Flying Kiwis – May 7
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
Wherever he goes, Marko Stamenic wins trophies. A league and cup double with FC København last season and now Crvena zvezda are in the process of trying to do the same. They took a massive step towards that aim when they recently beat Partizan twice in the space of a week, toppling their main domestic rivals in the league and then knocking them out of the Serbian Cup semis. That pretty much cleared the path for ultimate success for Serbia’s ultimate club... and this week they completed the first half of that objective.
Nothing to worry about as Red Star won 2-1 against TSC. Stamenic was in the eleven against Bačka Topola, as is once again the custom for him (seven starts in a row across all comps – his longest streak of consecutive starts since the beginning of the season when he did ten in a row). Despite Red Star being held scoreless during the first half, this was one way traffic and always felt like a matter of time until they scored. Stamenic showed a tidy array of passing as well as making a few of those late runs into the area. They finally made the breakthrough in the 55th minute when Peter Olayinka headed in from a corner kick in the heavy rain. Then followed a set-back as they conceded to BT’s only shot on target all game (defender standing too deep to clear a tight-angle shot off the line). But no dramas because Cherif Ndiaye popped up to restore the lead with fifteen to go. Stamenic played 68 minutes.
That win put them close. The fact that Partizan conceded a 90+4th minute winner against Vojvodina took them over the line. That six-point swing was enough to confirm Crvena zvezda as Serbian SuperLiga champions with four games still remaining. They have a 14-point lead and cannot be caught. League championship number 35 for Red Star, their seventh in a row. In a few weeks they’ll face Vojvodina in search of a fourth consecutive Serbian Cup title. Not sure how many New Zealand footballers have won league titles in multiple countries, let alone two top-20 nations on the UEFA coefficients, but Marko Stamenic has.
Marko Stamenic: “The goal in each game is to win three points. I'm glad for the title. My first trophy with Zvezda in the first year, the feeling is fantastic. I also know that a great celebration awaits us, everyone is talking about it. We’ll see what the fans have prepared but I have no doubt that it will be fantastic.”
Up Next: Away to Mladost Lučani at 4.30am on Thursday; Home vs Radnički 1923 at 4.30am on Monday (NZT)
Anna Leat – Aston Villa (English Super League)
With her suspension served during the 1-1 draw with West Ham a week ago, Anna Leat returned to the starting line-up to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the penultimate round of the WSL campaign. Neither club had anything left to play for with mid-table positions guaranteed – this was seventh versus eighth on the ladder at the time of kickoff – but you always want to finish the season strongly. And Aston Villa had some extra context with manager Carla Ward announcing that she’ll be stepping down at the end of the term in order to spend more time with family. Let’s not forget that Anna Leat’s off-contract soon and is effectively auditioning for her next role too, whether that’s with Villa or elsewhere.
Gratefully, Leaty made it through the first couple of minutes without getting sent off this time, so that was handy. Her first touch was a nice, gentle pass back which she shifted along confidently. Beyond that she had nothing to do for the first ten minutes... though Brighton began to open things up from there. Leat made a good low stop against Lee Geum-min. Almost got caught out when a clearance was charged down by Elizabeth Terland but it bounced away safely. Recovered her position in time as a dipping long shot from Madison Haley landed on the roof of the net. Breathed a sigh of relief as Terland drilled one just wide. Another low save to her left, this time from Terland. All that in the first half.
We’re talking about a goalie though so that’s a misleading indication of how the game was going. Aston Villa actually had the better of the first 25 minutes and continued to create chances throughout. Rachel Daly had a couple of good shots while Kirsty Hanson hit the crossbar, the closest anyone came to a first-half strike. Second half was tamer by comparison until, in the 63rd minute, Daly was bumped off the ball in the area and said ball rolled smoothly to Alisha Lehmann whose shot wasn’t great but it skipped past the keeper. Probably an error on the latter’s part but it meant 1-0 to Aston Villa.
