Flying Kiwis – March 9
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
The Woodsman is back in business. Named to start against Leicester City with the chance to become only the second player in the Premier League era to score in four straight games against a former club... Craig Bellamy being the other. That didn’t happen but as they say it’s always nice to be nominated. Instead it was Matej Vydra who got Burnley started with a fourth minute banger after picking off a stray pass at the back. Could have passed to Wood in a great position but fair play he rounded his man and thumped the bugger in for the early lead.
That lead lasted until the 34th minute when Kelechi Iheanacho struck a technically sublime volley with the ball dropping over his shoulder. Caught Nick Pope with his angles all wrong as nobody really thought he could shoot from there. Great goal. And there could have been plenty more already. Hamza Choudhury missed a little bit of a sitter for LCFC while Chris Wood, the main man, robbed Çağlar Söyüncü of the ball on about 20 mins, getting tackled with the ball falling to Vydra who this time did try to feed it back to Wood except he was offside and knew it. Should have gone himself again. Wood learned that lesson soon after as he shot from an area he could have crossed to Vydra from. Those two haven’t played a heap of footy together as the starting forwards and they weren’t on the same page, there was another one in the second half where Wood passed to an offside Vydra who was yelling at him not to pass. However Wood’s return did allow a resumption of the tactic of knocking long balls to him in the area which was causing some dramas for Leicester.
Then they equalised. Meanwhile Kasper Schmeichel had a blinder in goal for the Foxes. He dove low to deny James Tarkowski and an even better one off Wood in the second half, a one-hander going against his body weight. The Woodsman was in shock and ya can’t blame him.
Wood had another shot on the turn which Schmeichel, his old mate (one of the few, if not only, dudes left from Wood’s time at the club), once more got his hands to. Ashley Westwood and Youri Tielemans then traded shots off the post for each teams. 1-1 was the way it ended. Good point for the Clarets though Chris Wood must have been stunned walking off that pitch at how he didn’t get a goal during all that. This from the BBC: “Burnley striker Wood had three shots on target without scoring in Wednesday's game - his most attempts on target in a Premier League match he failed to score in since November 2018”.
But if he felt unlucky against Leicester then he was feeling the opposite way against Arsenal. Fella was just minding his own business when Granit Xhaka went and pumped a pass straight into him that then deflected into the net. Like, say what you will about being in the right place at the right time or whatever but let’s be honest this was a massive fluke...
Still, fifth of the season for Chris Wood. And the second game in a row in which Burnley had won the ball high up the pitch leading to a goal. High pressing Burnley!? Surely not.
That was the 39th minute of the game, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had already gotten Arsenal started in the sixth min by slicing in from the left and beating Nick Pope sharply at his near post. Arsenal were easily the better team with Bukayo Saka missing a great chance to double the lead. Wood did have one shot on target but it was a dribbler, easily saved. Then, yeah, a gift of an equaliser to change the whole complexion.
It took Arsenal a while to recover from that self-inflicted wound but the last twenty or so mins of this game were outrageous. Erik Pieters had come on as a sub and he probably should have been sent off for a handball in the box only for VAR to be his friend on that occasion. Then to rub that in he nearly scored a blinder of a volley from almost the carpark. And soon the Clarets went close once more as Wood and Vydra worked a sizzling move with Wood denied by the outstretched leg of Bernd Leno. You’d expect Wood to do better but it’s not like it wasn’t a great save.
After which it was all out defence with Arsenal gassing it for the winner. Nicolas Pepe missed a wonderful chance. Then Pieters was in the action again deflecting a headed shot onto the crossbar only to be sent off for a handball... until VAR decided that it’d hit his shoulder instead. Red card rescinded. No relief for the Gunners. Dani Ceballos rocked the post after a couple near-post blocks by Chris Wood. Burnley survived. A couple of very weird 1-1 draws for Burnley but these are valuable points against better teams. And how about that goal from Chris Wood! This was actually his 100th PL start for Burnley... and his 40th PL goal.
Up Next: Everton vs Burnley, Sunday at 6.30am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Brighton against Spurs... in another timeline this would have been a FKs Derby with Rebekah Stott and Ria Percival going head to head. Instead Stotty’s back in Aussie with a bout of chemotherapy on the cards, as you well know by now. We’d be here all day if we listed all the tributes from around the football/sporting world but these ones felt a little more special...
