Wakefield AFC's winning start to 2022 ends with West Riding Challenge Cup defeat to Silsden

Manager Gabriel Mozzini tasted defeat for the first time since joining the club as the Millennium Stadium was the rain-trodden setting for the quarter-final fixture, writes Austin Ainsworth.

Mozzini named a strong side; the only change from the impressive away victory at Oughtibridge last week being Josh Craig in at left-back as Luke Blackburn moved to midfield.

It was not enough, as Silsden - a tier lower than Wakefield in the national league pyramid, but visiting having already taken the scalps of higher league opposition - were the deserving victors after a clinical performance.

Neither side threatened in the opening stages as Wakefield looked to keep possession, often choosing to play-out from the back. They were punished for that in the seventh minute when Silsden pressed high and snatched the ball on the right edge of the penalty area. The ball found Silsden number 10 Josh Eastwood close to the penalty spot and his crafty first touch created the space for a first time finish that was executed perfectly, low to Henry Kendrick’s right hand side.

Wakefield looked to respond immediately and won a corner almost straight from the restart. Winger Red Bates, who scored direct from a corner in his last match, nearly repeated the trick when his in-swinger almost fooled the Silsden goalkeeper, who scrambled to parry the ball away.

Disappointingly, that moment proved to be the only real occasion that the Silsden keeper was worked in the first half as Wakefield were limited to several long-distance efforts that left him untroubled.

Wakefield’s best chance actually came from an attempt that never was, as Danny Youel played an inch-perfect pass through to Owen Kirman who ran clear on-goal just shy of the half-hour mark. Unfortunately for him the whistle was blown after the referee was too slow to evade a Silsden player, who knocked him to the floor when trying to steal the ball. The moment - comical, bordering on farcical - left the 185 strong crowd at their most animated, in what had been a flat first half.

Requiring a strong start to the second half if they were to have any chance of getting back in to the game, Wakefield suffered the worst possible fate when Silsden grabbed their second goal within a minute of kick-off. The ball was played down the right to the Silsden winger who was given too much space to cut-in on to his left foot. He passed the ball to Jacob Seward who took one touch before firing the ball into the roof of the Wakefield net.

The hosts were again briefly sparked into life by the setback and pulled one back through Youel in the 52nd minute. He scored his third of the season with a simple tap-in after good work from Bates down the right who crossed for his 13th assist of the season.

Ten minutes later the Silsden number 10 was sin-binned for dissent and, for a moment, with one goal back and a man advantage there appeared to be hope that Wakey’s cup dreams were still alive. It was not to be as Brad Swain was sin-binned for dissent himself minutes later to level the playing field; thereby delaying his imminent substitution for Mason Rubie.

By the time Rubie did come on it was too late as Silsden stunned the home side with two quickfire goals from Luke Brocksbank in the 68th and 71st minutes. The first, direct from a free-kick on the edge of the box, was impressively curled over the Wakefield wall and crept just under Kendrick’s crossbar, who was unable to reach it.

Silsden had gone looking for the fourth immediately after the kick-off, and were denied only by a desperate, two-footed challenge from Morgan Butcher on the six-yard line for which the referee pointed to the spot. Brocksbank was on hand to fire the ball straight down the middle of the goal to compound Wakefield’s misery.

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing day, as Wakefield lost the opportunity to grab a first trophy in their fledgling years. The home side, despite dominating much of the possession, had lacked any real threat or aggression and could have no complaints with the result; Silsden, not for the first time, showing that their own league standing belies their true capability.

All sides have blips and, in what has been a fine season so far, Wakefield will now look to return to their usual high standards when they are next in league action away to Houghton Main at the M-Tec stadium on Saturday, kick-off 2pm.