In their first ever Sheffield & Hallamshire League Cup match, Quinaceo Hunt and his Wakefield AFC stunned their opposition with five goals in the first half and ran out eventual 7-2 winners.
After drawing some comments about starting games slowly in the first three or four matches of the season (where they went behind in each one), Wakefield have really got into the spirit of hitting the ground running.
In the last two home games to Frecheville Davys and Ecclesfield Red Rose 1915 they scored four goals in the first half and went one better away to Burngreave FC.
There were just two changes to the team that beat Ecclesfield last week. Jack Enkh was not present at left back so adaptable French full back Jean Merour switched from the right and was replaced by Chris Sholu who has appeared from the bench twice this season. Deji Alabi was also back in the starting eleven after an injury lay-off, replacing Nathan Weekes.
Alabi marked his return with a brace of goals to take his tally to four for the season. His first came after a typical solo run from the right when he scored into the roof of the net after beating two defenders. The trend for the twenty-year-old so far this season is that when he scores, he scores first as he also grabbed the first Wakefield goals against Hepworth United and Dodworth but this was the first time it was also the opening goal of the game. The pacey winger then scored in the second half for the first time this season when striker Rayjon Moore set him up for the seventh and final goal in the dying seconds of the game. Just three minutes earlier, Alabi had paid forward the favor, setting up Moore to score the team’s sixth goal (and his fourth of the season too) after a darting break on the right.
Two goals and an assist would surely be enough for the man of the match award but his impressive tally was tied by team captain Manny Katundu who made it four goals in two games with his second brace of the season. His first goal came after twenty-one minutes with a long range shot to the bottom left corner. The second was a great finish to the same spot after a bursting run into the box and made the score 5-0, four minutes before half time. Three of the midfielder’s four goals have now come between the 21st and 25th minute and all have been in the first half.
Wakefield’s other two goals in the first half came from midfield anchor-man Kyron Richards and winger Thomas Eclapier and meant that they had a lead of four goals or more at half-time for the third time in four games. Richards’ goal came after a Katundu free kick was saved and poked the ball him in the resulting scramble. Eclapier scored his third goal in four games with a right foot drive high into the net after great hold-up play by Moore.
Burngreave for their part pulled two goals back in the second half and evened the score in the second half playing great football themselves at times. With fifteen minutes to go they scored with a free kick from the left wing which found the top corner of the net and added another consolation five minutes from full time when their striker scored past Hunt into the bottom corner.
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