Flying Kiwis – April 19
Winston Reid – West Ham United (English Premier League)
Winston didn’t play midweek as West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup thanks to a gorgeous Marcus Rashford goal and an inspired David De Gea performances. Mary Fellaini also scored as United went 2-0 up and despite a James Tomkins goal, WHU went tumbling out 2-1. Kinda gutting that.
Winnie missed that one with muscle tightness but Slaven Bilic said before their game on the weekend against Leicester that he wasn’t envisaging any worries for his kiwi centre back. And judging by him at training, he can’t have been far wrong:
Slaven Bilic: “It looks like we will have an almost full squad. Winston will try today. He didn’t play against Man United because he felt tight muscles. He wasn’t injured but it was very risky. He should be OK for Sunday.”
And as it was said, as it proved to be. The Leicester City game was every bit as exciting as it was hoped to be and Winston played a veeery significant role in all that. Such is the often the case when you’re tasked with marking Jamie Vardy this season.
It took all of 70 seconds before West Ham almost scored. A Payet free kick whipped in and it hit Kouyate on the back of his head and inexplicably came off both posts – rolling along the line between them – before Kasper Schmeichel picked it up. An insane beginning to a crazy game.
In the tenth minute Reid got bowled out of the way from a free kick as Robert Huth rose to header slightly wide. It was a choppy game full of fouls but early on West Ham did well in stifling the league leaders with a deep midfield cutting things out. That Reid vs Huth thing came back when Payet swung in another free kick in the 18th minute, Reid left slamming the ground in frustration as he was checked in the box and a long throw from Schmeichel put the Foxes away on the counter. Mahrez fed Kante through the middle, Reid sprinting back but unable to get in front of him, holding back to avoid the foul. He might have taken the yellow if he’d known that Vardy was about to score from Kante’s pass. 1-0 to Leicester.
Reid was booked after half an hour for clattering Shinji Okazaki. He didn’t get the ball.
Still, Winston was all up for the physical battle. Later in the half he managed to outmuscle Wes Morgan a couple times to win the ball in the air in dangerous situations. With all the fouls a few yellows started to appear, Vardy booked for Leicester and Noble and Payet also getting cautions. Noble’s was a shocker. 1-0 it remained at HT and Andy Carroll came off the bench for the second half, West Ham switching to two strikers in an attempt to try actually score some goals.
Huth and Carroll got a telling off the first corner they clashed on. Reid and Morgan were in there too, all good fun. Carroll then dove onto the cross with his forehead, missing the target but causing a few gasps from the crowd. But Leicester were the team looking more likely… until the big turning point. Jamie Vardy went for a big swan dive in the box against Angelo Ogbonna and earned a second yellow. He might get more than a one-game suspension for his reaction to the card too.
Winston nearly equalised with a run to the near post but Wes Morgan held him off and the volley went wide off the outside of the post. He walked the line with a foul on sub Ulloa but escaped without a second yellow. 80 minutes in there were only three combined shots on target but the Hammers were chucking in crosses left, right and centre as they pushed to level things. Again Huth and Reid were warned. It was from the corner that West Ham got their break. Reid hit the deck with Morgan’s hands on his waist – a soft one but penalty given. Andy Carroll buried it, 84 minutes played and finally West Ham had it at 1-1. Two minutes later a stunning volley from Aaron Cresswell had them in front.
The thing about this Foxes team though is that they are bloody tough to beat. Time after time they’ve found a way. This time it was at the penalty spot. West Ham sat deeper after scoring and allowed the 10-men of Leicester City to get forward but with 10 seconds left in the four minutes of injury time, they must have thought they’d get away with it. They didn’t. Schlupp ran across Carroll in the corner of the area and that was that – another soft one but no softer than Reid’s. Leonardo Ulloa scored for 2-2. Pretty wild second half there.
Winston Reid: "It was a fun match but again it was a game we couldn't hold onto the result, that is the third or fourth time in a row. It is a bit disappointing, there were some dodgy decisions. Take your pick. At the end of the day [Morgan] has pulled me, some are given, some aren't."
Up Next: WHU vs Watford at 6.45am Thursday (NZT)
Chris Wood – Leeds United (English Championship)
Hey that can only be good news.
Woody flipped the bird in the faces of the critics on the weekend as he bagged a match-winning double with Leeds hosting Reading. In a dramatic game, Leeds could have taken the lead early on when Woody squared for Mirco Antenucci but the dude sliced his shot badly. Instead it was Reading that struck first. Chelsea loanee Michael Hector was inexplicably left open at the far post from a set piece and he was never missing from there.
Wood found himself much more involved. He skewed one cross wildly and headed an effort comfortably over the top but he was involved and when that’s the case he’s usually good for something handy. Straight after the break some strong hold-up play from Wood and a switch to the right put Gaetano Berardi in acres of space. His cross was perfect and Toumani Diagouraga finished it off to make it 1-1. Two minutes later Wood almost put the Whites in front with a diving header that went narrowly wide but he was soon on the scoresheet. Again he showed his power in shielding the ball on the left edge of the box, laying it off to Charlie Taylor and wheeling around on a run into the middle. He timed it exactly and although his headed shot was pushed away by Ali Al-Habsi in goal it was a good metre over the line and Woody was already celebrating.
