Wombwell Town 2-3 Wakefield

Wombwell Town 2-3 Wakefield

Northern Counties East League (Division One)

Saturday 30th March 2024

Despite the fact it’s almost April and I’ve seen well over 100 games already this season, somehow, I’ve not actually seen a NCEL for about a year!

With that in mind - plus the fact I didn’t wanted to travel very far but still wanted to tick off a new ground and catch up with some familiar faces (laziness getting the better of me), it was enough to tempt me along to the Recreation Ground and this game had a dramatic finish as Wakefield scored deep, deep into injury-time to win 3-2 and get three points which was barely deserved based on their second half performance.

In both teams there were players I respect massively; Jordan Helliwell at Wakefield being one who was at Barnsley last season and an absolute pleasure to watch there - his ‘comeback from injury’ game and goal against Wigan Athletic in the U21s just 14 months ago being something I’ll always remember fondly. Plus Josh Lindley in Wombwell’s team who has just signed for them (ironically from Wakefield) and is getting decent experience under his belt in men’s football, having been at Doncaster Rovers at U18s level last season, followed by more clubs than Tiger Woods over the past eight months!

If I’d left a visit to Wombwell for another few weeks, I’d have also been able to watch Morgan James who has signed for the rest of the season from Frickley Athletic, and is another good lad who was once in the academy ranks at DRFC. His debut against Sunderland in the Papa John’s Trophy in October 2017 feels a long time ago now, albeit I’ve still got the ticket stub from that night somewhere in my collection.

This game promised to be a decent one considering that both Wombwell and Wakey have been up at the top end of the NCEL Division One table all season long and in the first half, it was Wakefield who looked miles the better team and far too strong for their opponents.

Looking slick and smart in their navy blue away strip, they came flying out the traps. Oli Green was the best player on the pitch and although he only lasted a short time before being forced off through injury (a big shame because he looked like he’s got bags of talent), he got Wakey’s opener when he was put through on goal and produced a lovely and composed dinked finish over the oncoming ‘keeper.

Ben Gelder also looked decent; good with his hold up play and putting in a proper shift by chasing things down constantly and just working hard - exactly the qualities you want to see in a centre-forward, and having continued to dominate, Wakefield added a second goal through Slater Barker-Barnes only a few minutes before half-time. And at 2-0 and playing so well, I don’t think many people were expecting any sort of comeback.

Wombwell didn’t offer very much in the first half besides one chance just before the second goal went in when their striker rounded an oncoming ‘keeper who came out of his box and into no man’s land, but saw the eventual shot cleared off the line by a covering defender.

It was all a bit slow, sluggish and lacking from their perspective with Wakefield doing all the dictating, but after half-time, it was completely different as they got a grip on matters and looked up for it - quite possibly having been on the receiving end of a half-time b*llocking!

The next goal was always going to be huge and after nearly witnessing a collectors item moment of Josh Lindley scoring (it happens about three times per season) - sadly the ‘keeper denied him with a decent save in this instance, Rhys Plater did pull one back before Rikki Paylor powered a header home from a long-throw to haul Wombwell back level at 2-2 with about 15 minutes remaining!

Considering the game kicked off at 4.04pm, it came as a surprise that the referee added on so much injury-time. I don’t know where he got it all from (one of those where it seemed excessive despite a few stoppages here and there), but both teams went for it, it was end-to-end and open and highly entertaining. And then in the 97th minute came the drama as Slater Barker-Barnes fired home a winner to provoke wild celebrations amongst Wakefield’s 100-150 fans (good support) and send the points back to West Yorkshire!

If Wakey are to get promoted, they’ll probably have to do it through the Play-Offs as Shirebrook remain top and Beverley or Parkgate (probably both) looked poised to overtake them with the amount of games in hand they’ve got, but with their best players fit and available and with what they showed in the first half - especially the clinical composure of Oli Green, then Wakefield will give anyone a tough challenge if/when the Play-Offs come around.

