Five alive Wakefield AFC march on at top of NCE Division One

The visitors to the Be Well Support Stadium had inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Wakefield in the opening game of the season so the return fixture was set to be a good assessment of how much Wakefield have progressed since then, writes Austin Ainsworth.

The signs of progression have certainly been there for Wakefield with six league wins in succession seeing them perched on top of the 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 – were expected to provide stern opposition, but the way they were beaten said much about Wakey’s promotion prospects as the hosts came away with a mightily impressive 5-0 victory.

Manager Gabe Mozzini named a strong side, albeit with some changes from the cup side 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 in the previous week’s win over Nostell MW, with Sebastian Losa favoured in an advanced midfield role after recently operating as a false nine.

The visitors had the first chance as Lewis Macaskill was denied by keeper George Bristol, but the Wakefield juggernaut slowly started to build momentum.

Winger Oliver Rodriguez opened 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.

The hosts were prevented from extending their lead in the remainder of the first half with Sebastian Losa having the best chance only to be denied by the keeper.

After a half in which little separated the two sides Retford may have been fooled into thinking there was a way back for them in the second period. Wakefield had other ideas, moving things up a gear to return to the levels of pace, intensity and dominance seen in recent weeks.

It took just over five minutes for them to double their lead through Gelder, who was alive in the box to latch onto a 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 one v one 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 into 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 inside 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.

The 5-0 win saw Wakefield extend their lead at the top of the table to three points. They also have the best goal difference, have scored the most goals, fewest average goals conceded per game and the most clean sheets.

Manager Mozzini was rightly enthused with the result and his side’s prospects for the remainder of the season.

He said: “Intensity (was key to the result). Some of the new additions definitely helped, some of the players we have signed; 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 are away to 12th-placed Staveley MW this Saturday.