The problem was Leeds still haven’t gotten up to the chapter in Football For Dummies that explains the concept of ‘marking’ and after scraping by when Simon Cox’s open volley at the far post pummelled off the crossbar, they stood and watched as Stephen Quinn scuffed a follow-up into the path of Deniss Rakels who made it 2-2 from inside the six yard box and nobody else within arm’s reach. But Woody wasn’t done. A thumping kick from the keeper was deflected back towards the Reading defence and, taking advantage of a slip in the middle, Chris Wood ran through and scored one-on-one for the winner. There was even time left for a hatty but he couldn’t keep his shot down.
Manager Steve Evans: “Chris has been out more times than he has been available to me, but if you give him the right service he will give you the goals. We were all waiting for his first goal of the game to nestle in the net and although he had lots of time for the second it was a fantastic finish.”
The win pushed Leeds up into the top half of the table but perhaps more importantly it means that they’re now mathematically safe from relegation. Always a good day the one when that marker is passed.
“Chris Wood could clearly bag United 20 goals a season
Wood had a nightmare in front of goal in the recent 1-0 loss at Burnley in which he squandered two easy headers in front of goal, after which the New Zealand international received a barrage of stick. But fair play to the striker for bouncing back, first with a decent display in the win at Birmingham City and then with Saturday’s double - his first in a United shirt. Wood has missed a decent chunk of the season through two separate hamstring injuries but is now on 11 goals for the season with four games to go. It’s not impossible that he could get to 15 and with a full, injury-free season, the striker is clearly capable of getting to 20. It’s also worth remembering that Wood is still only 24 and doesn’t turn 25 until next December meaning there is definite scope to get better.”
Chris Wood: “I’m always confident I can score goals. It’s just not been the season I’ve been after. That’s not just with me but with everybody. There’s been a lot of injuries in the squad. We haven’t performed like we would have wanted to but we’re building in the right direction.”
In other news, Steve Evans seems unlikely to get a new contract which means that owner Massimo Cellini gets to perform his favourite hobby and tell another manager to bugger off. Word on the street is that Italian legend and World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro was in town chatting over the possibility of taking that gig next season. Wood, of course, played against Fabio and Italy at the 2010 World Cup. He would have marked him. Hopefully the great man doesn’t remember that one or it might be a tad awkward.
Leeds also beat Birmingham midweek a few days earlier. 2-1 that was, Stuart Dallas with a brace. But Wood didn’t do that much so we’ll settle for highlights of that one:
Shout out to Wood’s teammate Lewis Cook as well who was named Football League Young Player of the Year. Last year’s winner was Dele Alli, so there you go.
Up Next: Home to Wolves, 6.45am Weds and away to Hull, 2.00am Sun (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Ipswich Town (English Championship)
The attacking fullback experiment of last week didn’t last very long as Ipswich made five changes for their game with Sheffield Wednesday. Most notably David McGoldrick was fit for his first start since October but even more pertinent to this column Tommy Smith returned to partner Christophe Berra at centre defence. There were also three kids on the bench, one of whom being Andre Dozzell – the 16 year old son of Jason Dozzell, who played 340 league games for Ipswich and famously scored on debut to break the record for the youngest goal-scorer in English top division history back in 1984, aged 16 years and 57 days.
Obviously that information is more than just a handy pub quiz answer but we’ll come to that. Ipswich have more or less given up on the playoffs now and are settling for some good performances to end the season – although a win against sixth-place Sheff Weds might have changed that.
Despite the stakes, it was another dreary Town effort. Wednesday looked far the better team at Hillsborough. Any time that Lucas João was able to run at the defence he had way too much pace for Smithy and company to deal with and were it not for a smart onrushing save from Bialkowski then he would have put the home team ahead. As it was, that milestone had to wait until the 42nd minute when Fernando Forestieri was able to slide one home after Berra’s clearing header was blocked by João. A bit fortunate there in how it landed but Wednesday had built that attack from their own half without ever being put under any pressure or disruption.
But the home team got lazy after half time. The game lost all steam… until young Dozzell was introduced. A minute later he found some space between two defenders and rose to nod in the equaliser to the near post. The look of shock on his face was amazing, 32 years after his dad scored on debut for this club aged 16, he goes and does the same thing. Unbelievable. Also, don’t sleep on the slick bit of footwork from Smith at the back that started the whole move.
Every now and then he does these things. Town fans still rave about that time a few months ago when he pulled off a Cruyff turn (RIP).
After that goal it was like a switch was flicked and the game exploded into life. Both teams went out to win it – Wednesday came closest when Ross Wallace shot low but Bialkowski saved and gathered up the rebound. 1-1 was the final score
Unfortunately that makes it five games without a win and they’re still eight points off sixth place with four games left, having failed to gain ground here. But how about that Dozzell kid, aye?