For Wombwell, there’s still time for them to usurp one of the top five but they’ll know themselves that this defeat is a major blow to their Play-Off chance. In the first half, they were crap. In the second half, they were miles better and they could have even won it themselves in the end. They deserved something; it’s unfortunate they didn’t get anything, but as a club they ought to be massively proud of the debut season they’ve had in the NCEL and the little ground improvements taking place shows the ambition they’ve got in the long run and the fact they plan to stick around and compete at this level for a while to come.

Good on them - and good on them as well for only charging the cheapest possible admission price (£3) at this level which is an absolute bargain.

As things stand I’ve now got five grounds left to visit across the two NCEL divisions until I’ve done the lot. Barton Town (in the pipeline), Campion (might be Step 4 next year anyway) and Golcar United (feels like a trek) being three in the Premier Division. Followed by Louth Town (so a trip to the deepest, darkest depth of the Lincolnshire wilderness) and Clay Cross Town (wish me luck seeing a game on their pitch this season) in Division One.

Any lifts appreciated… and if anyone from the Doncaster area is ever going to any of those places, get in touch because I’ll be more than happy to tag along at some point.

Hemel Hempstead Town 3-4 Aveley

Hemel Hempstead Town 3-4 Aveley

National League South

Friday 29th March 2024

The sublime and the ridiculous!

For my Bank Holiday football, I decided to make a first ever trip to Hemel Hempstead’s Vauxhall Road in the National League South for a game which featured seven goals as the hosts chucked away a 2-0 lead to lose to Aveley outfit who are challenging for the Play-Offs and have been up in the higher part of the division all season.

The ground can probably best be described as a ‘posh’ or ‘upgraded’ version of Alfreton in the National League North with seating on three sides, a ‘Media Suite’ in the corner of the ground and lots of quaint offices and cabins dotted around elsewhere. The 4G pitch (a definite upgrade on Alfreton) isn’t bad and allows for it to be used during the week and overall, Hemel, is a typical National League South ground with a nod to history with Henry VIII featured on the club’s badge, plus the more important added bonus of it being only a couple of minutes drive from the M1.

Having seen that Aiden Elliott-Wheeler was recalled from Banbury on Thursday, it was a pleasant surprise to see him trotting out for the warm-up and he could be a really good player at NLS level. He’s looked sharp at Banbury (who’ll now certainly be relegated without him) both last season and this one, earned good reviews from various people I’ve spoken to in football, has talent which he showed in little glimpses in his debut in this game with his touch/technique and skill (shame he didn’t get much going his way from the referee), and he’s quite highly-rated on the whole. Banbury’s loss is most certainly Hemel’s gain and I’ve got little doubt that those seeing him for the first time will grow to appreciate what he’s all about as a player and enjoy watching him over the next few weeks.

Josh Williams also had a decent game for Hemel at left-back, scored a goal and has qualities/attributes which makes me think he can go higher (more on him towards the bottom of this piece), but the undoubted ‘Man Of The Match’ was Charlee Hughes who bagged a hat-trick for Aveley, got in the Vanarama ‘Team Of The Week’ with the added bonus for him being that Hemel Hempstead is one of his former clubs too. Typical when that happens!

Initially, it looked like it might be a very good Friday indeed for Hemel as they were 2-0 up and seemingly coasting towards three points inside the first 15 minutes.

The Tudors still probably need another win (maybe even two) to be confident of avoiding relegation to Step 3, and it took them just three minutes to score when Josh Williams looped a long-throw into the box, the danger wasn’t cleared, and Mike Fovili pounced to stick the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out. Then, things got even better when Chris Smith added a second on the quarter-hour mark with Aveley’s defence once again looking a bit static and slow to react to what was around them.

A third goal to make it 3-0 would have strengthened Hemel’s grip and possibly even made a comeback feel insurmountable for their opponents but, instead, as the midway point of the first half came to pass, the grey clouds that appeared overhead and subsequent rain signaled a turning point.

Instead, it was Aveley who started to get on top, build up some momentum and dominate and they pulled one back before half-time when Charlee Hughes’ shot took a wicked deflection that looped up and over Craig King and into the net. Not much the ‘keeper could do about it, ‘Game On’ again, and whilst there was a slice of bloody good fortune about the goal itself, it was deserved on the balance of play.

