Wakefield AFC produce second half onslaught to record four star victory

​The Falcons, as they have become affectionally known this season, were looking to consolidate their return to form with another win, after a five goal showing in their previous match away to Yorkshire Amateur, writes Austin Ainsworth.

Just as in the previous meeting between these two sides back in September, Clay Cross went into the game 17th in the league, however they had experienced a brighter start to 2024 with two wins from two, the last a 6-1 hammering of Ollerton Town.

With no real need to alter a winning side, the only changes manager Gabe Mozzini made to Wakefield’s starting 11 saw Henry Kendrick return to goal having recovered from injury and Oliver Rodriguez replace Aaron Pilkington, who was injured in the warm-up.

That change meant Mason Rubie dropped to right-back, with new boy Slater Barnes ahead of him on the wing. Fellow new signing Jordan Helliwell retained his place in midfield, as did Ben Gelder up front.

The reverse fixture back in September may have stuck in Wakefield’s mind for all the wrong reasons, as on that day Clay Cross snatched an unlikely victory at the Be Well Support stadium, despite seeing little of the ball and facing a Wakefield onslaught of 24 shots at goal.

The first half may have brought back similar feelings of frustration and a lingering fear of a repeat, as Wakefield dominated possession, restricting Clay Cross to a solitary, tame effort on goal, but stuttered in front of goal.

The away side’s best effort of the half came in the 34th minute after a good ball from centre-back Jack Durkin followed by a slick interchange between Rodriguez and Mason Rubie. The latter controlled the ball well and fired a dipping shot from 20 yards that went narrowly wide.

Having failed to test the Clay Cross goalkeeper at all in a first half in which both sides were perhaps hampered by the heavy, bobbling pitch, it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall in Wakefield’s changing room at half time. Whatever was said worked, as the visitors found another gear in a pulsating, free-flowing second half.

It did not take long for the opening goal to follow, with Barnes following up on his dream debut away to Yorkshire Amateur with his second goal for the club.

The move started from a throw-in from the right, just inside the Clay Cross half, with Rubie then playing the ball into Jaydan Sandhu. Wakefield’s chief chance creator displayed all of his vision and technique to curl a teasing cross from deep behind the Clay Cross defence towards the back post, where Barnes had timed his run perfectly to tap the ball in, unmarked from six yards out.

The goal incredibly marked Sandhu’s 20th assist of this campaign already and was the playmaker at his creative best.

With the deadlock broken, Wakefield were in the ascendancy and followed the opener with their second soon after.

After a rare opening for Clay Cross was thwarted in the Wakefield box by excellent defensive work from Durkin, he sprung the counter with a ball out to Rubie who carried the ball into the Clay Cross half before laying it off to Rodriguez on the right wing.

The winger cut inside and drove at the defence, before delivering a perfectly timed and weighted through ball with the outside of his boot to play Gelder in on goal. The striker then showed great composure to beat the goalkeeper with a good finish to the near post for his sixth goal in nine league appearances.

Wakefield continued to press and probe and were gifted the chance of a third goal just after the hour mark with the award of a penalty. Sandhu, who had won the foul when his mesmerising run into the box was curtailed by a late challenge, stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and curled his unstoppable shot into the inside of the side-netting.

With his goal all but securing the three points, Sandhu was afforded a rest when he was substituted minutes later. His replacement Cameron Barnett picked up where he left off, however, and scored with almost his first act of the game.

The build-up was sharp, as Wakefield’s wingers combined with Rodriguez cutting inside before finding Barnes on the left wing with a good, cross-field pass.

Barnes’ pass then met Callum Charlton’s underlapping run into the box and the full-back cut the ball back across to Barnett who was hovering on the penalty spot; the substitute finishing well in to an almost open net for his sixth goal of the season.

If not for some late heroics from the Clay Cross goalkeeper, Wakefield would have matched, or even bettered, the five goals in their last match. Nonetheless, their four second half strikes were more than enough to cap an excellent performance and secure the points, which saw them retain second spot in the league, two points adrift of pacesetters Parkgate.

Attention now turns to a busy week ahead, as Wakefield first travel to Premier Division Tadcaster Albion in the quarter-finals of the West Riding County Cup, for a 7.45pm kick-off tonight (Tuesday) before returning to league action on Saturday with another away trip, this time to Glasshoughton Welfare, 3pm.