Flying Kiwis – March 16
Hannah Wilkinson – MSV Duisburg (German Bundesliga)
It was a long wait following the winter break, some bad weather, and a little bit of covid. A frustrating wait too, no doubt. But Hannah Wilkinson finally made her Zebras debut when she was named to start against Freiburg this week... and she even celebrated with a goal. Exactly what she’s been signed to do, playing for a team that sat bottom of the table during that winter break without a win and with only 8 goals scored in 12 games. Also decent on a personal level considering Wilkie’s stint with Djurgården in Sweden saw her start just four league games in all of 2020 and her only goal for the club came in cup competition. Only issue there was that they still lost rather handily.
Mia Büchele got things underway in the 20th min for SC Freiburg, sliding the ball in at the near post after SCF had already created three or four good looks but for their finishing to let them down. Playing from in front they meant that Freiburg only grew in confidence and soon enough Jana Vojteková was placing the ball on the penalty spot looking to double that lead (a stray handball drawing the whistle)... except Meike Kämper made not one brilliant save but two as she got back up to block the follow-up as well.
Thus Duisburg made it to the half only down by one and they came back out with their best spell of the game, including Wilkinson getting a bit of room on the right though her low cross was deflected out for a corner... a corner which was flicked on and nearly led to a goal. But then midway through that half Cora Zicai whipped in a second and there wasn’t any coming back from there. Freiburg went on to hit the post in search of a third. However in the third minute of stoppage time Wilkie pounced on a poor bit of defender and slotted a debut goal under the keeper to announce herself to German football. Right on!
Highlights here or you can just watch the entire replay if you’d prefer...
Up Next: Away to SC Sand on Thursday at 2am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
What’s this? Another goal for The Woodsman?
Of course it’s another goal for The Woodsman, slamming home within quarter of an hour to give the Clarets the lead against Everton. Set up by Dwight McNeil, whose cross was deflected into Wood’s path, it was Burnley’s first shot of the match and it was a ripper. You know Chris Wood is coming into some prime form when he’s banging those away. He’s been playing extremely well since coming back into the team after injury with his work-rate not going unnoticed but always a relief to see the rewards of goals following on from that.
Really composed finish from Wood. That was the word that the commentator used anyway and he wasn’t wrong. Note also that it came about from Josh Brownhill pushing out of midfield with Burnley trapping Tom Davies with no decent passing lanes. Wood then picked up the loose ball after Brownhill pressed and won the ball. You may not expect it from ol’ long ball Burnley but it’s an element of their game that has long been there under Sean Dyche and which in the last few weeks has really shone through...
Then ten minutes later Dwight McNeil scored an even better goal with a curling strike of his own after slicing his way past Allan. A wonderful effort to mark a wonderful return to peak form for him. Such a beautiful slice of football... and it meant Burnley were 2-0 up at Goodison Park. Might have even been three because there was a not-unsubstantial shout for handball in the box in between the two goals while Johann Berg Gudmundsson hit the post straight after McNeil’s goal.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin would cut the deficit later in the half with a typically booming header from close range... but the same bloke wasn’t able to repeat the dose in the second half with a similar effort, while Nick Pope made a couple smooth saves as Burnley put the game on ice. Matej Vydra should have put it beyond doubt running onto a Wood flick-on with the substitute keeper misplaying it (Jordan Pickford had gone off injured) while Wood was denied what might’ve been a second had Ben Godfrey not taken the cross away from him at the last moment. A 2-1 win to Burnley. First time ever in the club’s history that they’ve beaten Everton and Liverpool away from home in the same season.
Chris Wood: “It’s always nice to perform well, which we have done at times and not got the win, so after the last few weeks it was nice to put a win on the board. It’s been a difficult run of fixtures for us against some very good sides. We’ve picked up some great draws and now we’ve come to a great side and picked up a win, which is nice going into our little break. If Jo’s shot had gone in it would have been a different ball game. Conceding five minutes before half time isn’t ideal. Going in at 2-0 we’re comfortable. Going 2-1 it’s a tough scoreline to hold onto but it shows our resilience, our team spirit and our good work ethic to get through it and come out on top. Things are going in the right direction. There are some big games coming up and after the break we’ll come back firing and ready to go.”
