Saturday 26th March 2022 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC kicked off the first of back-to-back games against Dodworth Miners Welfare, away from home in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It was a big day at the business-end of the league, with fourth placed Wakefield having the chance to leapfrog both second placed Dodworth and third placed Penistone, who themselves had a big clash with table-toppers Swinton.
Thanks to curtailed seasons and cancelled fixtures, 948 days had passed since the last, and only, fixture between Wakefield and Dodworth. That was only Wakefield’s second competitive match as a fledgling football club, in which they recovered from a three goal deficit in the first half-hour to steal a late draw in a barnstorming match. Although these are now two very different sides -Wakefield in particular bearing no resemblance to the players and coaches of that early side – Saturday’s match was a similarly enthralling affair with barely a moment to catch a breath.
Aside from Henry Kendrick coming back in to goal for Wakefield, there were no changes to the Wakefield side that dispatched Sheffield Town 4-0 in their last outing. It was Kendrick who was the busier goalkeeper in the early stages as he expertly denied Dodworth the early lead in the third minute; first low to his left when the striker had ran in on goal and then incredibly at point-blank range on the rebound.
That early action was indicative of the frantic pace of the game, with the home side probably just shading an end-to-end first 15 minutes. Dodworth found success in loading all of their players on to Wakefield’s backline in the hopes of getting knock-ons from the long ball, and it kept the centre-back pairing of Bradley Swain and Cory Woodward gainfully employed as they, and the rest of their teammates, rose to the physical challenge offered by Dodworth.
Wakefield were brave on the ball and pressed high off it, and started to find their own opportunities as the half wore on. Top-scorer Jake Morrison had a good chance to bag his 19th goal of the season when he ran in from the left in the 17th minute, but could only hit the side netting as the angle closed. That marked a period of sustained pressure from Wakefield, who were relentless in winning the ball back high, and their first goal duly followed.
Fresh off the back of a hat-trick last week, Billy Mole was the scorer after Owen Kirman smartly picked him out on the penalty spot with a good cut-back from the left. The no. 10 was denied by a block with his first shot, but was alive to the rebound and managed to swing his body round to smash a half-volley low to the goalkeeper’s right with his left foot.
The lead was deserved and Wakefield didn’t let-up, with a penned-in Dodworth making a number of other goal-saving blocks; the best a goal-line clearance from a corner-kick flicked-on by Morrison.
The battle-hardened home side stayed in the game though and found their route back in shortly before half-time. The goal was a sublime free-kick from Dodworth player Daniel Barlow just on the left edge of the penalty area, which curled over the wall and just under the crossbar. Wakefield had been frustrated with the initial awarding of the foul against captain Luke Blackburn, who appeared to have won the ball but was deemed to be over the limit by the referee; a decision that would be a non-argument in the premier league but slightly more contentious in the 11th tier that these two sides occupy.
Initially the second half was a noticeably tamer affair, understandable given the energy levels of the first. The match was also slowed by stoppages, including a change in the Wakefield goal as Max Child replaced the injured Kendrick.
Wakefield did eventually re-take the lead in the 69th minute, with none other than Mole on hand to complete a free-flowing Wakefield move. Kirman was again his provider, initially playing a quick one-two with him to beat the Dodworth press. He then found his wings and flew down the left, eventually crossing perfectly for Mole who had raced to meet the ball at the back post.
Now Wakefield’s joint top-scorer on 18 goals, Mole wasn’t to be out-done by Dodworth’s own no. 10 Barlow, who again pegged Wakefield back from a contentiously awarded free-kick in the 75th minute. From an almost identical position as the first, Barlow this time went for the right corner as he again expertly curled the ball around the wall and past Child in the Wakefield goal.
There was still time for even later drama though, as Wakefield capped-off a brilliant game with a winner from super-sub Bartlomiej Chrobak almost at the death; manager Gabe Mozzini vindicated for a somewhat brave decision to replace the outstanding Kirman on the left. The ball initially fell to midfielder Danny Youel, who drilled an excellent pass through to Morrison who appeared to just evade the offside trap. He unselfishly laid the ball off to Chrobak who was first denied by an excellent save from the Dodworth ‘keeper. However, he didn’t give up and was able to bundle the ball in to the net as the Dodworth defence scrambled to try and clear.
The celebrations from the strong Wakefield away-fan contingent were wild, but emotions soon turned to nervousness as Wakefield had one last hurdle of stoppage time to navigate, during which even the Dodworth goalkeeper was in the Wakefield box trying to capitalise on another set-piece. Wakefield were ultimately untroubled and expertly saw-out a deserved victory in what was arguably their best game of the season.
Penistone’s loss in the other top-four match meant that Wakefield’s hard work was rewarded with the gift of second place in the league at the close of play. That may not be the limit of their ambitions, with a game in hand on the league-leaders Swinton who Wakefield still have to play. However, all eyes will first be on the re-match next week against a wounded Dodworth; a 15:00 kick-off on Saturday 2nd April 2022 at The Millennium Stadium, Featherstone.
Stats
Half Time: 1-1
Full Time: 2-3
MOTM: Billy Mole
Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Luke Blackburn (C), Bradley Swain, Cory Woodward, Josh Craig – Mason Rubie, Daniel Youel, Jock Curran, Owen Kirman – Billy Mole, Jake Morrison
Subs Used:
56m, Max Child for Henry Kendrick
76m, Bartlomiej Chrobak for Owen Kirman
90m, Harley Blankley for Billy Mole
Goals:
24m, Billy Mole
40m, Danny Barlow (Dodworth Miners Welfare)
69m, Billy Mole
75m, Danny Barlow (Dodworth Miners Welfare)
87m, Bartlomiej Chrobak
Assists:
24m, Owen Kirman
69m, Owen Kirman
87m, Jake Morrison
Cards:
Luke Blackburn – Yellow
Billy Mole – Yellow
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shots off Target: 7
Second Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shot off Target: 7
Dodworth Miners Welfare
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 1