Wakefield AFC 0-2 Brighouse Town (Yorkshire Trophy, Group A) The Millennium Stadium [Featherstone]
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| Oh yeah, the fair was also in town... |
It's easy to forget what it's like to go to a busy match and as a result I almost forgot to buy a ticket, but after seeing on Wakey's Twitter that over 60% capacity had been reached I headed online to ensure that my two hour drive from Stafford wouldn't be for nothing. The last reasonably sized stadium I'd been to for a game was in February 2020 as I went to The Trico Stadium in Redditch and although Featherstone's Millennium Stadium is primarily a rugby stadium, it is also the home of Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League club Wakefield AFC. The club was formed in 2019 and although their usual league opponents would be more of the calibre of Dodworth Miners Welfare and Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves, the Yorkshire Trophy has given the new club a chance to compete at the level they wish to soon aspire to be at as they took on Brighouse Town, who following the restructure are now three divisions higher in the pyramid. So far in the tournament, Wakey had lost 1-5 against Penistone Church of non-league's Step Five, whilst Brighouse had beat Church 1-0. This would mean that Wakefield needed an unexpected win by three goals or more against Brighouse to upset the odds and qualify for the Semi-Finals. My prediction was for a three goal victory, but not for the hosts- I went for a 4-1 prediction in favour of Brighouse.
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| Although ultimately it's not about the results, it's about footy being back |
Recently I've found myself learning quite a bit about football in West Yorkshire and that has come from doing research for a podcast called 'Lost Clubs' which gave me and the other half of 'Pint of Football' (Tom) the chance to interview people involved in football in Ossett. Having spent the past couple of months learning about Ossett Albion, Ossett Town and how they merged to become Ossett United, I was now watching two teams that sit either side of them geographically.
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| Brighouse visitors had a 23 mile trip along the M62 for this game |
As you can see from the picture, The Millennium Stadium is a beauty and offers a look at yet another great rugby stadium to add to my surprising collection of footy matches I've seen at rugby grounds. These range from a one-off game in Burton's Peel Croft all the way up to a French third-tier match at the beautiful Stade Raoul Barriére. Even the ground next door to my current place of work is a rugby ground, but it also gets used by Coventry United. For the record I'm not a fan of rugby, however I do admire a lot about the fan experience. I realise that football fans at the higher levels can't be trusted to stand-up or drink during a game because we're idiots and so to attend a game at a big ground and still have the perks of non-league football is a win-win for me. Plus, they were serving two-pinters and when you are in the mood to celebrate a landmark of grounds you have to take a moment to pat yourself on the back for picking a cracking place to watch the beautiful game.
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| Donning my Brid Town scarf too, just for good measure |
The match started at 2pm meaning that I was on my way from Stafford by half 11. I arrived with twenty minutes or so to spare and with an attendance of almost 700 coming in to Featherstone I quickly ducked past the dodgems and entered ready for the game. Despite starting a few minutes later than advertised, I was grateful of the chance to grab myself a jumbo beer and find a good place to take the match in from and by the time I'd got settled we would be treated to an early goal which came after a really lively and end-to-end opening. I'm not sure if Wakefield were trying to deploy an offside trap or whether they were just slow to react, but their high-line was exposed as Jack Boyle raced into a one-on-one situation on the fifth minute and despite the best efforts of the home goalie the ball was deployed into his goal. Wakefield 0-1 Brighouse. Following the opener the game continued to be high-impact and I almost got an unwanted taste of the action myself as the ball bounced towards my big beer which was sat helpless on the seat next to me. Usually I wouldn't have been shy to attempt a header or a volley of the ball heading in my direction, but on this occasion I had to put my most prized possession first and I gave the crowd a great laugh as I jumped up, grabbed my beer and turned my back to the ball as it harmlessly bounced off an adjacent seat. I now finally understand how people who go to games with children feel.
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| That'll teach me for sitting down... over to the standing terrace for me! |
An interesting fact about The Millennium Stadium that I was told by one of my friends who supports Featherstone Rovers is that one of the stands belonged to Scarborough FC's old McCain Stadium, which was the nearest Football League ground to me growing up in Flamborough Head. Something else that was interesting, depending on your definition, was when the fans started chanting "we all know the Ref wears a wig" during a long stoppage for a goalkeeper injury. The light-hearted official retaliated by giving a light tug on his head to prove them wrong. I'd like to think there is some history behind this bit of banter, but either way it certainly entertained me for a few moments whilst the injury was taken care of.
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| The only thing that could improve the situation would be a free face paint |
As you'd expect after a long layoff due to COVID-19, the game was not only busy with fans and locals, but also with groundhoppers too. As I walked around the ground I noticed a guy wearing a Midland Football League jacket, a couple of lads discussing Cefn Druids football ground and the usual mishmash of football shirts from all reaches. I was wearing my Yorkshire CONIFA top to try and blend in with my fellow natives and I concluded my mooch about by stopping off at the food hut to see if I could pick up a delicious pie. Sadly, the pastries were all sold out and so I had to make do with a hot dog instead and in the meantime on the pitch Brighouse started to show their dominance. Right on the stroke of half-time Zephaniah Thomas showed a good turn of pace as he beat the on-rushing keeper to the ball, meaning that the Saint Kitts and Nevis international striker could give his team a bit of breathing space in time for the second-half. Always good to see an international player scoring and after looking at his career on Wiki page I was surprised to see how many clubs he'd played for. The highlight of course has to be Thunder Bay Chill! Wakefield 0-2 Brighouse.
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| Half-Time, meaning it's time to continue the tour of the ground |
The second-half was pretty much more of the same with the majority of the big chances falling to Brighouse, but with the big difference in status between the two clubs I genuinely thought Wakefield gave it a right good go. The quality for the hosts up top wasn't great, but in terms of quality it didn't seem like a mismatch. Granted, Brighouse seemed to show greater fitness and could have grabbed a couple more in the second-half, but the same could be said for the hosts had their forwards been a bit more lethal. The best portion of the second-half for me was when both clubs brought on their respective number 16's, both left-wingers, and it added a whole new dynamic to the game. Brighouse's lad was exciting and pacey, cutting in on the right sometimes whilst taking it towards the corner flags at others. Meanwhile at the other end Wakefield's new introduction was a pure sprinter and he often outdid the Town right-back as he tried to inspire a comeback. In the end though it would remain 0-2 to the visitors in a result which sees the hosts of the Final give themselves a big chance to win the Yorkshire Trophy. Wakefield go out as the bottom team in the three team group, but rest assured they will be feeling proud at having taken on a team divisions higher than themselves and given them a close game. With football in West Yorkshire's non-league scene seemingly on the rise right now I think it's going to be an exciting time over there and I'll be keeping a close eye on how ambitious clubs like Ossett United and Wakefield AFC get on. Could we one day see a Wakefield based EFL club?
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