BBC: “Chris Wood's opener was his 40th Premier League goal for Burnley. He's the second player to reach that tally for the club in the competition, after Ashley Barnes.”
Up Next: Nothing ‘til 4 April away to Southampton, at the tasty hour of 11pm (NZT)
Winston Reid - Brentford FC (English Championship)
Sometimes all you need is that single goal and it doesn’t matter how you get it. That was the case as Brentford faced Blackburn Rovers. A midfield turnover inside the first ten minutes led to Ivan Toney shifting it to Tarique Fosu on the left and as Fosu dashed into the area, Darragh Lenihan bowled him over. Penalty. Toney stepped up to score. 1-0 in the ninth minute. Lovely start for the Bees after nine days off following that Norwich defeat.
Winston Reid was at the back in an unchanged backline, Ethan Pinnock next to him with Henrik Dalsgaard and Mads Bech Sørensen at fullback. All the lads. But if they thought they might get a nice easy evening after the early goal they were wrong. The first half was pretty sluggish, not a great pace to anything, but at least Brentford were in control. Second half and that wasn’t so much the case. Blackburn started to get things going down the wings and Reid and mates were getting turned around. A couple penalty shouts against them too while Reid made one really sweet block in particular.
Brentford responded later on as Ivan Toney got back involved as well as a few decent swinging set pieces... but yeah in the end they closed out a 1-0 win. Clean sheet for Winston... there had been some chat on the interwebs about Blackburn unleashing their breakout young striker Tyrhys Dolan on the supposed spent force of Winston Reid but that dude had one shot all game so that plan didn’t exactly work out. Brentford are still fourth, only three points off second. Good-o.
Believe we all know the answer to this one...
Up Next: Derby County vs Brentford on Wednesday at 8am (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)
Nik Tzanev has had to be more than patient as he awaited his chance for The Dons. Despite some quality showings in cup competitions this season, Tzanev was overlooked for the starting gig back in January when Connal Trueman was recalled from loan as instead of promoting the kiwi fella they opted to bring in a veteran from outside the group. Sam Walker, who then proceeded to concede 17 goals in his first seven starts. He’d gotten a little better after that but with AFCW struggling to score goals and lumped very much in a relegation battle right now you had to wonder what Nik Tzanev needed to do.
But with Walker out injured this week that meant Tzanev finally got his chance, his second league start of the season after filling in for the first game of the campaign, and the bloke did exactly what he needed to do. Several big saves in a resounding performance. Kept his fourth clean sheet in six appearances this season... however the lads up ahead of him weren’t able to get the ball into the other net despite going close several times. Especially late on. Therefore ‘twas a 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers, not the result they needed as they still sit 24th out of 24 teams in League One... but it’s bloody close amongst the relegation battlers plus the Dons do have a game or two in hand on the teams around them. And Nik Tzanev, he was fantastic.
A few excerpts from the club website’s match report...
“Midway through the first-half came a morale-boosting save for Nik Tzanev, the Kiwi keeper reacting well to deny Luke McCormick after a good run forward by Sam Nicholson. It was exactly what Tzanev needed on his return to the side and seconds later he was quickly out of his box to clear a through ball, earning applause from his team-mates.”
“The half ended with another fine moment for Tzanev. Sam Nicholson found space on the right and cut inside with intent, before unleashing a shot that Tzanev watched all the way and palmed away to safety with a firm hand.”
“As we approached the hour mark, pressure started to build on Wimbledon. Tzanev made his third impressive save of the match when he stayed alert to deny Jonah Ayunga. His next save was a bit more unorthodox, but that didn’t matter as he kept the ball out with his body to frustrate Ayunga, who had headed on target after a good cross by Nicholson.”