Sadly for Spurs it was another One Of Those Days once the footy kicked off. They escaped a couple close shaves at the back with some tentative and at times straight-up sloppy defending but they also created quite a bit going forward and simply weren’t able to put the ball in the net. Alanna Kennedy curled one to the far post (might have been intended as a shot) that didn’t get the touch it deserved, Shelina Zadorsky had a header superbly cleared off the line (from a Ria Percival corner), then half-time came and went with a slow spell as the teams got back up to speed before Gemma Davison, on the hour, volleyed off the crossbar before Kit Graham’s follow-up shot was deflected wide.
But none of those went in, whereas Inessa Kaagman’s low dropping volley on 64 minutes did. Same as her strike from the edge of the box ten minutes later. Spurs then continued to press for goals of their own and Siri Worm had a shot pushed onto the post before Rianna Dean hit the crossbar in stoppage time. Brighton also rattled the woodwork a couple times themselves late on. 2-0 was the final score. Four losses in a row for Tottenham. The only bonus was another ninety mins for Percival – still only eight players left who have played every WSL minute for their clubs and Percy is one of them.
Up Next: Reading vs Tottenham, Monday at 1.30pm (NZT)
Winston Reid - Brentford FC (English Championship)
Brentford were supposed to play twice again this week but that didn’t happen as Rotherham had a coronavirus outbreak within the squad which caused their two next games to be postponed... the first of those being the weekend’s clash with Brentford. So that’ll have to be caught up later and in the meantime it meant a few extra days off for the Bees following their top of the table arm-wrestle with Norwich.
How’d that one go? It was tight. Winston Reid starting for the third game in a row albeit not in the formation he’d been getting accustomed to. Instead it was a back three with Ethan Pinnock in the middle, Mads Bech Sørensen on the left, and Winston Reid on the right. Bit of a change to get some variety back in their attack... although most of their best moments came on the counter or in transition instead. Except Sergi Canos bollocksed a great chance on the rebound. Ivan Toney didn’t get the contact he wanted on a volley attempt from a ball over the top. Then instead they were punished in the 26th min by a ripper of a shot from Emi Buendia. Trouble was brewing.
That got Norwich going and it was a relief when Teemu Puuki add to the lead after beating the offside trap later in the half. Hit it straight at the keeper. That Brentford back three wasn’t looking too comfortable and they definitely weren’t getting much of the desired effect out of their wingbacks either. By this time Winston Reid was on a yellow card and midway through the second half he was rather lucky to avoid a second booking as he went through an attacker from behind. He looked stunned to have even heard a whistle but that was a last warning. He’d be subbed off in the 77th minute as Brentford switched to a back four in chase of an equaliser.
But while Norwich didn’t particularly threaten a second in the back half of this one, they also didn’t need to. It was only right at the end that Brentford seemed like they might be able to break down the defences of Grant Hanley and company and still they came up short for a 1-0 defeat. A loss which expanded the gap between the two clubs to 10 points. There’ll be no catching the Canaries from there, surely... and this third loss in five games it makes things tricky for Brentford to get that illustrious second place too. They’ve actually dropped to fourth thanks to not playing on the weekend. Brentford do have a decent run of winnable fixtures now after this, in fairness.
Elsewhere before this game some wise soul took the opportunity to ask Thomas Frank about his man Winston Reid and the impact he’s made early on in his loan stint so here’s that big quote:
“It's been a very good signing to get Winston in the building. We knew that we needed an extra centre back to help the team. The way he's stepped in in his three games, he's done really well in all of them with three things: his personality, experience and quality. He's shown all three in all three games. Now with Rico [Henry, the left back] out, the adjustment we've made so far is with Mads Bech [Sorensen] playing at left back makes it even more important that he steps in and performs. He stepped in with authority from day one on the training pitch and imposed himself very hard on the fitness side.
He played the first game at QPR, which was good for him. He then played against Sheffield Wednesday where he was a standout performance having got some minutes in games before that for various reasons. The big test I’d say was the Stoke game because there were only two games between the games and when you’ve been out quite a while your body needs to adapt and get to that point. He did.
