Saturday 14th October 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC were back to their free-flowing best in the Northern Counties East League Division One on Saturday, following up the previous week’s hard fought win away to Worsbrough with a festival of goals, as Ollerton Town were the visitors to The Be Well Support Stadium.
Wakefield started the day in sixth, with goal-difference keeping them out of the play-off spots; whilst struggling Ollerton were third from bottom with just four points to their name. With that in mind goal-difference may have been something Wakefield hoped to positively affect in the match, but never in their wildest dreams would they have envisaged what was to unfold, as they eclipsed their previous best league result of 8-1 against Jubilee Sports in April 2022.
That result came in Wakefield’s charge towards 2022’s Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League title. Striker Jake Morrison scored a brace on that day, but had to make do with a place on the bench as Wakefield and Ollerton took to the pitch. Captain Danny Youel took a surprise seat next to Morrison, with Nathan Hawkhead favoured in a defensive midfield role having previously filled in at centre-back. Cory Woodward made his return to the side, whilst Cameron Barnett – effective off the bench this season – made his first league start in place of suspended top-scorer Billy Mole.
The game started much the same way as many of Wakefield’s previous home fixtures have done, with the home side bossing possession and creating several chances. Worryingly, after 20 minutes Wakefield had failed to hit a shot on target and fears of a repeat of previous disappointing home results in spite of dominance may have started to grow. How ridiculous that now sounds, as Wakefield eventually hit the first of 11 goals in the 26th minute.
Jack Durkin was the man to open the floodgates with his third goal of the season when he finished well through a crowd of players, after meeting Jaydan Sandhu’s corner at the back post.
Three minutes later the excellent Sandhu – not content with what was his 11th assist in 17 games this season – scored his sixth goal of the season with a fine curling finish to the back post, after Barnett had demonstrated quick-thinking and selflessness to pick him out in the box.
Not long after, Sandhu got his brace with a goal that bore all the hallmarks of him and Wakefield at their best. After Wakefield had recycled the ball patiently across the backline, Hawkhead dropped deep and sprayed a beautiful pass over the top to meet Sandhu’s run between the Ollerton midfield and defence. Sandhu drifted left with the ball before turning in and fooling his marker with a back-heel for Callum Charlton’s overlapping run. Charlton swiftly returned the ball to Sandhu who had now lost his man. The midfielder then took one touch and drilled a pin-point shot inside the post from 20 yards out to make it 3-0.
Four more goals followed before half-time in a ridiculous 10 minutes of cut-throat stuff from the home side. Sebastian Losa got the next one almost straight from kick-off when Hawkhead again showed great vision and accuracy to thread a ball through the middle to meet Losa’s well-timed inside run. He received the ball just on the edge of the box and beat the onrushing Ollerton ‘keeper with his next touch to clip the ball in to the back of the net.
Kieran Ceesay, again operating as the main striker as he has done in recent games, found time to get in on the action next with his second goal of the season. Hawkhead again initiated the move with a good ball out to Barnett, who touched around his marker to knock the ball in to acres of space down the right. He closed in on the Ollerton penalty box before cutting a cross back to Ceesay who had just held his run in order to side-foot the ball home from the penalty spot.
Wakefield, so effective with the ball, never gave Ollerton the chance to breathe on the rare occasions the away side borrowed possession. The reward for the intensity of Wakefield’s performance came next as Barnett – completing a hat-trick of assists – pressed well to win the ball on the edge of Ollerton’s box. He then completed a neat little reverse pass for Mason Rubie to run on to and finish when 1-v-1 with the goalkeeper. The desire and hunger to win the ball back was a sight to behold and made this manager Gabe Mozzini’s pick of the goals, “The 6th goal, I’d say [was my favourite]. Ollerton Town tried to move the ball around the back, and the high press we train worked very well, and all the players were switched on. So, when we got the ball, our whole team was already moving forward to support.”
Wakefield were in no mood to sit back and admire their work however, as Rubie managed to double his tally to make it 7-0 on the stroke of half-time. Wakefield had again stolen possession high upfield, this time on the left, and that allowed Ceesay to receive the ball in a pocket of space 20 yards out. He let the ball roll past him before completing a short pass for the run of Rubie, who hit a pin-point shot to the far post.
Half-time predictably saw numerous Wakefield changes as Mozzini took the opportunity to rest Sandhu and Aaron Pilkington, with Losa also making way as Morrison, Youel and Edward Busfield came on.