And that’s how it remained. Villa were able to dominate the latter phases with Brighton’s best remaining moments being hopeful crosses to no end. A 1-0 final score means a clean sheet for Anna League and books a seventh-placed finish for AVFC regardless of what happens against Manchester City in two weeks (next week is the FA Cup final). That will be still a massive game because City are locked in title duel with Chelsea. Chelsea are three points back but with a game in hand and they just beat Bristol City 8-0 to give them a very slight edge over City on goal difference. Hence Man City are going to be trying to absolutely thrash Aston Villa and it’ll be Anna Leat’s job to try and stop that from happening. Coincidentally, her other WSL clean sheet this season also came against Brighton. Happy days.
The beer bottle is Anna Leat’s mum, by the way.
As for Leicester City, they drew 1-1 with West Ham and CJ Bott only got quarter of an hour off the bench. Good energetic impact when she came on but not enough to help them find a winner. The Foxes are a few spots below Aston Villa but all the risk has gone out of the bottom half of the table with Bristol City already having been relegated. Only one team goes up and down so everyone else is safe. Hopefully CJB gets a start in their final match.
Up Next: Aston Villa vs Manchester City on Sunday 19 May at 2am; also Leicester City vs Liverpool at the same time (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Nature appears to be adjusting back to normality... though not in a way that we wantde to happen. After being one of the most clinical finishers across all of Europe for so much of this season, Chris Wood missed a few chances last week against Manchester City and then he missed a couple more this week against Sheffield United. Zero goals from 1.5 xG across those two games. Not what we’d been used to from The Woodsman.
Fortunately it didn’t matter at all because Nottm Forest won 3-1 against Sheffield United. They conceded first when Ben Brereton-Diaz both won and converted a penalty after 17 minutes... but Callum Hudson-Odoi quickly equalised with a lashing shot cutting inside from the left, ten minutes later. A draw wasn’t going to do Forest enough good so it’s helpful that their defenders, especially Murilo, were able to make a number of brave challenges to keep the Blades at a distance.
To be honest, a better team would have punished NFFC. That ain’t Sheffield United... so Ryan Yates crunched home his first EPL goal on 51’ and then Hudson-Odoi added another on 65’. 3-1 was the final score. A little bit lucky with the outcome but that’s what happens when one team takes their chances and the other does not. Elsewhere Luton Town drew 1-1 with Everton while Burnley were smoked 4-1 by Newcastle. That means Nottingham Forest are now three points clear of the drop zone with superior goal difference and two games left. Those two games are Chelsea at home and Burnley away. It can be done.
To be fair to Woodsy, this week’s misses were unlucky. A deep cross landed on his foot for one of NFFC’s first chances and he got great contact on a low strike but it went the wrong side of the post. Morgan Gibbs-White with the cross, no surprises there. He also slammed a header onto the crossbar while it was 1-1 late in the first half (MGW with the cross). Possibly went for too much power from six yards out. These things happen. Important thing was the team victory because nobody wants to get relegated.
Up Next: Nottm Forest vs Chelsea at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Henry Gray - Ipswich Town (English Championship)
When Henry Gray was called back from his loan at Chelmsford City a few weeks back, he swapped one promotion quest for another. Ipswich had suffered an injury amongst their goalkeeping crew and the team protocol under this management is to always have three goalies with them on matchday, even if only two can make the matchday squad. Gray therefore wasn’t able to help Chelmsford City in their 3-2 defeat to Braintree Town in the English sixth tier playoffs... instead he got to experience what it’s like when a club makes it into the Premier League. Fair trade.
It’s been a superb effort from Ipswich Town throughout this season and beyond. A year ago they were battling towards second place in League One, finishing three points behind Ben Waine’s Plymouth Argyle team. But where the Pilgrims went up and had to fight for their lives against relegation with a small squad and a rotation of managers... Ipswich Town just kept on winning. A few wobbles towards the end kept things in suspense but back to back wins over Coventry and Huddersfield in the final week ensured a second-placed finish (behind Leicester City), defying the odds against the parachute payments of their closest rivals.