We’ll adjust it but he’s not the only one because we played so many games,” Frank added. “[On Monday] he was off field for the second day [after a game] and doing his bits in the gym. [Tuesday] he will train normally with the rest of the team and we’ll see what we do on Wednesday. Those are the bits he needs to get over and then he’ll get his rhythm 100%.”
Up Next: Saturday morning at 8.45 away to Blackburn Rovers (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
That’s nice, a good old 3-1 win away at Fortuna Sittard. Getting more points on the board as Eran Zahavi got them started in the 10th minute and then making it 2-0 before the half hour was up. That fella’s on a real scoring streak. Fortuna Sittard did pull one back with twenty mins left to make it sweaty but then Noni Madueke, on his return from injury, slammed in a beauty in the 87th min to clinch it.
One slight issue with all that... Ryan Thomas was nowhere to be seen. Pesky little injury keeping him out of that one – it was only when the teams were named that his knock became common knowledge so hopefully that means it’s nothing too drastic. Pablo Rosario was also out so they were pretty short on midfield depth – so much so that Mohamed Ihattaren was recalled to the bench despite his public fallout with the club/manager in recent times.
In the meantime Thommo’s done an interview with one of the Dutch papers in which he talks about being a good teammate, climbing trees as a kid, how his knee injury at the start of his PSV tenure helped him appreciate his career, the fitness levels required in this PSV team... and also how he doesn’t think he’ll play any internationals in the offseason and wouldn’t have played in the March window (had we any games to begin with). Thommo usually does his chats in English so it’s been translated to Dutch and back to English by the time you read anything in these pages hence the meanings can sometimes get lost like Chinese whispers. Not sure if he’s saying there are no games to be played so he’ll prioritise PSV and their likely European qualifiers or that he’d opt out of the All Whites even if they do play. It’s all hypothetical with that team though. The All Whites are a hypothetical team.
This is a nice quote about his humble selfless nature as a player...
Ryan Thomas: “I am certainly not the best football player at PSV. I know that very well. But I can, however, ensure that the best PSV football players can perform at their best. I certainly have the qualities for that.”
Up Next: PSV vs Feyenoord, Monday at 2.30am (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Liverpool (English Championship)
Yup, not an easy one but a handy three points all the same. Meikayla Moore played the full game at centre-back and it was her CB partner Niamh Fahey who almost sold them down the river with a poor backpass early on that Bianca Baptiste couldn’t quite catch up to, volleying wide. Later in the half Fahey got away with a penalty appeal against her too... though aside from those moments it was the Reds who were trying to pick up the tempo in attack. They worked several decent efforts in that first half but nothing where the finishing quite lived up to the build-up – Ashley Hodson and Kirsty Linnett going closest.
Into the second stanza and Liverpool kept on pressing high and flowing forward... yet it took a set piece to break the deadlock. A corner swung in by Missy Bo Kearns, who had just entered the game as a sub, and Niamh Fahey it was with the glancing header through the crowd to score. Can’t say they didn’t deserve it. The closest Palace came to scoring after that was a shot from distance from Kirsty Barton pretty much instantly following the goal but Rachael Laws made a great save diving backwards to push it over. A 1-0 win keeps Liverpool tidy in fourth place, ten points off top but with a bit of a gap opening up beneath them to fifth. Extended highlights right here.
But wait there’s more, how about some Guardian chat?
Slightly odd one there as it’s a sponsored article by a travel company... for some reason (they chuck a tenuous link in to the travel she’s made in her career)... but mostly it’s stacked with quotes from Moore about her career journey so far so that’s cool. Worth a read.
Up Next: Liverpool vs Coventry, Monday at 3am (NZT)
Katie Rood - Lewes FC (English Championship)
Katie Rood had to play off the bench this week, subbed on in the 65th min (the first Rook substitute used) in search of a winner with the scores tied... but there wasn’t a winner to be found. 1-1 away to Charlton with Ini-Abasi Umotong equalising for Lewes very soon after Jess King had put Charlton in the lead early in the second half. Both goals very much avoidable but so it goes. With five games left, Lewes are a decent shot at getting up into the top half of the table if they can finish strong.
