Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)

Can’t argue with the way Viking are going these days. Joe Bell had dropped to the bench for the win away at Sarpsborg 08 but he still got a solid half an hour out there and then six days later he was back in the starting line-up to face Start (appropriate) and the fellas cruised to a 4-1 win to make it three Ws on the trot.

Bell lined up as the holding midfielder in a trio so he was hanging back watching as his mates had a couple early sighters from range. Then trying to close down an attacker down the edge which led to the visitors giving the crossbar a rattle in the 12th minute. VFK survived that one to take the lead on 20 mins, a quick corner leading to Seb Sebulonsen tapping in for 1-0, and it stayed that way for ages despite Zymer Bytyqi having a one on one and despite having to do some serious defending in their own box. The final score might look comprehensive but this was a close game for a long time and it was only in the second half that Viking were able to get on top. Though when they did they made it count.

Sam Fridjonsson was able to make it 2-0, following up on a saved shot, and then Fredrik Torsteinbø scored a quickfire double (the first another follow up tap-in and the second a header from a corner). Three goals in the space of ten minutes between the 62nd-72nd. But it should have been four in ten mins because in between all those goals Joe Bell somehow missed two sitters at once. The first was unlucky, hitting the post having found himself open in the middle of the area, but then as the ball rebounded back to him he scooped it up over the bar when all he needed to do was gently poke it home...

No dramas. Sarpsborg 08 scored right at the end but a 4-1 victory was more than handy. With four games remaining in the season there’s still an outside chance of VFK finishing in the top three and getting back into the Europa League qualifiers... though they’ve probably left that run too late. Still, early on in the season they were looking like they might slide towards the relegation race so they’ve more than steadied the ship since then. Viking currently sit seventh.

Up Next: Viking vs Brann, Thursday at 6am (NZT)

Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)

It was a rough week of fixtures for the Dons with four games in nine days thanks to some pesky FA Cup fixtures and in the middle of that it was only fair to give the backup keeper a chances to stretch the limbs. Nik Tzanev picked to face Barrow in the first round of the FA Cup. Getting amongst it.

The Dons were expected to win against a team a division below them but all these games in a flurry made that tricky. They were clearly the stronger team through most of the first half yet poor finishing meant they were left vulnerable for moments like when Dimitri Sea unleashed a low rocket from range to have Tzanev beaten... but it came back off the post, phew. Into the second half now and it was more of the same as AFCW wasted good opportunities and then had to hold their breath on defence. Tzanev was maybe a tad slippery with a long shot that he parried up and then scooped on the second effort before a striker could catch up with him but he was brilliant when closing down Dior Angus one on one and smothering his shot.

Which meant we needed extra time to try and separate the teams with the game still scoreless and the Dons had all the big chances in the bonus half hour but still couldn’t break through. Only one thing for it then: we were off the penalties. A goal keeper’s time to shine.

And shine he bloody well did, Tzanev saving the first attempt he faced while the second was blasted over the top and with AFCW’s fellas all holding their nerves they were through 4-2 with a kick to spare. Beautiful.

Unfortunately Connal Trueman took his gloves back a few days later for the second round clash with Crawley Town and while the Dons took a first half lead they were eventually pegged back and lost 2-1 to exit the FA Cup. Ah well, so it goes. At least we’ll always have Barrow.

Up Next: AFC Wimbledon vs Bristol Rovers, Sunday at 4am (NZT)

Dan Morgan – Maritzburg United (South African Premier Soccer League)

Following three and a half weeks out injured, Dan Morgan made his return for Maritzburg off the bench last week with a six minute cameo at the end of a 1-0 loss to Black Leopards. Enough to prove his fitness as he was back in the starting line-up to play SuperSport United... a game which was the first since Ernst Middendorp was confirmed as the new boss. The former manager Eric Tinkler was sacked following that Black Leopards game. An assistant took charge as the interim against SuperSport though, Middendorp only sat in the stands.

And this one, mate, this was a crazy old game in which Dan Morgan was hugely involved in a positive way. Not even three minutes into the contest and he was already swinging a sky-high ball into the box from the left (after having taken a corner which was cleared back to him) and it almost led to a goal when the keeper fumbled it. Then about five minutes after that he did this...