A success story for the philosophy of Staying Ready...
Up Next: Four home games in 12 days, starting with Wigan at 7.30am on Wednesday then Charlton at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)
Happy days. Even happier than usual as FCH’s fifth win in a row means they’re now guaranteed to make the top half promotion rounds – the last third of the season sees the league split into top half and bottom half, carrying on from where they left off and in the case of the top half, the teams that finish first and second at the end of that get promoted to the SuperLiga. That’s unlikely to be FCH given that they’re currently fourth with a fair distance to cover to catch the top three... but they’re gonna be playing meaningful games the rest of the way. Hell of an achievement for a team that just got promoted back to this level (the other bonus of the top six of course being that they cannot be relegated from this position).
They saved the drama for late against Hvidovre. Callum McCowatt had started and played 62 minutes in a real battling contest, with FCH playing well with a few chances initially but they were under a fair bit of pressure by the end of that first half. McCowatt’s best moment probably when he won the ball and played Nicklas Mouritsen in but the cutback to Lucas Haren came back off the post. McCowatt did have the odd shot as well but it was proving tricky to find much space in those attacking areas against a strong defence.
A triple sub on 62 mins saw McCowatt sacrificed... yet Eli Just was one of the fellas who was brought on so fair enough. Liam Jordan was another and he nearly scored a couple times as FCH picked up tempo down the stretch before finally, in the 87th minute, they made one count. Just to Mouritsen, hit flatly in towards Jordan... and LJ did the rest. Then just to make sure of things, Eli Just added a second in stoppage time all for himself. A 2-0 win for FCH. Just’s fourth goal of the season.
Up Next: Last game of the current phase, it’s Skive vs FCH on Saturday at 7am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Wouldn’t say there was an abundance of action as Spurs travelled to face Reading, neither side in particularly flash form. Especially not Spurs after four straight defeats... but this game did get funkier as it went along. Spurs were mostly unchanged from the side that lost to Brighton and were similarly compact at the back in keeping the Royals from doing a whole lot in that first half. Jess Fishlock with a moment or two, perhaps, but not much else. Meanwhile Ria Percival’s corner kicks were causing some carnage and Alanna Kennedy went close early on... but five mins before the break Fishlock got on the end of a long ball and skinned a defender before whacking a low shot off the post. Could so easily have been trailing at the half.
That proved a timely wake-up call as Spurs came out firing in the second stanza, Angela Addison nearly scoring at the back post except the cross was slightly out of reach. Then a counter attack after a Reading penalty appeal saw Rosella Ayane denied from close range as she dashed into the area. The Royals responded by forcing a close range save of their own, Aurora Mikalsen keeping Amalie Eikeland’s effort out, after which it was Spurs back on the front foot with several late chances as they gassed it for the potential victory. Gemma Davidson was blocked on the line after a defensive mix-up then Kennedy’s header at the back stick was parried away instinctively by the keeper.
Frantic stuff at the end, with the game played at a quick pace throughout, but ultimately it finished 0-0. Which at least is not a loss as far as Spurs are concerned. Plus Ria Percival maintained her ever-present status with another ninety minutes... meanwhile Erin Nayler continued her opposite trend as she was an unused sub for Reading same as she has been in every WSL game this season.
Up Next: Monday at 3am vs Bristol City (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Liverpool (English Championship)
About as comprehensive as it gets, dropping five goals on poor Coventry United. The game started quietly at first... but then captain and Meikayla Moore’s central defence partner Niamh Fahey broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute as she finished off a swirling corner kick that wasn’t cleared after Moore had won the initial header. Within a couple more minutes a lovely flowing move was finished off by Becky Jane and it was all gravy from there.
The only decent chance that Coventry had in the half came from a misplaced Moore backpass (whoops) but GK Rachael Laws blocked Destiney Toussaint’s shot so no dramas there. Ceri Holland then extended her hot streak with a goal soon after half-time before Fahey scored a second midway through the second half and Melissa Lawley finished things off later on. Full game and a clean sheet for Meikayla Moore who is really making a name for herself at the club these days.