There was a very real possibility that the same three clubs that were relegated from the Prem last season would go straight back up as the EPL moves irrevocably beyond the rest of the English pyramid on a financial level. Yet Ipswich shoved a middle finger at that pattern with consecutive promotions under manager Kieran McKenna. Although HG never got into any of those matchday squads - he has played for the Ipswich U21s again since returning, plus he did get a squad number (52) - he was still there for the last month of games to witness and absorb it all. Chances are he probably goes out on loan again next season... but if he does he’ll do so it’ll be with a parent club from the Premier League.
This is also good timing because of how very likely it is that Burnley get relegated, taking Marley Leuluai back to the Championship next season. That’s fine for a bloke who is still mostly in the U18s squad there but it is still good to know we won’t be losing any numbers. There’s been a steady kiwi presence in the English Premier League with at least one NZer playing in each of the last twenty seasons... but we have not actually had a new debutant since Winston Reid in 2010-11. Perhaps Matt Dibley-Dias can sneak a debut before this season is over?
Up Next: Promotion commotion
Ben Waine – Plymouth Argyle (English Championship)
At the other end of the Championship table, Plymouth Argyle were also able to get the job done. Very different stakes to their League One competitors from last term. The Pilgrims needed to win to avoid relegation... or at least to match Birmingham’s result in their match. Ben Waine was predictably back to the bench for this game though he was still subbed on for a big final quarter of an hour of the season. Massive minutes because, with Plymouth leading 1-0 against Hull City and Birmingham leading 1-0 against Norwich City... a single mistake could have been worth millions of dollars.
There was no mistake. Birmingham won 1-0 but then so did Plymouth, keeping them safe by a single point’s margin. Joe Edwards scored the crucial goal after 40 minutes. Waineo hardly touched the ball but that hardly mattered. What mattered is that Argyle got the win and will remain in the Championship next season.
Waine played in 34 of their 46 matches with nine of those being starts. Two goals and one assist in 932 minutes overall. He also scored three times in League Cup action, with a double against Leyton Orient in the first round and then a goal in defeat to Crystal Palace in the next round. Not the breakthrough season he might have hoped for but he was able to remain a factor throughout a tough campaign. Time shall tell how it goes next time under another new manager – which will be the last of his initial 2.5 year contract (though there does seem to be a club option for a further year) – but he’ll have learned heaps from the past ten months or so.
Up Next: Very high chance his offseason is dominated by the Olympic Games
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
It took awhile for Gabi Rennie to hit the pros, after first getting herself a degree over in America, but she’s quickly making up for any lost time. Rennie’s turned up at Åland United and immediately started contributing... just like Jacqui Hand once did at the same club.
Rennie got her first assist last week (and played a strong role in the team’s other goal). She got both an assist and a goal this week. Each from right wing crosses – one of them landing perfectly on the head of Anni Hakasalo after 20 mins, the other floating over the keeper from a tight angle for a goal of her own after 38’. Bit of fortune about it, hence why the legendarily positive GR barely even celebrated... but they all count the same and this was her first professional goal. Sweet as.
Thanks to Rennie’s right wing prowess, Åland United were in a fantastic position up 2-0 at half-time at home against PK-25 Vantaa. They finally won their first match of the season last week and were on course to repeat the scene until Elina Mankki scored twice for PK35V within the final twenty minutes. The equaliser was scored in the 89th. Messy stuff from AU who have failed to win any of their initial three home matches. Probably a good thing that they’re on the road in the cup this week then.
Up Next: Third round of the Finnish Cup, Lahti vs AU at 11pm on Thursday; then they’re away to JyPK in the Kansallinen at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)
Another huge result in the Kvindeliga title race and it did not go well for the defending champs. That’s what happens when Claudia Bunge isn’t playing. Dunno what the deal is, possibly she’s dealing with an injury or something, but Bunge has not played for HB Køge since the last international window. Three times an unused substitute including against Nordsjælland here – after being almost everpresent up until that point. Seems like Georgia Eaton-Collins and Maria Uhre are now the preferred centre-backs and unfortunately for HBK that’s happened within a five-game winless streak.
