PETER JACKSON flogged his squad up and down the Belle Vue pitch as a punishment for conceding yet another sloppy goal.
It came just 17 seconds into the second half and was handed on a plate to Wakefield-Emley wingman James Nestor.
Reacting quickly to a ball played over the top from the kick-off, Nestor seized on John McCombe's ill-judged header towards keeper Paul Rachubka and rounded the No1 to score.
The goal rewarded Paul David's battling UniBond Premier Division side for some sterling effort and put Town's largely second-string line-up under pressure to respond in defence of the Mick Green Memorial Trophy.
That's exactly what they did in the 59th minute thanks to the skilful finishing of John McAliskey.
The talented forward, who went close with a first-half drive well saved by his former Town colleague Danny Trueman, was released down the right by Junior Mendes with the home defence back-pedalling to cover.
McAliskey cut into the box, whipped the ball around a would-be tackler and then scored with the deftest of chipped shots which brought cheers of relief from the Town contingent in a crowd of 346 at the rugby league ground.
It served to highlight Town's poor finishing in the rest of a match in which they dominated possession, but it was the mistake at the back which was uppermost in Jackson's mind after the final whistle.
"If we had taken our chances we would have won comfortably because possession was probably 80-20 in our favour, but once again we've conceded a sloppy goal which has cost us dearly," he said.
"I told the lads at half-time that if we let in a goal they would be running after the game - and running hard - and that's exactly what I've made them do. We have to stop conceding."
David, meanwhile, was happy with the application shown by his squad, including striker Mick Norbury, Kirkburton cricketer Richard Kettlewell and ex-Town forward Steve Kenworthy.
"The lads did very well at times," he said. "You know when people are putting their bodies on the line to make goalline blocks (from Danny Schofield and Taylor-Fletcher in the first half) that you've got the right attitude."
Emley were unlucky not to add to their tally from a lightning burst by substitute Andy Wright immediately after Nestor's goal, but his shot from a tight angle rolled right across the face of goal.
Taylor-Fletcher hit a post while Schofield was denied twice in the six-yard box as Town passed the ball well in the first half.
Schofield should have done better in the second from a Lee Fowler tee-up, and skipper Michael Collins fired high and wide after another probing run.
Wakefield-Emley: Trueman, Quinn (Hitchen, 63mins), Staniforth, Kettlewell, Thompson, Curtis, Fox, Muller (Elliott, 73), Norbury (Wright, 47), Kenworthy, Nestor.
Town: Rachubka, Lloyd, Adams, Collins, McCombe, Hardy, Schofield, Ahmed (Fowler, 67), McAliskey, Taylor-Fletcher, Mendes (Young, 67).
