Wakefield AFC receive reality check in Retford with first defeat in NCE League

Retford – seventh in the league last season - were always likely to be an entirely different prospect for league newcomers Wakefield, whose unbeaten start had come against teams that finished in the bottom half of the league last year, writes Austin Ainsworth.

Wakey manager Gabe Mozzini was forced to make several changes, with the absence of Tom Booth compounding Wakefield’s injury problems at centre-back and key players Billy Mole and Owen Kirman also missing, the former after injury in the last match.

But top scorer Jake Morrison did make a return to the side up front, with Ray Sibanda coming in for his first start and Morgan Butcher filling the midfield slot vacated by Jock Curran who stepped back into defence alongside Cory Woodward.

Wakefield made a confident, if not spectacular start, controlling much of the early possession, as is customary for them, albeit much of it in their own half. It was the home side who started to see chances arrive, though, as they often looked to pounce on any loose ball from Wakefield in midfield.

Their best chance came around 20 minutes in when the Retford winger turned inside from the left, curling his shot goal-bound as Wakefield goalkeeper George Bason’s stretching fingertips were able to just divert it onto the bar.

Wakefield’s best move of the half came 10 minutes later when last week’s man-of-the-match Mason Rubie worked it well down the right to drill a cross in towards Sibanda. The latter took a good first touch and worked the ball up on to the half-volley, but his shot rocketed over the bar under pressure from an alert home defence.

Retford’s energetic work in midfield to disrupt any Wakefield flow paid dividends five minutes from the end of the half when a sloppy Wakefield ball in-field was pounced upon and played out to the right wing. The ball was subsequently slipped into striker Matthew Parkin, who smartly dinked the ball over the onrushing Bason to give his side the lead.

Wakefield did almost make an instant, if not unlikely, response when Morrison ran in on goal straight from the re-start. However, with the angle closing he managed to get a shot off but was only able to clip the outside of the Retford post.

That was as close as Wakefield ever got to goal, with Retford piling on the pressure in the second half and doubling their lead close to the hour mark. Wakefield - having just made substitutions - were unusually disorganised and the hosts managed to pounce again in midfield to play the ball through the lines. It was cut back to Parkin whose touch initially appeared to have cost him a chance at goal on the edge of the Wakefield box. However, it bounced up for him and he showed great vision to spot Bason slightly off his line and side-footed a half-volley up and over the Wakey goalkeeper’s head.

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Chances were few and far between from then on, with the home side comfortable with their two-goal cushion and able to keep Wakefield at arm’s length. Drew Allwood then put the icing on the cake for Retford in the 68th minute when he met a well taken corner at the far post, looping a header back across goal and in to the back of the net to make it 3-0 and job done for the home side.

It meant a disappointing first loss for Wakefield in the NCEL, a game in which they failed to score for the first time since February. They were also without a shot on target in the 90 minutes - unprecedented for the usually free-flowing Wakefield - there could be no arguments about the result against a more experienced side on the day.

Wakefield are back in action tonight at home to Brigg Town (7.45pm).