Up Next: Blackburn vs Lewes, Monday at 1am (NZT)
Michael Woud – Almere City (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Thaaaaat’s not good. The wheels might be coming off at a terrible time for Almere City because while a 2-0 loss to top-spot Cambuur last week was excusable, chasing that with a 2-1 midweek defeat by FC Volendam does some genuine damage to their promotion hopes. Woud wasn’t able to reach a worm-burning shot from outside off the boot of Brian Plat on 16 minutes despite getting down at full stretch. They hit back on the half hour as Tim Receveur lashed a cut-back cross into the net... but before the half was out they conceded again. Samuele Mulattieri punching it in from six yards on the end of a low cross. Nothing Woud could do about it. Almere were unable to create much in the second half to get back into it and with that defeat they’re now out of the automatic promotion spots as it stands.
There is some happy news here though. On Sunday they then hosted Excelsior and there they found their shooting boots. Faris Hammouti with a swift double before in the ten mins before half-time then Xian Emmers clinched it in the 79th minute. Excelsior pulled one back in the 88th but John Yeboah bagged another for a 4-1 Almere City win. Plenty of goals... granted not as many as the first time these two played when AC won 6-4 in Woud’s second game for the club. Fingers crossed Almere City play a lot more like that down the stretch than like the other game this week.
Up Next: FC Eindhoven vs Almere, Saturday at 4.30am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)
A couple of duck eggs. Which is perfectly fine for STVV who spent a lot of time defending against Charleroi and still came out of there with a point against a mid-table opposition. Neither team ever really looked like scoring despite Charleroi needing the win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs. The pitch was bad. The weather was bad. The football was... bad would be harsh so “dull” will suffice. Full game for Liberato Cacace who had more touches of the ball than any other player in his team but didn’t get the opportunity to do much with it. Good defensive work though.
This draw has STVV still with a three point buffer on their quest to stay in the top flight with four games remaining. Next up they face the bottom club, Waasland-Beveren, which is huge for them. Their last three games are against teams in the top half but win on the weekend and they should be safe no matter what else happens.
Up Next: Waasland-Beveren vs STVV, Sunday at 4.15am (NZT)
Jana Radosavljevic - Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga)
After scoring in the penalty shootout in the cup last week, Rado was rewarded with a sneaky start against SGS Essen in the league next up – her fourth start of the season. That and also a couple players had pulled up injured in the wake of that 120 minutes + pens. Radosavljevic playing on the wing of a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Problem was that Werder’s league form has been a bit crap with three losses on the trot and they were 1-0 down midway through the first half when Laureta Elmazi with a powerful shot that went straight through the keeper’s hands. Dead set howler there although Essen had been comfortably on top to that point and were well worth the lead. A lead that they’d hold pretty safely into the break.
But Werder were much improved in the second half. They probably shoulda scored when a shot was blasted over the top from a cut back (Rado had been gassing in from the right wing but that ball was never gonna get to her). Same deal from a similar situation soon after, Werder breaking down the left and Rado getting into a great area for a sliding ball across except that after seeing her cut-back spoiled last time, Nina Lührßen wasn’t doing anything but shooting... which was fair enough as she hoofed it into the roof of the net to equalise. Rado’s big chance came from an early cross which she took down nicely in the box but the left-footer power volley was sliced off target.
Ruthlessly, Werder spoiled things by soon conceding again thanks to another defensive error. A missed clearance at the back and Manjou Wilde was able to run in and slot what’d prove to be the winner. They did still have chances to level it up for a second time, including a curling left-footer from Radosavljevic that ended up in the keeper’s hands, but it wasn’t to be. Rado was subbed off with ten minutes remaining – 80 minutes marking her longest Bundesliga appearance to date. That’s four league losses in a row... Werder shouldn’t have to worry about relegation but still a pretty awful run of form that they’ll wanna put in the rearview. Check out some highlights here.
As for Hannah Wilkinson... she’s still waiting for a debut but it shouldn’t be much longer. The DFB pushed back MSV Duisburg’s game against SC Sand 48 hours in the wake of Duisburg’s many covid quarantines so that one should be played on Wednesday morning and if it does go ahead then it’ll be the Zebras’ first competitive game since before Christmas.
