Saturday 25th April 2026 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC stepped into uncharted territory on Saturday, as they travelled to face Worsbrough Bridge Athletic in The NCEL Division One promotion play-off final. On what was a victory for both clubs before a ball was even kicked – and a victory for the wider footballing pyramid – 1617 fans surrounded Worsbrough’s daunting, sloped pitch to see who would come out on top and win the ultimate prize of promotion.
Wakefield have reached the play-offs in each of their four seasons in the NCEL, but fallen at the semi-final stage on each previous occasion until their miraculous, late turnaround last week saw them score a goal deep into stoppage time at home to Harrogate Railway to take the game to a penalty shootout, which they won comfortably.
That no doubt left the players and fans – 100’s of whom made the trip to Barnsley – with a hopeful feeling that it would finally be their year after what has felt like years of getting close, but not close enough. In reality though, those past failures of Wakefield make up only a tiny fraction of the amount of time Worsbrough Bridge Athletic have spent in the NCEL Division One having never come close to promotion.
The second half of last season saw The Briggers make a step forward, narrowly missing out on the play-offs in finishing sixth. That form has continued into this season, and saw the South Yorkshire side finish second – one place, and two points, higher than Wakefield.
That meant, as stated, Worsbrough received home-advantage for the final and with that in mind – allied to their slightly better season than The Falcons – Worsbrough were probably marked as most people’s favourites for the game.
Nonetheless, with last week’s victory as the most recent reminder, Wakefield have thrived on pressure and adversity, so could never be ruled out of achieving their dream. Perhaps due to last week’s dramatic game, Wakey manager Jason Blunt made a couple of changes to his side; late hero Jerome Greaves making a rare start up-front in place of Eliel Anku, whilst Mo Conteh came back into the side, with Matthew Swift moving to an unfamiliar left-back position to cover for the untimely loss of player-of-the-season contender Owen Thomas.
First blood was arguably drawn by the away side, who won the toss and opted to play uphill first, that seemingly the better strategy to weather an inevitable first half barrage in the hopes of finishing the game strong.
That predicted flow of the game proved true, with Wakefield faced with a metaphorical storm on the pitch in what was an otherwise gloriously sunny day in Barnsley. Long balls, long throws and fast attacking moves down the wings poured down on Wakefield in the opening stages, with the slope and tightness of the pitch meaning the game was almost exclusively played on the edge of Wakefield’s box.
The away side defended well and had Drew Bremer to thank once again for a fine save after 11 minutes when he blocked a close-range shot at his near post after a quick move saw Worsbrough sneak in behind a tightly packed Wakefield defence.
For a short while it seemed as though there was a plan for Wakefield and that that plan was working – defend in numbers and look to counter, before moving to their more usual, expansive style of football in the second half.
Then came the sucker punch as a good pass from Worsbrough saw their man rush to the edge of the box where Bremer – who had sprinted out to intercept – was stuck in the difficult position of being unable to handle the ball whilst, due to the bounce, also being unable to kick it first time. Bremer was then clattered, studs first, as the ball subsequently rolled to Keelan Grist to finish into an open net. The linesman flagged for a foul, however the referee, having conferred with him, then controversially awarded the goal.
There was a muted response from Wakefield who saw signs of joy when the ball was worked out to Basile Zottos on the right wing, though he was often unable to complete the final pass. From that, Wakefield did win several free-kicks and corners. One of which saw Tom Hinton swing a dangerous free-kick to the back post where Bolton Makwedza got the jump on his marker and powered home a header to wild celebrations from the hefty contingent of travelling Wakefield fans.
Those celebrations were immediately cut short when the linesman flagged for offside in what seemed to be a cruelly, contentious call. Ex-Wakefield goalkeeper Owen Evans also played his part, particularly when making a good save to deny Makwedza again at the back post, this time from a corner kick.