Daisy Cleverley is still getting spots off the bench for HBK so that’s alright. She was on the pitch towards the end of this match as Anna Walter charged into the penalty area and dragged a shot across goal... right into the path of Emilia Asgeirsdottir who tapped it home for the 89th minute winner. What had been heading towards a handshake draw between the two rivals instead became a 1-0 victory for Nordsjælland, giving FCN a huge boost in the title race as they stay first by one point with four rounds left. Brøndby won their own game so they’re sticking around. HBK are now seven points behind FCN though which means even Champions League qualification is looking unlikely. They’ve lost their mojo at an awful time. Doesn’t look like they’ll be winning a third league title in a row.
Thus this one is all about Malia Steinmetz who, with another ninety minutes in this game, is proving to be an important player in that FCN midfield as they push for multiple trophies. In contrast to her mates, FCN have won four in a row to rise to the top of the ladder, plus they’re ninety minutes away from the Danish Cup final as well. It’s all set up for them to complete a magical season... but the job isn’t done yet. Brøndby vs Nordsjælland in the final round is shaping up as the game that’ll decide which direction the league trophy heads. Before that they go from one Flying Kiwis derby to another as they face AGF next week. That’s probably going to be a lot like this one because Ally Green’s also dropped out of the team there in recent weeks, same as Claudia Bunge. She wasn’t even on the bench for their most recent fixture: a 5-3 loss to Fortuna. Once again, it’s all about Malia Steinmetz in the Kvindeliga right now.
Up Next: AGF vs FCN at midnight on Saturday/Sunday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Look, there wasn’t much going on here. Empoli faced Frosinone, two relegation-threatened sides, and for the eighth consecutive game Liberato Cacace began it on the bench. He’s been subbed on in all those games, getting six minutes at the end of this one, but we’re definitely back in the Giuseppe Pezzella as starting left-wingback mode. GP seems to limp off in every game (including this one) but he’s always fit for the next.
Cacace did play 65 minutes last week after an injury elsewhere required Pezzella to slide into centre-back but that was in a 2-0 loss to Atalanta so it didn’t get covered in Flying Kiwis. Too much else going on. This week they drew 0-0 and Cacace barely played but we can’t ignore him two weeks in a row so this is your update. The draw doesn’t help them much but it also doesn’t harm them much. They are where they were a week ago: two points clear of the relegation zone and sweating on the rest of the season. Three games remain and in between tricky games against Lazio and Roma is a duel away to Udinese who are the team directly below them. If they win that, they should be alright. If they lose then they’re in huge danger.
Up Next: Lazio vs Empoli at 10.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
Vic Esson has mostly been the second-choice keeper this season, getting her minutes in cup competitions. But tell ya what she’s just found a sneaky little run at the most crucial stage of the season. Her game against Partick Thistle a few weeks ago was her first SWPL appearance for three months and she did kinda make a howler in there that led to a Thistle goal. That was shrugged off when she kept a clean sheet in the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic immediately afterwards, a brilliant team showing at Hampden Park to put Rangers in with a chance to win both cup competitions this season.
The assumption was that the Thistle game was for match fitness ahead of the cup semi and then RFC would go back to their usual started Jenna Fife afterwards. That hasn’t happened. Esson must have impressed against Celtic because she kept the gloves for a 3-0 win against Hearts in the subsequent league match. The cup double is one thing but Rangers are also in the mix for the league so this is a treble opportunity if they play their cards right.
No dramas with the win over Hearts. A wicked deflected volley from Chelsea Cornet put Rangers up after 20 mins. Took them a wee while to find another against a tricky opponent but Esson was largely untroubled with only one shot on target against her. Good against the aerials too. Then Lizzie Arnot (74’) and Libby Bance (89’) finished things off. Rightio.