Up Next: Away to Potsdam on Thursday at 2am, then home vs Hoffenheim on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Matt Garbett – Falkenbergs FF (Swedish Superettan)
Going into their final group stage game in the Swedish League Cup, FFF needed to win. They were facing Elfsborg and despite the big occasion there was a first start of the campaign for Matty Garbett. Sweet as. And while Elfsborg did emerge from a slow start to take the lead when Rasmus Alm tapped into an empty net following up on Marokhy Ndione’s shot off the post on half an hour, Falkenbergs would have been pretty stoked to only be down one at the half against the team that finished second in the country last year (while Falkenbergs were relegated). Still within range.
Then guess what? Three minutes of the second half kickoff they were level. Adam Bergmark Wiberg heading in emphatically after Tobias Englund’s excellent cross. If they could just sneak a second goal and hold on then tell you what the quarter-finals might just be... oh never mind. One minute later they missed a clearance and Johan Larsson scored for Elfsborg. Eventually it’d be three thanks to Simon Strand though Wiberg did add a second of his own right at the death with a nice finish.
A 3-2 defeat and FFF miss out on the knockouts - not that they were really expecting to make it. The brace from ABW makes it six goals in three group games for him personally, he’s on loan from Djurgården and looks like he’ll be a big part of how Falkenbergs track in the Superettan this year. Ninety minutes for Garbs in amongst all that.
Up Next: Superettan season starts on 11 April at 1am against GAIS (NZT)
Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)
Another win. 2-1 over Vendsyssel FF to make it four wins in a row since coming out of the winter break, the last three of them all of them by a single goal.
FCH took a swift lead with Philip Rejnhold dashing in between a couple defenders to head in on 38 seconds. About as swift as it gets. Yet five minutes later it was 1-1 when Mohammed Cham-Saracevic slotted in for Vendsyssel. Callum McCowatt had a crack from near post range that was saved a while later, he was getting himself about in a physical game... and so nearly scored before the half with a lovely header at the back stick only to see the keeper rip off a screamer of a save to deny him. So he settled for an assist instead. Soon after the game got back underway for the second half and McCowatt got on the ball in the box, back to goal, held off his marker, and then slid it back to Lucas Haren who shook himself into space and scored.
McCowatt would be subbed off on 61 minutes... not before he shared the pitch for a very brief amount of time with Elijah Just who came on for an injured Haren in the 59th minute for his first appearance of 2021 after recovering from injury himself. Lovely to have him back – he very nearly worked a goal with Liam Jordan at the end but the cross back to him was disrupted and then Jordan picked up the scraps to shoot but it was superbly saved. No dramas, 2-1 was enough for all the biscuits.
Up Next: FCH vs Hvidovre, Saturday at 7am (NZT)
Annalie Longo & Claudia Bunge – Melbourne Victory (Australian W-League)
Go on then. Squeezing that loose ball through a clump of players from about fifteen centimetres out – flea range for the one they call Flea – and sometimes that’s all it takes. Melbourne Victory with the 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers thanks to that Annalie Longo goal just a couple minutes before half-time.
This was Longo’s return to the starting team since her injury as well so that was cool (replacing an injured Catherine Zimmerman in the front three) and she had a similar chance to the one she scored about twenty minutes earlier when a cross in to the near post bobbled around a bit – Longo with an out-of-reach shot cleared off the line before the ball hit a defender and then bounced accidentally off the keeper to safety. 43rd min she was in the same spot for a similar set piece and bingo, there was the lead. Victory were good value for it too. They’d not had too many clear and open shots but they were by far the team making more of the play.
That altered in the second as Western Sydney got a bit desperate with their top four hopes not looking too rosy if they lost here, though it was a poor clearance from the goalie that led to WSW’s first major chance and that wasn’t even ‘til midway through the second stanza. By which time Longo had already been subbed off as she works back up to max fitness... passing the Flying Kiwis spotlight to Claudia Bunge as Victory didn’t exactly shut up shop up top but they definitely made it a focus that they weren’t going to concede. And thanks to a solid defensive showing they didn’t, the game fittingly ending with a Claudia Bunge header out of the back.
It’s a win that keeps Victory in the top four and with a game in hand that could take them second. Speaking of second, that was Annalie Longo’s second goal of the season. Five of the seven kiwis in the W-League have scored goals (Steinmetz and Alfeld the two who haven’t) but Longo’s the first to get to two.
