✔915.Belle Vue

Wakefield AFC 3-1 Parkgate

Northern Counties East League Division One

Saturday 23rd March 2024

I visited Wakefield AFC at Post Office Road on Halloween 2020. That was during the co-vid stricken season when they only managed to play six of their Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League fixtures. When normally returned the following season, they finished as league champions, winning promotion to the Northern Counties East League. Wakefield AFC had a decent first season in the NCEL finishing 4th in Division One. The club have settled into their new surroundings and are in the promotion race this term. 

The ground was originally a Rugby Union venue becoming home to Wakefield Trinity in 1879. They were one of the initial 22 clubs to form the Northern Union after the acrimonious split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895. Belle Vue hosted the Challenge Cup final for the only time in 1923, when Leeds beat Hull F.C. 28–3 in front of a crowd of 29,335. The ground has been used for speedway and Leeds United Reserves have also played at the stadium

Football wise, Emley A.F.C. relocated to Belle Vue in Wakefield in 2000.  The club's name changed three times during this period to Wakefield & Emley FC to Wakefield-Emley and then just to Wakefield FC. They remained at Belle Vue until 2006, when they moved out to play at College Grove. After five years away the club returned to Belle Vue in 2012, however their return was short lived as they were wound up in 2014 after a move back to Emley failed, and resigned from the Northern Counties East League.

#Heedhopper 

Current NCEL grounds visited 39/43

Picked up Lee & Katie at noon for a 107 mile drive door-to-door.

 

Be Well Support Stadium

Belle Vue

Doncaster Road, 

Wakefield 

WF1 5EY

Capacity 6,956

The new main stand named after Rugby League legend Neil Fox MBE, is a large single tier structure filled with red, white and blue seats, and a capacity of 4409, with the team dugouts at the front. Opposite the stand is the Arthur Street Side, which is open terracing with a covered enclosure in one corner, which also houses a TV gantry.

The North end was originally an open terrace until 2012 when a roof was erected and the terracing replaced; there are still sections of the old crumbling terrace at the top end of the kop.
The Trinity Street End was originally terracing until the early 2000s, when more hospitality facilities were built with a four-storey building similar to the South Bank at Bradford's Odsal Stadium. The South East corner houses the changing rooms and reception.

Wakefield 3(Losa 17 Sandhu 62pen Barkham-Barnes 79)

Parkgate 1(Duggan 45+1)

NCEL Division One matchday 40/32

2nd v 4th

Att.555 

Admission £6

Tea £2

The Falcons continued their push at the top of Division One with a good win over fellow promotion rivals Parkgate. 

Seb Losa gave them the lead with a superb goal, beating a couple of defenders and hitting a low hard shot into the far corner from a good twenty yards out.

That looked to be the only first half strike, but just before the whistle a Ross Duggan header sneaked over the line at the far post to draw Parkgate level. 

After the interval Wakefield took advantage of the strong southerly wind to put the visitors under pressure. Jaydan Sandhu converted a penalty just after the hour mark, then an inswinging corner into a crowded six yard box dropped to Slater Barkham-Barnes, who slammed the ball home to give new gaffer Junior Roberti the perfect start.