Mick McCarthy: “I guess good genes produce good players and that’s what’s happened here.”
Young Dozzell was 293 days older than his dad when he scored so he didn’t break the record, but still, what a moment.
Jason Dozzell: “Money can't buy what I had yesterday.”
“I didn’t see him run away, I was going ballistic. I just can’t remember what I was doing. I didn’t see his celebration, but I heard it wasn’t very good, but there you go. It brought it all back. What are the odds on him repeating what I did? A little bit later, but we were both 16 still. An incredible story.”
Dozzell Snr takes the field on debut vs Coventry, 1984
Up Next: Home to Fulham, 6.45am Weds and away to Middlesbrough 2.00am Sun (NZT)
Marco Rojas – FC Thun (Swiss Super League)
Yeah, pretty sloppy this week for Thun. Rojas started and played 58 minutes of a 2-1 loss at home against Lugano – the bottom team on the table. Or at least they were before some defensive disorganisation cost Thun one goal, then a goalkeeping gift cost them another. Simone Rapp was able to pull one back with 21 minutes left but they couldn’t find an equaliser anywhere, especially not after Marco Bürki was a naughty lad and got himself sent off with five minutes to play. Tugging on an opponent’s jersey for a second yellow, that was. The game got feisty after that but Lugano prevailed. Stink for Marco who didn’t hardly get to do anything and stink for Thun – but not as stink as St Gallen who lost 7-0 at home to FC Basel thanks in part to two own goals and a hat-trick for Renato Steffen.
Up Next: Friday 5.45am at home to FC Vaduz – the new bottom team (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – RC Strasbourg Alsace (French Championnat National)
Haven’t heard much of Tui recently? Neither, it’s turned into a disaster of a loan spell. In dropping a few divisions Billy T was supposed to be getting valuable first team action but despite being fit for most of the season that simply hasn’t been the case. He did get on the park this week as an injury time substitute in a 0-0 draw away to Marseille-Consolat (no connection to OM, Tui’s parent club – in fact they’ve a fierce rivalry with the Marseille Reserves who Tui featured heavily for last season). But being in the city, he did get to say a few words about his situation:
“Yes, I want to return to the OM, to be back to work with the first team. Me, I want to go to Marseille. We'll see if I make a good preparation. We'll see, you never know."
OM is in a delicate place as a club. Last season they were challenging for the Champions League before ending fourth – but the sale of a number of their better players after that near-success, most notably Andre Ayew and Dimitri Payet, saw them fall way back into lower mid-table. Marcelo Bielsa resigned after one game and in came Michel, who was the one to send Tuiloma on loan. They are still in the Coupe de France (semi-finals coming up) but it’s been a messy season and word is as of the other day that the club is being put up for sale. Point being that it’s incredibly hard to say where any player stands, let alone a young kiwi out on loan. Here’s hoping for some better luck for this lad though.
That full interview was conducted by Le Phoceen. This latest appearance was his ninth of the season (plus a few gigs for the reserves as well).
Up Next: RCS vs Lucon, 7.00am Saturday (NZT)
Jake Gleeson – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
First of all, Kip Colvey was back in the starting XI for the San Jose Earthquakes this week. He played left back for SJE as they travelled to Portland to take on Gleeson’s defending champion Timbers. They’ve already played each other once this season and that was a 2-1 Earthquakes win in Colvey’s starting debut and things haven’t got much better for Portland since – five games without a win had them really slumping.
Colvey hadn’t started a game in almost a month but this section is named after Gleeson. The big goalie has sat on the bench all season so far and the same was the case here with Adam Kwarasey between the sticks as usual. The Ghanaian was almost chipped from outside the box in the first half but Quincy Amarikwa’s shot hit the crossbar and that was as close to a goal as we came in the first half. Yet early in the second, disaster struck. Kwarasey was injured and needed replacing. In came Jake Gleeson for the first time in the new season.
Sounds like either a dislocated finger or a torn finger ligament for Kwarasey, Gleeson with his first regular season MLS appearance since 2011 – though he did fill in confidently during the playoffs one game last season.
Less than two minutes later Kip Colvey lost out in a challenge on Jack McInerney and the Timbers striker opened the scoring. Some dude commentating: “Kip Colvey will have nightmares about this tonight, I praised him for being so confident on the ball but…”
Fanendo Adi doubled the lead in the 65th min on the counter, but on the brink of injury time (and there was a fair bit of it) Colvey had the chance to make right and maybe spark a comeback with a cross to the far post on his right peg. Chris Wondolowski was there but he was wrestled down and Gleeson had himself facing a penalty. He dove to his right… the kick went straight down the middle. 2-1. A second yellow for Diego Valeri for being a general dickhead then made things really scary for Portland, though Gleeson pulled off a massive late save to preserve the lead and then right at the end Adi made it 3-1 and sealed the points. Colvey’s coach copped a little criticism for rotating the team but three games in eight days will do that to most coaches.