Naturally having been the difference in a close contest, we had to have a bit of this...
And all things being equal we got a bit of this too...
W-League Team of the Week: “Claudia Bunge displayed her commendable ability to repel danger in Victory's win over the Red and Black. Operating in the heart of defence, Bunge won six of nine duels and made an enormous 10 clearances throughout her side's 1-0 win - six more than any other player managed throughout the game.”
Up Next: Tuesday night (16 March) at 11.35pm away to Perth Glory (NZT)
Paige Satchell - Canberra United / Olivia Chance - Brisbane Roar (Australian W-League)
This result was unexpected. Brisbane Roar had been in imperious form, undefeated all season, when they returned from a week off to get smoked by Canberra United away. Three goals in the first half hour did the damage. Nikki Flannery with the first on ten mins, albeit very fortunately. Her finish when through the legs of a defender after a heavy touch, catching a gentle deflection on its way in. But the move did begin with Paige Satchell cutting in and switching the play away from the right wing which is part of why when the cross came back in Flannery was so wide open. Also good to see Paige Satchell starting. She and Liv Chance both out there for kickoff of this one on opposing sides.
Then Grace Maher made it two on 23 mins, a wicked swinging strike from distance that the keeper misjudged as it kinda went through her hands. It was then three in the 29th and of course Michelle Heyman scored this one. Too fast in behind and a composed finish one on one. The last undefeated team losing 3-0 after only thirty minutes... where did this come from?
To be fair, Emily Gielnik had hit the crossbar in between the second and third goals and she’d score one that counted before the half was out with a slick reverse header off a deep free kick. That gave the Roar hopes of a comeback and Gielnik then had a touch towards goal saved on the line before Izzy Dalton punished the crossbar with a shot from about 25 yards. But Mariel Hecher couldn’t get a touch on what would have been a tap in at the far post and twenty really strong minutes were wasted as Bianca Galic instead gave Canberra a 4-1 lead with a dipping shot from a mile out that the Brissie goalie didn’t have the hops to gather having been caught off her line.
Satchell and Chance were both replaced in the ten minutes that followed with the result in the bag. 4-1 the way it ended. Canberra with a huge result to keep themselves very much in the top four race, Brisbane are still right up there in second but they probably won’t be able to finish top now and they’ll just be hoping that first half hour was an aberration.
Up Next: Perth vs Canberra on Friday at 8.05pm, while Brisbane play three hours later against Adelaide (NZT)
Lily Alfeld, Elizabeth Anton & Malia Steinmetz – Perth Glory (Australian W-League)
This season’s been a struggle for Perth Glory, despite the performances of a few individuals (most notably Lily Alfeld and her extensive highlight reel). That struggle continued with a Monday night defeat at home by Newcastle Jets... a game which was also the first time that the Kiwi Trio didn’t all start - Malia Steinmetz had to sit on the bench to begin with.
It wasn’t too long of a wait as Steinmetz was brought on at half-time for Tijan McKenna... but unfortunately the damage was largely done by then. Perth did have a few openings in attack but mostly they were defending on the back foot with Alfeld doing what she does to keep things even early on with a couple saves. There was nothing she could do about Cassidy Davis’ rocket on 24 mins... luckily that one hit the bar, dropped down on the line, came back up to hit the bar again, then was cleared away. Looked like it’d maybe crossed the line but it wasn’t given. However soon after Rhianna Pollicina firmly finished off a slick Jets move that’d come about after McKenna had lost the ball and finally Newcastle had their lead.
One became two in the 36th when Pollicina threaded through for Sunny Franco who expertly picked out the bottom corner. Again, nothing Alfeld could do about it. Alfeld did tip a header over the top before the half was out, another ripper of a stop, but then not even two minutes into the second half, after Steinmetz had come on, it was three through Franco again. Good header after a bad clearance deflected in behind.
Perth’s lack of goals meant they were never coming back from that... although they did go close when Malia Steinmetz got open on the edge of the area and unleashed one which was pushed wide at full stretch. One of the few NZers in the W-League without a goal this season and she’s still on the hunt after that save (Anton also had a header off target from a free kick crossed in later on). Eventually Newcastle scored a fourth when Lauren Allan got to a loose ball in the box before Alfeld could and slipped it past her. 4-0 to Newcastle the final score. Perth still winless this season.
