The Millennium Stadium, home of Featherstone Rovers Rugby Club and for the foreseeable future, home to Wakefield AFC. The biggest city in England to not have a football team in the professional English football league has now got a club! Are they bored of Rugby in Wakefield? The Covid lock down is finally coming to a close and after 5 and a half months I can finally go and watch a football match once again! GET IN! 29th August and Wakefield host Rossington Main at their 7,000 capacity home ground just out of town for this pre-season friendly.
With me and the Merry Miller Jack stuck in Wombwell without clear direction to the ground, we searched for a lift and bingo! We found one! A Sheffield United fan named Ben kindly went out of his way to help us out! The groundhopper community is a warm one!! 30 minutes later and here we are! Thanks to the Merry Miller, we’re getting in for free!!!
Kick Off! “They’re here! They’re there! They’re every f***ing where! Empty seats empty seats!” Today’s attendance capped at 150, thanks covid!! Rossington Main making the brighter start of the 2 teams here. 8 minutes in and a corner for Rossington. The corner comes in and a header… GOAL! 0-1 and it’s Alfred Thompson unmarked to head home. The restart from Wakefield but Rossington want more here, they’re in again… Saved by the keeper. Rossington looking a class above their opponents here.
24 minutes on the clock now, and Rossington come again, the ball falls to Brad Billam!!! It’s 2!! 2-0 Rossington and I don’t think the score will finish there. Rossington with clear control of the game here and Wakefield with little reply, the biggest city in the country without a professional football team looked like that title would stick for years to come… Half time and the score remained 0-2.
Second half! Wakefield now starting to come out of their shells now. 49 minutes gone and a chance for Rossington again, the ball falls to Watson, surely… It is!! 0-3! Surely game over now! Wakefield started to have their best spell in the game so far now. 54 minutes and Wakefield with the ball on the left hand side, pushing forward and a cross is delivered, the keeper deals with it comfortably… Wait no he doesn’t! He’s spilled it… And it’s in… Oh dear!! Horrible for goalkeepers when it happens but admittedly sometimes funny for spectators like me. 1-3 the score now.
Wakefield continued to press. 62 minutes gone and Wakefield are in… Good save!! Could have been game on again there. 74 minutes gone now and a free kick in a dangerous position for Rossington. Free kick taken… Parried out straight to Tyla Bell… Couldn’t miss!!! It’s 1-4!! And that should be that. The game continued with both sides going at it but in the end the score remained 1-4.
FT: Wakefield AFC 1-4 Rossington Main
Ratings
- Atmosphere: 1/10 – Not much noise from the crowd that was in attendance.
- The Ground: 7/10 – A fantastic ground! Mainly used for rugby matches but definitely fit for the football league should that ever happen. The 2 stands used behind the goal were taken from Scarborough FC’s old McCain stadium… How’s that for History?
- Expense: 10/10 – 5 goals for FREE!! Enough said!
- Overall Experience: 8/10 – A very good day out and hopefully a new friend to experience more ground hopping adventures with! Great to see the Merry Miller again after 5 months of lockdown!
26/40