Saturday 18th November 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC’s NCEL Division One campaign is far enough along now that they are starting to meet sides for the second time this season. Retford United were the visitors to the Be Well Support Stadium on Saturday and, having inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Wakefield in the opening game of the season, the fixture was set to be a good assessment of how much Wakefield have progressed since then.
The signs of progression have certainly been there for Wakefield in recent weeks, with six league wins in succession seeing them perched atop the league table, along with their place in round two of The West Riding County Cup secured after a battling 2-1 victory away to Selby Town in midweek; goals from the recently prolific Mason Rubie and defender Jack Durkin enough to ensure their winning run continued.
Retford – with just one league defeat prior to Saturday’s fixture and games in hand that, if won, would put them right in the mix at the top of the league – were set to provide stern opposition for Wakefield. With that in mind, after making several changes for the cup fixture, Wakefield manager Gabe Mozzini named a strong side, albeit with some changes in the form of George Bristol in goal and a first league start for promising new signing Ben Gelder up front. Captain Danny Youel was a notable omission after a man-of-the-match display last week against Nostell, with Sebastian Losa favoured in an advanced midfield role after recently operating as a “False 9”.
Wakefield – an unstoppable wrecking-ball in recent weeks – were by no means gifted an easy start, with their attack largely nullified in the opening minutes by one of the league’s meanest defences. And it was Retford themselves who had the best early opportunity to open the scoring when a rare mistake by Durkin saw his misplaced pass gift Lewis Macaskill the opportunity to run in on goal from the left. Bristol was more than a match for him however, when his expert reactions prevented the home side from falling behind.
Unbeknownst to Retford, that was as close as they would ever come to goal as the Wakefield juggernaut slowly started to build momentum, with winger Oliver Rodriguez opening the scoring in the 24th minute with a crafty free-kick, as he fooled everyone by driving the set-piece under the wall and beyond the stretching Retford goalkeeper.
Wakefield were prevented from extending their lead in the remainder of the first half, as Losa was denied his fourth goal of the season after Rubie played him in on goal; his shot too close to the ‘keeper who made a fine reaction save.
After a half in which little separated the two sides, Retford may have been fooled in to thinking there was a way back for them in the second period. Wakefield had other ideas however, moving things up a gear to return to the levels of pace, intensity and dominance seen in recent weeks. And it took just over five minutes for them to double their lead through Gelder with his second goal in three games. His predatory instincts won out as he was alive in the box to latch on to the loose ball, after a thunderous attempt from Nathan Hawkhead was initially parried away.
Gelder had a hand in the third goal too, as he was cynically bundled over close to the edge of the box when he was about to race in 1-v-1 with the goalkeeper. That set Rodriguez up for another free-kick and he again executed it to perfection, this time curling the ball up and around the wall and in to the back of the net via the fingertips of the goalkeeper; the goal his sixth of the season and third in his last three games.
Kieran Ceesay was introduced just after the hour mark and he was instantly in on the action, first when his stinging shot was saved after he found space at the back post; then when he darted in off the left and unleashed a swerving shot from distance that went narrowly wide of the post.
With Wakefield completing wave after wave of attack, the fourth goal was always likely to come and so it did in the 66th minute through playmaker Jaydan Sandhu. It was a fine team goal as the home side recycled possession back to goalkeeper Bristol, who brilliantly picked out Rubie on the right wing. He drove forward and played in Rodriguez ahead of him whose cross was cleared as far as Sandhu just on the edge of the box. The midfielder took the ball in his stride then shot across his body to curl the ball out to the inside of the far post.
Sandhu then doubled his tally for the match and moved to nine goals for the season with a goal that bore many similarities to his first; possession initially worked slickly from right to left before play was switched to substitute Owan Derrett in space on the right. Derrett picked Sandhu out in the centre of the pitch who then accelerated away from his marker and struck a left-footed shot low to the far post. With 14 assists to add to those nine goals, that is now 23 goal involvements in just 22 games this year for the midfield maestro who is proving to be one of many stand-out performers in an increasingly promising Wakefield campaign.
It is a campaign that, with the game finishing 5-0, sees Wakefield extend their lead at the top of the table to three points; a position embellished by statistics that show Wakefield have the best goal difference, most goals scored, fewest average goals conceded per game and the most clean-sheets.
Mozzini is rightly enthused with the result and his side’s prospects for the remainder of the season, with this to say after the game: “Intensity [was key to the result]. Some of the new additions definitely helped, some of the players we have signed [recently]; they all came together as a team. They’ve been training as a team, behaving as a team and played as a very strong side. They played as one unit and the result showed. We always talk about the mental aspect of the game and we have been very mentally strong; when the game gets difficult we’ve been managing well and players keep intensity high, they stay tight and they block shots. As long as they keep doing that, we will be very competitive until the end of the season.”
Wakefield will next return to action away at 12th placed Staveley Miners Welfare on Saturday 25th November; kick-off 15:00PM.
Retford United Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 5-0
Attendance: 579
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
George Bristol – Aaron Pilkington, Jack Durkin (C), Jack Cairney, Callum Charlton – Jaydan Sandhu, Nathan Hawkhead – Mason Rubie, Sebastian Losa, Oliver Rodriguez – Ben Gelder
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Danny Youel for Sebastian Losa
62m, Kieran Ceesay for Aaron Pilkington
71m, Owan Derrett for Oliver Rodriguez
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 60% – 40% Retford United
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 260 – 188 Retford United
Goals:
24m, Oliver Rodriguez
51m, Ben Gelder
59m, Oliver Rodriguez
66m, Jaydan Sandhu
78m, Jaydan Sandhu
Wakefield AFC Assists:
51m, Nathan Hawkhead
78m, Owan Derrett
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shot off Target: 1
Retford United
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 2
Selby Town Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 1-2
Attendance: 192
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Callum Gladding – Aaron Pilkington, Jack Durkin (C), Owan Derrett, Callum Charlton – Jaydan Sandhu, Nathan Hawkhead – Oliver Rodriguez, Sebastian Losa, Oliver Clarke – Jake Morrison
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Kieran Ceesay for Jake Morrison
46m, Mason Rubie for Oliver Clarke
Possession:
Selby Town 47% – 53% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Selby Town 197 – 235 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
68m, Mason Rubie
85m, Harry Clapham
87m, Jack Durkin
Wakefield AFC Assists:
68m, Oliver Rodriguez
87m, Jaydan Sandhu
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Oliver Rodriguez (Yellow)
Owan Derrett (Yellow)
Aaron Pilkington (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shot off Target: 5
Selby Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 3