Then came the ridiculous as Aveley equalised with just 14 seconds of the re-start - and even more bizarrely it was from Hemel’s own kick-off. The ball was played back to Kyle Ajayi who was caught dawdling and eventually dispossessed by Charlee Hughes who suddenly burst into a one-on-one and although the finish wasn’t the most orthodox or composed you’ll ever see, the ball still ended up trickling over the line via his heel to leave Hemel spewing about what had just unfolded infront of everyone’s eyes.

At this point, there was a glib feeling around Vauxhall Road. Hemel had capitulated and the second goal (more so the shock of it) left lots to be desired, but the fact they’d thrown away a 2-0 lead and were struggling to get into Aveley’s half at all, let alone build up some momentum to do anything else, was the more pressing concern.

It seemed likely that Aveley would strike again and just past the hour mark, the turnaround was completed as Eduino Vaz (on trial at Barnsley this time last year), had the ball at his feet around 30 yards out, looked up and let fly with an effort that caught a little deflection yet looked goalbound from the moment it left his foot despite a valiant effort from a full-stretch Craig King to keep it out… and I very much doubt Eduino Vaz will score a better one this season either!

Seeing one left-back score in a game is rare and I can’t think of many occasions where I’ve seen both left-backs bag goals but that’s precisely what happened next as the game took another twist and Hemel hauled themselves back level at 3-3.

It was the impressive Josh Williams who was the scorer as he supplemented an attacking move really well to get into a shooting position on the edge of the box, received the ball, and unleashed his own powerful strike that caught a little deflection to carry it past the ‘keeper.

It was all getting breathless by this point and there was to be a seventh (and decisive) goal as Aveley restored their lead with Charlee Hughes completing his hat-trick infront of the 40 or so away fans who’d made the trip from Essex.

Hemel pushed, probed and gave it their best efforts in what remained as Aveley were forced to concentrate defensively but ultimately after five minutes of injury-time, they couldn’t get another equaliser, and they’ve only really got themselves to blame for losing. At 2-0 up and playing well early on, they looked in control and just capitulated to some extent thereafter. The Tudors should still stay up but that ‘probability’ will do nothing whatsoever to ease their frustrations about the fact they ought to have added some points to their tally from this game - even if it was just the one!

All credit to Aveley because they’re a decent team (hence why they’ve been near the top all season) and especially Charlee Hughes who for the very fact he bagged a hat-trick surely must be included in the Vanarama ‘Team Of The Week’ for the National League South? He was the star in this game albeit it was Josh Williams for Hemel Hempstead who really made a good impression upon me.

Having not seen him play previously, he looked reasonably solid at left-back and contributed at both ends of the pitch. Defensively, he looked sound - good in duels and in one-v-one situations, battled to win possession and not much got past him (in fact most of Aveley’s danger came down the other flank). He showed that bit of quality/composure with what he needed to do and in attacking scenarios, his looping long-throw made him an asset, whilst the goal he scored speaks for itself and it didn’t really surprise me that he popped up with a goal. Although it’s a defeat and it’ll feel a bit crap from a collective viewpoint, he deserved that bright moment individually as it was a good performance by him and the link-up on the left-hand side with Aidan Elliott-Wheeler is something which might blossom over the next few weeks.

Having watched 1,800-1,900 games and having seen several players to compare Josh Williams to, I know he’s a decent player who compares well to what’s out there at Step 2 level. I’ll always be confident in my own judgements and at 24, a decent background and ‘football upbringing’ on his CV with spells at Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Luton Town in the past, I really wouldn’t be surprised to see him play at a higher level in the next couple of years and do alright. He’s a good player.

Hopefully, Hemel can get the points they need to survive sooner rather than later (helps avoid the emotional rollercoaster) and not get sucked beneath the dotted line. I think they’ll survive and from the limited National League South games I’ve watched this year (living up north I don’t get to that many games compared to the NLN), I know there’s a lot worse teams in the division than themselves.