And we’ve got more from the interview desk as well...
“With more time on the field and more sessions out on the grass, I’m feeling more comfortable here. There’s a lot of good talent in this squad and competition for places is high, so when I do get the opportunity to put on the shirt and play I don’t take it for granted. This is a massive club, so each time I get the chance I always try my best. I’m beginning to feel really comfortable here and hopefully that continues. I look back on this season fondly from a personal point of view. It has been a challenging time for all and I hope we can continue to do well in the games that we have coming up. Signing for Liverpool was always a massive achievement for me and a massive step in my career, so I’m really enjoying my time here.”
Up Next: Liverpool vs Blackburn, Monday 29 March at 6.30am (NZT)
Katie Rood - Lewes FC (English Championship)
Huge result for the Rooks. A 3-0 win over Blackburn, one of their best wins of the season. To be fair, Rovers haven’t been too good lately and this result extended their winless Championship run to eight games... but that’s their problem.
Lewes took the lead in the 14th minute as Ini Umotong won a penalty after a well-rehearsed free kick move and dusted herself off to score the spottie herself (Roodie having won the initial free kick). Rhian Cleverly then made it two on 26 mins with a strong header after a free kick from the right wing had been swung into the danger zone. Then eventually substitute Danni Lane scored a slick solo goal on 70 mins to make the points sure. Blackburn did have a few chances while the score was still 2-0, including a goal disallowed for offside, but nothing they could put on the scoreboard. 3-0 to Lewes and they just opened up a decent little five-point gap between themselves in sixth and Rovers in seventh. 85 minutes for Katie Rood before she was replaced with the game in the bag.
Up Next: Lewes vs London Bees, Monday 29 March at 2.30am (NZT)
Michael Woud – Almere City (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Another important three points for AC in their quest for promotion. A 3-1 win over FC Eindhoven in which all the scoring was done in the first half. Thomas Verheydt got things churning on 13 mins although not before FCE had laid down an early scare, a shot from distance hitting the post after Woud had punched away a corner. But then Verheydt poked in that goal and Xian Emmers stormed in from the left wing to double the lead on the half hour. Hugo Botermans pulled one back on 41 mins hacking in from a corner kick delivery into the crowded middle which left Woudy swinging his arms around demanding why exactly nobody had gotten a touch on the ball before it got to Botermans... but then Almere responded almost instantly with Verheydt left unmarked from a looping cross to head in his second.
Not so much going on in the second half however there was a late free kick off the crossbar from FC Eindhoven as well as a very good diving stop from Woud even later as he got across to a thumper of a shot from the edge of the area. Woudy doing what he does. 3-1 was a slightly flattering result but all goods. AC didn’t actually gain any ground with this win as all the teams around them also won, other than top placed Cambuur who drew but they probably aren’t catching them anyway. Still, this keeps them from losing any ground either and it’s all good form after that dud stretch of games earlier in the month.
Up Next: Almere vs Den Bosch, Saturday at 8am (NZT)
Dan Morgan – Maritzburg United (South African Premier Soccer League)
These buggers just can’t catch a break. At home against Kaizer Chiefs, with Dan Morgan on the left of a back three, Maritzburg had an excellent first half, taking the lead on quarter of an hour when Jose Meza skipped on down the right on the break and slid the ball across to Thabiso Kutumela to score. An ideal start though this team has had a habit of not holding on to leads this season so plenty of work left to do. And despite the way they dominated the first forty-five there were elements of worry as they let several good chances go to waste.