The game went to half-time with Worsbrough still leading 1-0 and, given the unique challenges of The Totally Training Stadium, that wouldn’t have felt like the worst scoreline for Wakefield, who knew they would have the pitch in their favour after the break.
However, the predicted Wakefield onslaught never arrived in a truly disappointing second half. Wakefield continued to struggle to knit passages of play together and whether by bad luck, pressure or a combination of both, repeatedly mishit passes and struggled to control the ball.
Not surprisingly Wakefield’s usual metrics for passes and possession were below the norm, though still vastly superior to the home side’s. But, those stats would tell a lie as to the tale of the game, with Worsbrough comfortable and in control of proceedings throughout. The home side appeared sharper and more aggressive, often punishing Wakefield for wanting too much time on the ball.
One such moment saw the home side steal the ball in midfield and play it out to the right quickly, with Worsbrough’s winger cutting the ball back to find an untracked Akram Lasalire to fire home. In what was a third controversial moment that Wakefield fell the wrong side of, the away side were convinced of a clear offside in the buildup, and were perhaps guilty of failing to track the run of Lasalire as a result. However, the same linesman that denied Wakefield in the first half failed to rescue them in the second.
Blunt threw all of the tools at his disposal at the game but, apart from one good move before Worsbrough’s second goal, Evans was never tested in the Worsbrough goal. His only real test was continuing to avoid a yellow card for the ever-expanding length of time it took him to re-start play from goal kicks – an understandable and predictable tactic that was executed to perfection.
Worsrbough’s expert game management saw Wakefield become increasingly frustrated and, as a result, increasingly disjointed. That meant instead of applying any real, sustained pressure on the home side, Wakefield lacked the requisite composure to break a stubborn Worsbrough down – particularly as precious time was wasted late-on when Wakefield needlessly engaged in pushing and shoving with opposition players.
That meant the home side saw the contest out for an ultimately comfortable 2-0 victory, as familiar feelings of despair and disappointment engulfed the Wakefield faithful. There was no doubt question marks over each of the matches key moments, but that can take nothing away from the fact that Worsbrough were deserving winners on the day.
Worsbrough will now get the reward of testing their skills at a higher level, having spent the last 30 years in Division One, whilst Wakefield are forced to regroup once again for another push next year.
This year the outcome has ultimately felt the same as previous seasons for Wakefield, though there is no doubt that the journey has been different. Yes, there were similarities in that a bad start to the season put Wakefield on the back-foot, before a managerial change led to a run of title-winning form that left Wakefield wondering what could have been should they have started the season in the same way that they have performed under Blunt.
Aside from that, Blunt has crafted a squad and culture that feels different to previous years; with a group of young, hungry players that appear aligned with the club’s vision. There was also another enforced ground change, though the outcome is that Wakefield will now feel as though they are in the right place for the short, and medium term.
Results have been largely similar to last season too, with the only real difference seeing Wakefield score more goals, having reverted to a more progressive style of football under Blunt. All of that means that, once again, if Wakefield can get pre-season right, retain the management team and core of this squad, then that stability that has been missing in previous years could prove to be the missing element for Wakefield.
When the disappointment subsides and this season is looked back on as a whole, Wakefield have gone closer than ever before, with a style and substance that is a credit to the club, manager and players themselves. And that should only leave room for optimism as to what next season can bring for The Falcons.
Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 2-0
Attendance: 1617
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Drew Bremer – Bolton Makwedza, Chris Salt (C), Mo Conteh, Matthew Swift – Basile Zottos, Tom Hinton, Max Rayner, Ethan Kachosa – Jerome Greaves, Akeel Francis
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
53m, Ify Ofoegbu for Akeel Francis
53m, Eliel Anku for Jerome Greaves
53m, Samuel Pashley for Mo Conteh
70m, Oli Robinson for Matthew Swift
Possession:
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 36% – 64% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 99 – 197 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
16m, Keelan Grist
62m, Akram Lasalire
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Max Rayner (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 4
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 5
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 1