Paul Lines is unhappy about how Wakefield FC have been forced out of the Evo Stik Division One North
Wakefield FC manager Paul Lines claims his club were effectively forced out of Belle Vue by landlords Wakefield Wildcats.
Wakefield have had to accept relegation from the Evo Stik Division One North and Lines will manage the side in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division next season at Emley’s Welfare Ground – 13 years after they originally left there.
Wakefield failed to reach an agreement with struggling Rugby League Super League side Wildcats for a third season at Belle Vue. The club then couldn’t find a ground with the correct ground grading by the Evo Stik’s deadline of March 31st.
Wakefield’s form has nose-dived since the announcement at the end of March and the club have plunged from third bottom to bottom and Lines is saddened by the recent events.
“I just feel gutted we couldn’t stay there and work something out,” he said.
“To take voluntary relegation is a bitter pill to swallow and it is no fault of the (football) club’s whatsoever.
“When we came into the Wildcats they said it was going a four figure sum in the first year then a five figure sum in the second year. Now they want treble that.
“A hike of that magnitude is absolutely ludicrous to be honest. I think it is short-sighted for the sake of the city.
“We were only there for a matchday. We didn’t train there, we couldn’t go in the weights room. We had regulations over this that and the other.
“The city of Wakefield is one of the biggest cities not to have a club in the Football League and as regards the other things, we never felt wanted there.
“I understand fully from that point (that the Wildcats are struggling financially).
“But, as a business, wouldn’t they rather take something rather than nothing. Now they’re going to get nothing when they could have ended up with x amount.”
Lines cites the home Farsley AFC game in late January as an example of growing tensions between the two clubs. Wildcats officials chased the referee Tony Murphy around during his pitch inspection in a bid to get the game called off due to torrential rain.
Lines said: “I was spitting feathers over that game because we got accused of wrecking the pitch.”
Wakefield FC and Farsley AFC battled it out in torrential rain during January and Wakefield Wildcats were unhappy that this game was played
Lines has been in charge of Wakefield since November 2011 and despite working on an almost non-existence budget, he kept the club in the NPL for two consecutive seasons.
Wakefield will finish in the bottom two this time around through, but Lines insists he would have performed another miracle, had their forced demotion not happened.
The Wakefield boss had to reveal the heart-breaking news to his players after the 1-1 draw with Northwich Victoria on the 29th March.
He said: “It is frustrating for me as manager because at the time (when the voluntary relegation decision was announced) we were third from bottom.
“Little things like them saying ‘you’re staying here’ (at Belle Vue) could have helped. We would have gone hell for leather in the final games and with the intensity we can play at.
“When the players found out about taking voluntary relegation, I’m deflated, they’re deflated and then you have to extract a performance.
“We would have definitely survived because we would have played at a different level
“We would have played with a different intensity. When you have something to play for it’s another 20%. When you have nothing to play like Curzon when they won the league, they lost their next two.
“It the same with Cammell Laird after they accepted relegation.”
Wakefield tried to ground-share with numerous clubs including Nostell Miners Welfare and Rugby League side Featherstone Rovers before settling on a return to Emley.
Lines is hopeful that the move will inspire an increase in attendances and he believes his side can be success next season.
“Most of the players have shown an interest in staying at the club, there’s only a couple who haven’t,” he added.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have a good bash at it next year.
“It gives us a good chance to re-group. Sometimes you have to take one step back to go forward.”
Lines will lead Wakefield out in the NPL for the final time on Saturday at New Mills.
Tom Marsden, Neil Bennett, Scott Bennett, Danny Trueman are all unavailable, while Jason Mycoe, Chris Hitchings, Desmond Macorison are injured.
The good news is that John Douglas and talismanic striker Rob Bordman are back from suspension.