It wasn’t until the 40th minute that the Chiefs had a shot on target but they grew from there with a few dangerous set pieces... yet Maritzburg kept on going and they had a decent penalty shout declined, a possibly own goal caught on the line by the keeper, and a rocket fired off the crossbar. Almost a full row of football bingo there. Absolutely no way that this should still have been up for grabs into those final moments but it was and another flurry of set pieces from the Chiefs led to Lebogang Manyama heading in off the post for the the 88th minute equaliser. Damn. Full game for Morgz who also got a booking. Maritzburg remain second to last on the ladder.
Meanwhile we finally have some news of Andre De Jong, who has been out of favour and rumoured with release and currently happens to be injured for AmaZulu. Reports say that he’s “still out, but he is nearing a comeback” so that’s promising. No word on Myer Bevan (TS Galaxy) any time recently though.
Up Next: TS Galaxy vs Maritzburg Utd, Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Jana Radosavljevic - Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga)
Two games this week and zero goals for Werder. The first one, their English Week game (as the midweekers are known in Germany), was alright. That was a 0-0 draw with Turbine Potsdam in which Rado was subbed on after an hour to try and chase an unlikely win. Turbine had hit the post as early as the fourth minute but a really organised defensive performance kept things tidy for Werder even if they didn’t really muster too much going forwards. Rado had one shot but didn’t catch it at all and it hooked well wide of the goal. Hey, can’t argue with a draw against a top five team. Highlights here.
Radosavljevic was back in the starters for the following game against Hoffenheim, lining up on the left wing... but things didn’t go too flash this time around. Rado was booked on 19 minutes then a couple quick goals had them 2-0 down after half an hour. Lina Hausicke with an own goal (24’) and then Luana Bühler (29’) scored the next. That led to a double change at the half with Radosavljevic one of the duo replaced. The game ended 2-0 and there are highlights here if you wanna see them.
Up Next: Werder Bremen vs Freiburg on Thursday at 2am before the DFB Pokal quarters away to Wolfsburg on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Olivia Chance - Brisbane Roar (Australian W-League)
No time wasted in getting back to winning ways. Up against another semi-final contender in Adelaide United, Brissie avoided the sloppy early goals that dug them into such a hole against Canberra last week and instead struck first themselves through Mariel Hecher. The Brazilian had earlier gone close running onto an Olivia Chance ball over the top, failing to make the most of that opening but making no mistake a couple minutes later following up on Emily Gielnik’s initial shot after it was saved. Hints of offside but the goal stood. However that lead only lasted until the 34th minute when Isabel Hodgson dodged a couple challengers and slipped the ball through to Chelsie Dawber who stroked it past the keeper for 1-1.
Such was the state of it at the half and both teams re-emerged thinking this was there for the winning. The next goal would be crucial... and in the 62nd minute it was Gielnik who supplied it. Slamming the ball where it needed to go after a corner kick wasn’t cleared. The Roar didn’t exactly run away with it from there and Georgina Worth had to make to supreme saves within the next five mins, one from a 1v1 situation and the next a stop from a header at the back post after the resulting corner. But then Gielnik poked in another one at the near post in the 72nd minute – from a move sparked by Liv Chance playing a one-two in the middle before sending it wide into space – and in the 80th minute she had a hatty, evading a defender to score on the break. Adelaide did drag one back in the 87th via Dawber again but 4-2 was a great win for Brisbane. In fact they overtake Adelaide into second with those points. Full game for Chance, who according to the league stats created more chances (5) than any other Roar player and was involved in the most duels too (15). She also had a couple shots from outside the box (neither were on target).
Up Next: Brisbane vs Newcastle, Sunday 28 March at 8.05pm (NZT)
Lily Alfeld, Elizabeth Anton & Malia Steinmetz – Perth Glory / Paige Satchell - Canberra United (Australian W-League)
With Malia Steinmetz back in the starting team and Paige Satchell also getting the start, we had a four-strong contingent in this game. Canberra looking to keep up the back in the hunt for the top four, Perth at home but just mostly wanting to get anything at all from the game to help them get off the bottom of the table before the season’s out.
