Friday 10th October 2025 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC had just one NCEL Division One game last week, and it came slightly early in a Friday night fixture under the lights away to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic.
The Falcons, having returned to form with a run of three league victories, went into the game fourth in the league with the chance to move second. The records show that Wakefield boast a decent record away at Worsbrough, having drawn twice and won twice on their previous visits. However, the eye test – with Worsbrough posing a particular challenge with their heavily sloped pitch – tells us that Wakefield have never come close to having an easy game at The Totally Training Stadium.
Those previous games also came with Worsbrough usually occupying the lower reaches of the table. Flash-forward to this season and The Briggers are a side transformed, sitting second in the league with nine wins from their previous 10 matches. That meant this was a game that would perhaps pose Wakefield their biggest test of the season so far.
Wakefield manager Jason Blunt made one change to the side victorious away at Selby in the previous week, with Eliel Anku making his first start as one of the two attacking-midfielders in place of Callum Nicell – that change no doubt made with a view to bolstering Wakefield’s strength and physicality in the face of the challenge that Worsbrough would pose. Aside from that, Wakefield continued with the 3-4-2-1 formation seen in recent games.
Blunt would later comment that the game was one of the worst – as a footballing spectacle – that he had ever been involved in. That gives some idea as to the predictable nature of the game; one that saw both sides undertake a direct approach, with little by way of intricate passages of play in a match that became a real physical battle for both sides.
Playing downhill in the first half, Wakefield made the perfect start with a set-piece goal in just the third minute. Mole – fresh off the back of his 100th appearance for the club – grabbed his third goal of the season when he rose impressively in the box to convert yet another perfect Tom Hinton delivery; Hinton swinging the ball in from the right edge of the box for Mole to guide his header back across goal.
Despite the theoretical advantage of facing downhill, Wakefield were still the side who faced the most pressure in the first period; Worsbrough relentless with their repeated balls into the Wakefield box and with committing men forwards. The away side dealt with most of what was throw at them, however goalkeeper Drew Bremer was called into action not long after Wakefield took the lead when he was unable to fully punch clear a Worsbrough corner. However, he recovered excellently to somehow claw a diverted shot back out from the goal-line to preserve Wakefield’s lead.
The biggest talking points of the remainder of the half came from refereeing calls; first when Mole fell victim to a late, two-footed, knee-high lunge that saw only a yellow card awarded, and then when Anku was barged off the ball in the Worsbrough box, only for Wakefield’s appeal for a penalty to be waved away.
Wakefield did make it to half-time with their 1-0 lead intact, but with the ominous feeling that – with the slope favouring Worsbrough in the second-half – the home side’s onslaught of the Wakefield defence would increase ten-fold.
Aside from a three minute period just after the re-start, where Worbsrough missed a glaring chance in the box and saw two other close range efforts cleared from the line, the above prediction didn’t really manifest itself into reality. Playing uphill, Wakefield were actually able to hold possession more comfortably than in the first half; particularly when Blunt made some tactical interventions with the introduction of Nicell and Lance Friedrich to overload the midfield.
There was no argument that, of the two sides, Worsbrough had the greater attacking impetus and looked the more likely of the two sides to score. However, led by another mammoth performance from captain Chris Salt, the away side thwarted every long-ball, long-throw and corner-kick thrown at them.
As the half wore on, a seriously impressive, backs-to-the-wall win was on the cards for Wakefield; one that fully demonstrated Blunt hasn’t just improved his side from a technical and aesthetic point-of-view, but one in which Wakefield’s progress from a physical, structural and mentality perspective was evidenced in full.
However, despite the impressive defensive performance of the entire side, a one goal lead meant Wakefield were never comfortable as the game moved into injury time. Inevitably, Worsbrough still had hope of a result and began to create chances again; Bremer making a fine save at his near post from a wicked shot, whilst two other big chances were blocked with last-ditch defensive interventions.
Agonisingly for Wakefield – so resolute and focussed in their defensive work – one lapse was all it took for Worsbrough to equalise when Bremer was caught under a 92nd minute corner at his back post; a rare set-piece that neither he, nor the Wakefield backline, were first to. That allowed Keelan Grist to head the ball home to secure a share of the points.
Ultimately, the draw was probably a fairer result than if Wakefield had taken all three points and, in the grand scheme of things, still a decent result for The Falcons against a strong side away from home.
The disappointment of that late equaliser should do nothing to diminish the positives that Wakefield can take from the game. Well-known for their technical proficiency and aesthetically pleasing football, on the evidence of this game, Wakefield confirmed the improvements made with regard to all of the other attributes of sides that usually challenge in the NCEL – fully demonstrating their ability to compete physically, true grit and determination, and a real team-spirit.
The result leaves Wakefield fourth as they now have a few days before the last of their four successive away games, with The Falcons set to visit 14th placed Doncaster City on Wednesday evening; kick-off 19:45PM on 15/10/2025.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-1
Full Time: 1-1
Attendance: 317
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Drew Bremer – Bolton Makwedza, Chris Salt (C), T’Nique Fishley – Igor Mlynarski, Mo Conteh, Billy Mole, Owen Thomas – Tom Hinton, Eliel Anku – Ash Flynn
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
64m, Callum Nicell for Ash Flynn
71m, Lance Friedrich for Tom Hinton
Possession:
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 47% – 53% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 150 – 261 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
3m, Billy Mole
90m+2, Keelan Grist
Wakefield AFC Assists:
3m, Tom Hinton
Wakefield AFC Cards:
T’Nique Fishley (Yellow)
Mo Conteh (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 0
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 3