It’s not an assist or anything but it’s an early goal sparked Morgs winning the ball and pushing it forward. Outrageous own goal, no idea what the dude was thinking there – fired it straight into his goalie who couldn’t get out of the way in time. A couple minutes later Morgan was creating again with a cross that was volleyed over the top. But SuperSport responded to equalise via Bradley Grobler, the ball kinda falling conveniently in his path before a cheeky chipped finish from in close, and they should really have been 2-1 up soon after but for Dan Morgan tracking back and clearing the ball off the line with a little athleticism. This was a superb intervention, this one...

Another DM corner kick in the 25th minute ended in a scramble that could have found its way into the net and could also have potentially led to a penalty for handball but nah, not happening. Morgan had another overlapping run with a dangerous ball into the box before the half was out. Tireless from him at both ends.

But this was destined to be One Of Those Days. Maritzburg had a better shout at a penalty denied early in the second half before they scored a goal that was incorrectly ruled out for offside. Naturally Grobler then tapped in a second for SSU just two minutes after the offside goal. Despite a late surge to try and sneak a point it ended 2-1 to SSU and Maritzburg have now lost all five games to start the campaign and their winless streak in all competitions goes back twelve games to March – as in: they have not won a game since the coronavirus. But at least Dan Morgan’s back.

(Elsewhere in the PSL, Andre De Jong was an unused sub for AmaZulu while Myer Bevan has gotten his clearances now to play but is yet to be involved in a matchday squad).

Up Next: Maritzburg vs Mamelodi Sundowns, Sunday at 7.15am (NZT)

Hannah Wilkinson – Djurgården IF (Swedish Damallsvenskan)

Wilkie says it all, really. Not exactly a surprise because DIF only narrowly avoided relegation and Wilkinson simply didn’t get the opportunities she’d have liked – only starting four of her 17 league appearances and he only goal came in the cup competition. That lack of game time was a factor that the club’s hierarchy specifically mentioned when Wilkie was therefore included amongst a trio of players being released with the season now concluded...

DIF Sporting Director Jean Balawo: “[Wilkinson is] a player who did not really get it loose with us. This mutual decision helps Hannah find a more suitable environment with the opportunity for playing time. We wish her luck in the future and hope she lands in the right place.”

And now we wait and see what happens next. W-League’s starting soon?

Up Next: Time shall tell...

Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)

You can file this one firmly under the ‘yeah nah’ category. Burnley played away to Manchester City and you can guess how they usually go against that lot. Only one league win since 1974, which was a 1-0 victory in 2015 before Chris Wood joined the club (George Boyd scored the goal). Since then they’ve lost 11 and drawn 1 of the last dozen match-ups and in The Woodsman’s experience those defeats are usually pretty heavy. Like this one was.

Here are Wood’s career results against Man City just to prove this dull point...

• Lost 3-0 away (EPL 2017-18)

• Lost 5-0 away (EPL 2018-19)

• Lost 5-0 away (FA Cup 2018-19)

• Lost 1-0 at home (EPL 2018-19)

• Lost 4-1 at home (EPL 2019-20)

• Lost 3-0 at home (EFL Cup 2020-21)

• Lost 5-0 away (EPL 2020-21)

Zero goals, zero assists. The only other team he’s played that often against without ever scoring is Liverpool (but he has at least experienced two draws against the Reds before). There was also another 5-0 loss away to City last season but he was injured for that one, lucky bugger.

Here it was Riyad Mahrez who got things started in the sixth minute and from there Burnley were never in the contest. They just got overwhelmed. And even when they did get into half useful positions their shooting was terrible. None of that was up to Chris Wood though... he didn’t have a single shot all game and only touched the ball 16 times in 67 minutes before he was mercifully replaced (by a fullback, no less). This was probably one of those scheduled defeats that people talk about.

Up Next: Burnley vs Everton, Sunday at 1.30am (NZT)

CJ Bott - Vålerenga (Norwegian Toppserien)

Oooh there we go, Champions League round of 32 draw and Vålerenga came out of it pretty nicely, to be fair. The draw was arranged in a way that prioritised geography so that there isn’t too much difficult travel between different bubbles or whatever. Being an unseeded team in their corner of the draw they could have drawn PSG or Manchester City (or Slavia Praha)... so safe to say the quick trip to Brøndby from Denmark was the preferable option. Ali Riley’s Rosengård are booked to make a cheeky trip to Georgia as well. The R32 is a two-legged thing with the first legs on the 9/10 December local time and the second legs a week later.