This game was wild. This game was unhinged. Paige Satchell nearly got it cooking as she dashed down the left wing and cut back to Grace Maher but her shot was saved pretty easily. She then did something similar soon after but Canberra weren’t able to make anything of it. Nikki Flannery finally broke Perth’s defences in the 36th minute, running off Michelle Heyman and giving Alfeld no chance with the finish, yet instead of Canberra pulling away from there as anticipated, Caitlin Doeglas went and scored a ridiculous goal from distance to chip the keeper. Entirely intentional too.
It was still 1-1 at the half, though only just because Flannery had a shot blocked at the far post from within a few yards late in the 1H. But by the 54th minute the greenies were back on top anyway. Malia Steinmetz got a foot in to tackle Heyman yet the Glory defence got caught watching and Heyman ran through onto the loose ball. Alfeld rushed out and dove at her feet to block the run quite superbly... only for the tenacious Heyman to keep going, swirling back to collect the ball again and then curling in an incredible finish that gave the recovering defenders no hope. Liz Anton was there on the line but the ball dropped so suddenly that she was left stranded as it ducked in. Incredibly though Perth were able to level it up in the 71st min when Katarina Jukic scored a screamer from miles out and as the game ticked away it was looking like a second point of the season for Perth.
If that wasn’t wild enough for ya already, Canberra won a penalty with about five minutes left. Lily Alfeld saved one of these the other week and she was up to her old tricks again, subtly pointing out which way she was gonna dive (her right). The she dove that way and it was the right way but the shot came back off the post from Flannery, no need for saving. Perth thumped it away for a corner in relief... only to then give away another penalty from that subsequent corner: a handball which saw Sarah Carroll sent off for a second yellow. This time Alfeld more visibly pointed to her left... but dove to the right again and once more it was the right way but once more Flannery missed the target altogether. This time not even the post was in range. Mad scenes.
Ah but all that drama meant six minutes of added-on time and at the end of the fourth of those minutes Michelle Heyman worked her way into the area and planted a winner into the bottom corner. An utterly wild game of football. Steinmetz was subbed off after an hour, Satchell subbed off with twenty to play. Alfeld and Anton both played the whole thing.
Also, speedster:
Up Next: Perth play again tonight against Melbourne Victory – could be five kiwi starters in that one – at 11.35pm then again on Friday against Melbourne City at the same time... Canberra meanwhile are away to Newcastle at 8.35pm on Sunday (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Bayern Munich II (German Liga 3)
It hasn’t been an instant transition back to the reserves for Singh. A brief illness then an injury knock have meant his appearances have been stuttering but he has logged ninety minutes in two of his last three games – something he never did for Nürnberg – the latest of which being a 2-0 defeat against Magdeburg in which he also got a yellow card. He’s starting to get a rhythm now so surely only a matter of time before the goals and assists start flooding in... Sarpreet had a couple nice moments in those highlights despite the result.
Up Next: 1am on Monday against Meppen (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)
They lost 3-0 to Harrogate Town in the midweek so a scoreless draw with Grimsby afterwards was a useful enough result. The U’s conceded in the very first minute of that Harrogate loss (31 seconds) and then again in injury time... though improved enough in the second half that they almost threatened a comeback, the closest they got being when Tommy Smith hit the post off a corner. But they didn’t score and have now gone ten and a half hours of football since their last goal away from home.
Grimsby was a much better showing, defensively at least, as they limited their opponents to only one shot on target... yet Colchester themselves had the same number so probably not a highlights clip you need to watch twice. Goals are scarce for them these days. Just gotta grind out enough points to stay in the division.
Up Next: Salford City vs Colchester, Weds at 8am (NZT)
Elliot Collier – Chicago Fire (American Major League Soccer)
Sure, there you go. Remember it was in preseason last year that Collier, who had to trial for a new contract back then, really showed what he could do with a few friendly game goals which launched him into contention for the Fire’s forward rotation and kept him there for the entire year.
Up Next: MLS proper season begins on 18 April, 12.30pm against New England (NZT)
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