After which it was lather, rinse, repeat against Celtic only this time in the SWPL. The two league leaders. Equal on points with only a handful of weeks left. Celtic do have a nudge on the goal difference but they’ve copped some emotional blows lately – most notable being the loss to Rangers in the Scottish Cup. Vic Esson made her fourth start in a row. And, well...
Yep, nothing to separate them. Rangers went close early one with Rachel McLauchlan smashing a long-ranger off the crossbar. Meanwhile Esson was under pressure a few times from Celtic whipping the ball over the top to try and catch VE playing off her line. Esson continually recovered though, watching one shot fly over the top and another drilled wide. She also made a good near-post stop from a Natasha Flint strike, then caught another effort from the same player. And another even better with her left hand on the dive. In some of her appearances this season she could have had a cup of tea in her goalmouth because she was so unthreatened. This was not one of those games... and Esson was up to the task.
Rangers started stronger. Celtic had some great moments in the second half. Then, in the last fifteen minutes, Rangers went to their bench and took back the ascendancy... with Mia McAulay also hitting the crossbar with a shot from outside the area. Good game between two good teams. 0-0 was how it ended.
The reason why this game was what is was is that Celtic ceded full control of the title race midweek when they only drew 2-2 with Glasgow City... who themselves then only drew 2-2 with Hibernian. Full games for Meikayla Moore on both counts but City are not going to be repeating as champions now that they’ve fallen six points back. They did do Rangers a big favour by taking two points off Celtic, although next they’ll have a chance to make amends against Rangers directly. For the sake of Vic Esson we’d rather prefer they don’t... sorry bout that, Mouse.
Also might as well mention that Esson’s exploits against Celtic (her third clean sheet in a row) got her picked in BBC Scotland’s SWPL Team of the Week:
“Victoria Esson (Rangers) - Was alert to the danger from Celtic’s Natasha Flint keeping out a couple of her efforts. Her save from Flint early in the second half was exceptional - a vital save.”
Up Next: Glasgow City vs Rangers on Monday at 3:10am (NZT)
Alex Greive - Dundee United (Scottish Championship)
Since we’re hanging out in Scotland, Dundee United wrapped up their season with a 4-1 win over Partick Thistle and a Scottish Championship title. Raith Rovers fell away towards the end as Dundee United won five of their final six matches to finish six points clear at the summit. Promotion and a trophy. However, we haven’t really been able to cover it much because Alex Greive got injured a few weeks back and missed the last four games.
Great outcome for DU to get back into the Premiership. Not quite the glowing loan spell that we’d have loved to see from Greive though. Dundee United tended to play with a lone striker which kept AG either on the wing or on the bench. He made 13 appearances, six of those starts. One goal and two assists from 624 minutes of action. Solid but not spectacular. With his St Mirren contract running down, we’ll soon find out if he joins Dundee United on a permanent basis now that they’ve been promoted or if he looks elsewhere instead.
In other Scottish Champo news, Ayr United were able to avoid a relegation playoff by two spare points thanks to some battling late season form (the only team that beat them in their last five matches was Dundee United). George Stanger made 26 starts with a goal and a red card. Also played another ten or so matches across the various cup competitions (with another goal in there). Fourth most minutes across the squad. Very good consolidating campaign from the kiwi youth international after transferring up a division. As usual, there was no sight of James McGarry or Callan Elliot in the top flight this week but there are still a couple more games left so we’ll see how it plays out.
Up Next: Alex Greive zoom call with the agent, probs
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Captain Boxy took his troops into Atlanta and returned with three points. Minnesota United’s back three held firm in a closely fought first half before busting things open with two goals in the first 15 of the second stanza. First Kervin Arriaga (54’) and then Tani Oluwaseyi (60’) – the first a header from a corner, the second a low crunching shot after a high press turnover. Lovely stuff. The Loons on fire.
Of course, they then had to withstand a heap of pressure from the home side the rest of the way... but they clung on despite conceding with eight minutes left (and despite ATL hitting the crossbar in stoppage time). A 2-1 victory means three wins in a row and Minnesota United are now second in the Western Conference with a game in hand that could send them top. Michael Boxall has yet to miss a minute through ten matches.