Up Next: Quick turnaround for a Friday nighter against Canberra Utd, 8.05pm (NZT)
Dan Morgan – Maritzburg United (South African Premier Soccer League)
Back in the starting line-up for a couple games this week and doing what he does. Morgan helped spark an early move against Black Leopards in the midweek which ended up with a shot gone wide... par for the course for a team that had scored once in their previous five league games (none of which were wins). Five minutes later Jose Ali Meza hit the post. Frustratingly that early burst then settled back into an uneventful game with not too much imagination on offer. There were a few rare chances for the Team of Choice that they didn’t do much with. Then in the 93rd minute of the game they won a penalty which Thabiso Kutumela converted and damn there ya go, a 1-0 win after all.
Morgan subsequently got another full game on the weekend as they travelled to Bloemfontein Celtic and there was some residual confidence from the late win a few days earlier. They went close to scoring more than once including one time when they did score but it was offside. Eventually they made one count: just before the break Thabiso Kutumela curled in a free kick like a champ. But Maritzburg couldn’t put away a second like they should have and then Menzi Ndwandwe equalised with twenty minutes left. Clayton Daniels was sent off for Maritzburg in stoppage time. A 1-1 draw. Still sitting in that relegation playoff spot but at least they’re starting to tick over a few more points now.
Up Next: Maritzburg vs Kaizer Chiefs, Thursday at 5am (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)
The winless streak is over! Hooray! This after a second half double from Callum Harriott in a midweek 2-1 win over Carlisle. They’d trailed at the break after John Mellish... did something. Apparently he scored from a corner but the highlights are so foggy you wouldn’t know...
The fog lifted enough in the second half that you could see what was happening from more than a couple metres away but not enough that Dean Furman could keep his bearings up against Frank Nouble. Penalty conceded and up stepped Harriott to make it 1-1. Carlisle had earlier had a penalty awarded to them but then overturned by the ref after a chat with the lino. Then in the 74th minute the U’s won it as Tommy Smith laid one off to Harriott outside the area and he slammed it home. Cheeky assist for Smithy hanging out in the attacking area after a set piece. Lovely goal from Harriott and that snapped a 15-game winless run for Colchester – whose interim manager had lined them up in a back three in a switch of shape. Seemed to do the trick. Smith also had two close calls with headers, one saved in the first half and another nodded over the top while it was still 1-1.
The momentum of that win didn’t last too long though...
Nah, a goal in the first half from Joss Labadie and a goal in the second half from Padraig Amond (just after Frank Nouble had been sent off for a second yellow) gave Newport Town a 2-0 win as Colchester reverted to losing ways at home. They also reverted to a back four for this one but that didn’t matter, they’d have lost regardless with this performance. Just a bad day at the office. Still seven points clear of the drop zone though. Gotta hold on the rest of the way.
Up Next: Harrogate Town vs Colchester, Weds at 8am then Grimsby Town vs Colchester on Sunday at 6.30am (NZT)
Ellis Hare-Reid - Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
Daily Record: “[Interim boss Davie] White’s first task is to solve a goalkeeping crisis which saw Viljami Sinisalo pull out on the morning of Saturday’s defeat to Arbroath with an ankle injury. St Mirren’s Peter Urminzky, who came in on an emergency loan, has already returned to Paisley while Ellis Hare-Reid has left the club to return to New Zealand.”
Okey doke. EHR departing Ayr United and returning to Aotearoa. Can’t blame anyone for doing so these days. Hare-Reid is still only 22 years old which is chlidlike for a keeper so heaps of time on his side. However he leaves Ayr United without ever having played a league game for them. Did get one cup game last season but other than that he was a specialist backup in his four-ish years in Scotland. 105 times he was an unused sub (85 in League One/Championship) compared to that one appearance. Bit rough.
Up Next: We shall see
James Musa & Deklan Wynne – Phoenix Rising (American USL Championship)
Worst kept secret indeed. Here’s a bit of chat...
Up Next: Preseason is already underway, the first friendlies to take place over the next week
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