Alexandru Cazacu strikes twice as Wakefield Athletic cruise to cup tie win over Pontefract Collieries' Sunday side

The game got off to a strong start for the away team as chances piled up, but they were struggling to convert against a resilient home rearguard initially.

However, the breakthrough came when the Wakefield outfit were awarded a penalty which was expertly converted into the top left-hand corner by 17-year-old winger Kaba Sory.

A piece of magic from midfielder Usman Mahmood then saw his curling effort find the top corner on his weaker side to make it 2-0.

Collieries fell further behind as quickfire goals from Alex Cazacu and 19-year-old striker Burhan Ahmed doubled Athletic’s score to put the game out of reach of the hosts.

The never-say-die attitude of the home side saw them grab a consolation goal following an inswinging cross which found the head of Pontefract striker Andrew Palfreyman who steered his chance into the back of the net.

Any hopes Colls had of launching a comeback were dashed, however, as Cazacu doubled his goal tally before the end of the half with a dazzling run and finish.

The goalscoring spree came to a halt for a sustained period in the second half as chance upon chance went astray for the visitors. Eventually, the sustained pressure came to fruition with a goal in the 70th minute when central defender Jamie Grant found himself in a one-to-one with the home keeper at his mercy before slotting coolly into the bottom corner.

Wakefield managed to squeeze another goal in before full-time as winger Adiel Ali found himself unmarked on the edge of the box before despatching a curling left footed effort beyond the diving keeper to round off a well deserved victory for the visitors.

The Mikey Bell man of the match award was shared by Alex Cazacu, Alex Adiel Ali and Usman Mahmood.

Elsewhere in the Wakefield Sunday League there was something of a surprise in Premiership One where Shepherds Arms were beaten 3-1 away to Stanley United Sundays.

Although Jimmy Eyles added to his tally for the season Shepherds suffered only their third league defeat of the season and now find themselves well off the pace for a run at the title they have made theirs in recent years.

In contrast, third-placed Stanley are right in the thick of the title race, having only lost one of their 10 league matches. They are five points behind leaders Chickenley with three games in hand and are three points behind the still unbeaten Fryston AFC.

Travellers Stanley went down 3-0 at home to Whitwood Metrostars in Premiership Two.

King George also went down 3-0 when they played Angel Inn White in the Championship One League Cup, with a Jack Silverwood hat-trick proving the difference between the teams.