Beyond that, Tyler Boyd got minutes off the bench for Nashville as he continues to ramp up after injury. Subbed on after 68 mins of a 4-1 win vs CF Montreal. No Bill Tuiloma again for Charlotte. Probably would not have played anyway but he didn’t get the chance because of a hamstring injury. Coach says it won’t be too long. Without him, Charlotte won 2-0 against his old Portland Timbers side. Then in the NWSL, Abby Erceg’s Racing Louisville team were able to avoid another draw... but only because they lost 1-0 away to Orlando Pride. First defeat of the season coming in game seven but they’ve only got one win. As for Angel City, they won 2-1 away to Utah Royals and Ali Riley was an unused substitute. Seems she’s playing less often lately – she’s only started three games out of seven this year.
Up Next: Thursday at 12.30pm Minnesota vs LA Galaxy; Sunday at 12.30pm Minnesota vs Portland (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Quiet game from Joe Bell but his Viking team did win 2-1 against Tromsø thanks to a 90+6th minute penalty kick. He also played 75 minutes and got a yellow card in their 4-0 midweek cup win against Tromsdalen. The Vikes are starting to string some positive results together, that’s what we wanna see.
Up Next: Fourth round of the cup against Levanger on Thursday at 5.05am; then away to Strømsgodset at 3am on Monday in the Eliteserien (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
The streak is over for the Stellies. A 2-1 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns put them out of the Nedbank Cup in the semi-final stage and brings a conclusion to a club-record 25 game undefeated run. They are still 20 games unbeaten in the PSL though, so that’s something to carry forward. Andre de Jong started but didn’t do a whole lot. Sundowns are the best team in the country and they deserved their win.
Up Next: Thursday at 5.30am, Stellies vs AmaZulu (NZT)
Jana Radosavljević - MSV Duisburg (German Bundesliga)
Swish. Have some of that. Rado was a late sub for Duisburg against Werder Bremen but she did make it count, even in defeat, with that wicked free kick goal. Against her old club, no less! Rado played 15 times for Werder Bremen in the German top flight until a knee injury set her career back. This current Duisburg stint is only going to last half a season because she joined a team that were already travelling headlong towards relegation and nothing has changed. In fact their relegation has already been confirmed. But a highlight like this will do her scouting reports no harm at all. JR’s second career Bundesliga goal.
Also confirmed is that Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga title. That’s their third in four years. Nayler’s gotten onto the bench a couple of times but has not actually played for the German champs. Five bench seats in the Champions League, two more in the Bundesliga... all of which being because they chose to put two goalies on the list. Coincidentally, this is her second league title having also won the French comp with Olympique Lyon... in a season where she also made the bench a small handful of times, including in the Champions League, but never actually played. No worries there. Nayler is at a different stage of her career – you always want a veteran mentor in the goalkeeping group.
Back to Radosavljević, she only joined Duisburg in December on a deal until the end of the season, however the club does have an option to extend her for next year. Much of her career has come in the 2.Liga so that’s not necessarily an issue – especially as she’s only made six substitute appearances for MSVD and there might be more room for her down a division.
Speaking of the 2.Liga, there was no Maya Hahn for Turbine Potsdam after she went off at half-time last week. Potsdam drew 1-1 away to Hamburger. They’re still first by three points though, thanks to Andernacht losing, and have three games remaining to clinch promotion and a trophy. Suya Haering hasn’t played since joining the club in January, they’re just easing her in with the academy team first.
Up Next: Duisburg vs Leverkusen at 0.00 on Sunday (NZT)
Owen Parker-Price, Dom Woolridge, Harry Moss-Edge & Sean Bright – Torslanda IK (Swedish Ettan Södra)
This right here is Owen Parker-Price giving newly-promoted Torslanda IK their first win of the new season (Swedish third tier) with a ripper of a strike from outside the box...