Up Next: Still got a league title and a cup final to win first, that league wraps up first with a game against Arna-Bjørnar at 1am on Sunday – needing a win to clinch the trophy (NZT)

Ryan De Vries – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)

A little bit naff with the video, as they say, but a hell of a season for Sligo Rovers all the same. Brilliant story over a difficult year – Sligo Rovers surging all the way into fourth on the ladder and the semi-finals of the cup competition. That cup competition took place condensed over the last week (thanks to two covid-related postponements) with Rovers defeating Derry City on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the quarters in an enormous result as it means that, with the top four clubs in the league standings all making the semis, fourth place in the League of Ireland Premier Division thus gets the FAI Cup’s extra Europa League spot. That’s the big time, baby. It’s been six years since the club last competed in Europe.

Ryan De Vries started against Derry City but had been replaced by the time the shootout came around (subbed off at the start of extra time). No worries, the lads got there in the end. However the semi-final against Shamrock Rovers proved a step too far for them. Aaron McEneff scored in the fourth minute and then again in the 45th as Shamrock Rovers advanced to the FAI Cup final... thus ending Sligo Rovers’ season. De Vries was subbed off in the 67th minute.

Hell of a campaign for RDV though. After some real troubles earlier in the year with the logistics of all the lockdowns and having to be away from family and that, he’s managed to play 14 times (12 starts) scoring three goals in the LOI to go with a cheeky three starts in the FAI Cup run as well. He was a key player for Rovers down the stretch. Lovely to see.

Up Next: Maybe a trip home for Christmas?

Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)

Sometimes you just have to wonder who’d be a football manager. Kevin Muscat’s in a rare position as an Aussie coaching a top division club in Europe but if he had any hair he’d have pulled it all out by now. Seems like he’s been clinging to his job for a couple months now and this team, while they’re definitely improving, don’t quite seem to be able to play to their potential.

Case and point: on the weekend they hosted Waasland-Beveren and were 1-0 up thanks to Pol Garcia in the seventh minute and managed to hold that lead right up until the second minute of injury time when they conceded to draw 1-1.

Juuuuust brutal. Aboubakary Koita it was who scored the free kick. Muscat wasn’t too upset with the performance, saying that their opponents only really threatened with shots from distance and bemoaning that his lads didn’t score a second when they ought to have. They spent a lot of the game without the ball but their defensive structure was sound. Didn’t close the game out, is all.

Therefore a bit of a quiet one for Cacace where he didn’t get nearly as many touches of the ball as he has been doing and despite STVV going back to a back three he wasn’t able to be as involved going forward as he’d have liked. More a matter staying compact at the back and defending as a unit. That should have been enough for the win but oh well, at least they don’t have long to wait for the next one as they travel to face the bottom team in the division in the midweek.

Up Next: Away to R. Excel Mouscron on Weds at 5am (NZT)

Nikko Boxall – SJK (Finnish Veikkausliiga)

He joined early in the season after finishing up in Denmark with Viborg and immediately became a key player for SJK, going on to play 17 times for the club as they finished smack bang in the middle of things – seventh out of 12 teams. No real chance of finishing much higher, no real threat of finishing much lower. So it makes sense that Boxall has re-signed with the club for next year and he’s already out there talking some large words about expectations for that 2021 season. Love the leadership and the ambition.

Nikko Boxall: “When I signed a contract with SJK last July, I was talking about how this is a top club and I want to help it get back to the top. Now, a few months later, I believe in it even more. This club really deserves a lot more. I consider it an honour to work hard for it and to turn out to be a man of my word. That is why I am very excited to continue here and I will do my best to keep my word.

And while it is a good thing that we will probably get a lot of the same team with which we ended last year, the fact is that last year together we only got a place in the mid-table. In my experience, in order to create a winning team as well as a culture, everything you do must be consistent and logical. We cannot rely on happiness, and we cannot use any excuses, especially for things we cannot influence ourselves.

Therefore, my expectation from myself is to focus on quality on a daily basis. If we do the right things we’ll develop every day and give ourselves the best chance of being successful. I demand that from myself, as well as other players and our coaches. If we can do it together right from the start, then the results will follow.”

