and a penalty to Shirebrook, as Max Child entered the fray faced with the unenviable task of trying to preserve Wakefield’s lead. He was unable to, as Joshua Devereux sent him the wrong way and slotted his spot-kick in to the side netting to level the game.
With the game turned on its head in an instant, Wakefield may have been forgiven for the height of their ambition being to hold what they had and for a time – despite their numerical disadvantage – they were still able to enjoy lots of possession albeit with any goal-threat greatly minimised.
Shirebrook appeared to sense a chance of victory and upped the ante in the final quarter however Wakefield – winners of an FA award for the most clean sheets in non-league last season – remained rock-solid in defence, marshalled by the ever-impressive Cory Woodward and Tom Booth.
With the home side unable to find a way though, they were handed a slice of fortune in the 81st minute when a speculative punt upfield played Joshua Parfitt in on goal. He looked to be just offside but the flag never came. He didn’t mind, as he smartly finished past Child and celebrated what many thought would be the winner.
To Wakefield’s credit they didn’t give up the hunt for an unlikely equaliser, faced with a numerical disadvantage and understandable attempts from Shirebrook to slow the game down. And, in a see-saw game of ups and downs, Wakefield managed to swing the pendulum back their own way with a moment of magic from substitute Ray Sibanda right at the death.
The goal started with a mixture of composure and vision form Woodward, who stepped in to midfield to play a wonderful through-ball in to Sibanda’s path. Sibanda timed his run to perfection and went 1-v-1 with the Shirebrook goalkeeper. With the easier, more predictable option a side-footed finish either side of the goalkeeper, Sibanda showed his class with a deft, half-volleyed lob over the ‘keeper to bag his second goal in two games.
With a rollercoaster of Wakefield emotions meandering from a sense of having dropped two points, to injustice at having lost all three after a perceived incorrect offside call, before then settling back on to jubilation at a late equaliser; Wakefield can look back on their first NCEL away-day with satisfaction at a point in trying circumstances, and will now look to build on that result in upcoming games away against Swallownest (Tuesday 9th August 2022: 19:45PM) and back home at the Millennium Stadium against Armthorpe Welfare on Saturday 13th August: kick-off 15:00PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 2-2
Attendance: 135
MOTM: Jock Curran
Starting XI:
Lloyd Horridge – Aaron Pilkington, Cory Woodward, Tom Booth, Josh Craig – Mason Rubie, Danny Youel, Jock Curran, Lucas Stubbs – Billy Mole – Jake Morrison
Subs Used:
45m, Owen Kirman for Lucas Stubbs
62m, Max Child for Aaron Pilkington
71m, Daniel Hernandez for Danny Youel
71m, Morgan Butcher for Jake Morrison
77m, Ray Sibanda for Billy Mole
Goals:
55m, Jake Morrison
64m, Joshua Devereux (Pen) (Shirebrook Town)
81m, Joshua Parfitt (Shirebrook Town)
90+5m, Ray Sibanda
Wakefield AFC Assists:
55m, Owen Kirman
90+5m, Cory Woodward
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shot off Target: 2
Shirebrook Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 3