This, of course, is the club that Declan Edge and his Ole Academy lads linked up with a few years ago. Edge is still there at the helm of the side, while Dan Keat is around as a director of football, though the Ole Academy involvement has dried up with Ole changing quite a bit in the years since Declan moved to Sweden. That includes the kiwi player pathways since they haven’t brought over anyone new for a couple of years and even then nobody’s gone through Torslanda that didn’t work with Edge before he left. Depending on your perspective, that could be a good thing as it shows a more grounded, local community approach... rather than wandering in from outside and just taking over an existing club as it might have otherwise been perceived. No judgement either way. Point is they’re finally back in the third tier and OPP scored a belter.
The season began with three straight 1-0 defeats for Torslanda. Close games in which they suffered for not finding a necessary goal. They then lifted with a couple of draws. Now they’ve won one by beating J-Södra 1-0 on the road. The four fellas listed above – OPP, Dom Woolridge, Harry Moss-Edge and Sean Bright – are the four NZers still with the club and they’re all playing pretty regularly. Bright came off the bench in this match while the other three all got ninety minutes.
Moss-Edge, Woolridge, and OPP were with Danny Hay’s National League winning Eastern Suburbs squad a few years back (alongside the likes of Callum McCowatt, Elijah Just, Tim Payne, and Andre De Jong). They’ve been at Torslanda more or less since day one, while Sean Bright is a little younger and has settled in after a serious leg injury slowed down his progress elsewhere (he was at Hillerod in Denmark for a bit). Good to see them all rising up to the Ettan. Francis De Vries went from third tier all the way to first tier so it can be done.
Up Next: Torslanda vs Falkenberg at 11pm on Thursday (NZT)
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkaugsliiga)
Oooh that’s nice. Chop pass behind the standing leg, setting up Imani Lanquedoc for the final goal in a 3-0 against Gnistan. Evangelos Patoulidis (2’) and Marko Bacanin (23’) had earlier sent FCH on the path towards victory. You may recall that Ollie Whyte was off contract at the end of last year and had to trial for a new contract during the League Cup groups and preseason with a new manager in place at the club. He did exactly as required and won that new contract... though understandably has mostly been a substitute for them since the actual league stuff began. One start and four apps off the bench. He’s featured in every game. Haka have 8 points after five matches.
Also, coincidentally, the bro Lanquedoc is a 20yo English midfielder on loan from the Fulham academy... where he played 12 times during their PL2 season, getting most of his minutes during that spell while Matt Dibley-Dias was out injured. MDD is an automatic starter when available and has even captained the side, whereas Lanquedoc was more of a fringe lad. By the way, there are two games left in the Premier League season and that was about the time one year ago that MDD popped up on the bench. Fingers crossed there’s something similar on the way given that Fulham are long since locked into a mid-table finish.
Up Next: Bit of midweek cup action away to Reipas on Thursday at 4am; then it’s Haka vs SJK at 0:00 on Sunday (NZT)
Elliot Collier – Indy Eleven (American USL Championship)
EC with the 88th minute winner. Yeah we see it. Collier’s return to Indy Eleven hasn’t seen him step immediately into prominence, as his only start for the team so far this year was in the US Open Cup, but he has proved himself a regular impact substitute appearing in 8/9 league games. Usually for 10-25 minutes at the end in search of goals. Away to Monterey Bay he delivered exactly that with that punishing finish near the end for a 1-0 victory – only Indy’s third of the season, two months into the action. That’s how it’s done.
Up Next: US Open Cup against San Antonio FC on Thursday at 11am; then Miami FC vs Indy Eleven on Monday at 11am in the USL (NZT)
Moses Dyer - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
His team went down 3-1 against Cavalry FC but Moses Dyer did briefly give them some hope of a comeback with this scrambling effort ten minutes from time. Didn’t salvage anything from the game but it was his second goal of the campaign. Settling back into the Canadian Premier League nicely. Vancouver have won two, lost two to begin the season. They also went down 1-0 to Cavalry in the Canadian Championship prelims.
Up Next: Vancouver FC vs Atletico Ottawa at 11am on Monday (NZT)
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