Up Next: New season should start in a couple months or so

Callum McCowatt, Elijah Just & Dalton Wilkins - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)

Must be time to check in on these blokes again. After a rocketing start to the season following their promotion, things flipped for FCH and they had been on a five-game winless run when they lined up against Fremad Amager. Eli Just starting. Callum McCowatt on the bench. Dalton Wilkins still out injured for the foreseeable future with that injury he picked up in the first half of the first game – sounds like he won’t be fit to return until at least the New Year.

FCH had lost 5-1 the last time they played these jokers so there was a bit of motivation which paid off early as Helsingør took rapid initiative in the game. Eli Just had a crack that was tipped wide. Then he helped spark the move that led to Jeppe Kjær scoring his ninth of the season in only the fifth minute. That allowed FCH to settle into possession more and it wasn’t until about 25 mins in that Fremad Amager really threatened them. But too many chances not taken came back to bite FCH as they left themselves vulnerable to a bit of Kevin Jansson, who equalised five minutes before the half to change the complexion of things.

McCowatt was subbed on in the 53rd minute (replacing an injured Philip Rejnhold). Just was subbed off as part of a triple sub in the 66th minute. They overlapped for a while there at least. Amager were clearly an improved side after scoring their goal yet it was FCH who continued to create the most... all a matter of scoring one of them or not. With seven minutes to go McCowatt came as close as anyone had... not that you can see anything in that Danish fog. Might as well have been Hamlet’s ghost out there...

But never fear because Lucas Haren scored a belter in the 90th minute (or so they claim, hard to tell on the video) to given FCH the 2-1 victory. Gets them back to winning ways and back up to fifth on the ladder.

Up Next: Away to HB Køge on Saturday at 7am (NZT)

Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)

Tommy Smith: “Individually and collectively, we weren’t at the races which is unacceptable. We can’t afford that to happen in too many games this season and we’ll be doing all we can to stop it from happening again. Exeter played really well and you could see that in the chances they created but us as individuals and collectively weren’t up to the standards we’ve set ourselves for the season, so far. I think everyone can look at themselves in the mirror and say they had an off day and when everyone has an off day, it unfortunately culminates in results like we had.”

Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good. What he’s talking about is the U’s midweek game against Exeter where they were pretty much outplayed from minute one to ninety but it was only 1-0 at half-time when they came back out and completely capitulated. Ryan Bowman scored a second half hatty for Exeter in what ended up being a 6-1 defeat. Not the kind of result anyone was looking for between two teams both hoping to compete for promotion.

Smith got caught out for a couple of the goals being a step behind a striker though it was the fifth goal that’ll hurt him most. Right after Colchester had grabbed a consolation goal and he fluffed a clearance that allowed for an easy tap-in. The good news is that they had the weekend off to think about it (a few first teamers played U23s, though not Smithy) and they do have experience of bouncing back from a terrible result this season. After getting bumped out of the FA Cup by a non-league side (Marine, who incredibly will host Tottenham Hotspur in the third round) they then had a couple good results in a row... up until this one.

Up Next: Colchester vs Crawley Town, Wednesday at 8am (NZT)

Greg Draper – The New Saints (Welsh Premier League)

You know those ‘images that precede events’ memes? Here’s one for ya...

Greg Draper subbed into a 1-1 game with 27 minutes remaining. You can probably guess the rest. Drapes scored his first goal six minutes after his introduction, he then had one ruled out for offside and later missed a header he arguably shoulda buried, but in the 84th minute he tapped one in from close and then a smart header made it three in the 88th. On he comes, a quickfire hat-trick, and TNS wins 4-1.

Now, he later happened to un-score one of those goals as it was instead registered as an own goal (the first one) but all the same that makes it a 13 game unbeaten start to the season with TNS clear at the top on 35 points. That’s the important thing, as any player would tell ya. Drapes sounded like he knew it was an own goal too... just didn’t wanna admit it, lol.

TNS.co.uk: “Looking on from the press box, we all thought that Greg had scored a hat-trick. It was only afterwards that we realised, in fact, that the first one was a Lee Jenkins own goal. Although he’ll be disappointed not to have grabbed yet another career hat-trick, nevertheless the popular striker will be more than happy with a brace and the three points.”

Up Next: Cefn Druids vs TNS on Thursday at 8.45am (NZT)

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