Morrison, no doubt eager to get back atop the Wakefield all-time top-scorer chart, would have been salivating at the prospect of 45 minutes in a game of this nature and unsurprisingly he was the next name on the scorecard in the 50th minute. For all of Wakefield’s artistry, the goal was route-one stuff as Durkin cleared from the edge of his box with a perfectly weighted long pass just inside Ollerton’s half. Morrison, running from inside his own half, beat Ollerton’s high line to meet the ball 20 yards out. The striker let the ball bounce up before completing a half-volley chip over the goalkeeper for what is now his 43rd goal in 51 Wakefield appearances.
Whether due to the substitutions or out of sympathy, the pace of the game did slow somewhat and Wakefield had to wait another 20 minutes for their ninth as Barnett, capping an excellent performance, got a deserved goal when substitute Owan Derrett passed inside for him to beat his man before slotting the ball inside the far post. Woodward then made it double figures moments later when he met Youel’s corner at the back post to chest the ball in having evaded his marker.
By this point, Busfield had gone off injured and, with all four outfield substitutes used, goalkeeper George Bristol borrowed a shirt and came on alongside Morrison up front. The shot-stopper is worthy of a place in this report, as in a barely believable moment he nearly scored in the 79th minute with an audacious bicycle-kick that went just wide of the post.
On a day where Wakefield’s dreams were realised, that would have been a true moment to remember. Unfortunately there wasn’t time for him to score but, with the last kick of the game, there was time for Ceesay to complete his brace when he received a pass from Youel who had made a timely interception. Ceesay, now operating from the left wing, beat two men before opening his body up inside the box to strike a finessed shot around the deflated Ollerton goalkeeper.
The game had been the perfect storm for Wakefield as Ollerton played right in to their hands by standing off and leaving too much space. Tellingly, there were no cards given out by the referee in a game of only a handful of fouls and that suited the home side, with the result evidence of how dangerous and deadly Wakefield can be when they are allowed to play. That takes nothing away from Wakefield’s performance however, with the margin of victory trumping anything any other side have managed against Ollerton, or anyone else for that matter, so far this year.
With so many similar previous games this season, within which Wakefield failed to convert their chances, when asked what the difference was Wakefield manager Mozzini had this to say; “There wasn’t much difference, to be honest. People may think that, because of the result, we may have done things differently. But it wasn’t the case, we didn’t change our plan apart from always trying to increase intensity. The way we play has been creating chances, and in the long run we’ll score goals. Lack of luck never lasts forever.”
On the result generally and what it means for Wakefield moving forward, he said; “It’ll definitely be a big confidence booster for our lads. They believe in the way we play, but playing too many games in a row without taking our chances can negatively affect morale. This last game showed that goals will come as long as we create quality chances, and that will definitely improve confidence.”
And, asked to somehow pick who impressed him most on the day, Mozzini said; “In a game where we won 11-0, naturally many players played well. But, I’d say that Jaydan [Sandhu] and Kieron [Ceesay] played very well.”
It’s to be hoped the goals continue to flow for Wakefield; the omens are good as they next play on Tuesday 17th October 2023 away to Swallownest – whom they beat 7-0 in this fixture last year – kick-off 19:45PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 7-0
Full Time: 11-0
Attendance: 368
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Aaron Pilkington, Jack Durkin (C), Cory Woodward, Callum Charlton – Jaydan Sandhu, Nathan Hawkhead – Mason Rubie, Cameron Barnett, Sebastian Losa – Kieran Ceesay
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Danny Youel for Jaydan Sandhu
46m, Jake Morrison for Sebastian Losa
46m, Edward Busfield for Aaron Pilkington
57m, Owan Derrett for Mason Rubie
67m, George Bristol for Edward Busfield
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 73% – 27% Ollerton Town
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 362 – 133 Ollerton Town
Goals:
26m, Jack Durkin
29m, Jaydan Sandhu
36m, Jaydan Sandhu
37m, Sebastian Losa
41m, Kieran Ceesay
44m, Mason Rubie
46m, Mason Rubie
50m, Jake Morrison
70m, Cameron Barnett
72m, Cory Woodward
92m, Kieran Ceesay
Wakefield AFC Assists:
26m, Jaydan Sandhu
29m, Cameron Barnett
36m, Callum Charlton
37m, Nathan Hawkhead
41m, Cameron Barnett
44m, Cameron Barnett
46m, Kieran Ceesay
50m, Jack Durkin
70m, Owan Derrett
72m, Danny Youel
92m, Danny Youel
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 10
Shots off Target: 11
Second Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shot off Target: 7
Ollerton Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0