Flying Kiwis – January 10
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
3 October 2021. That was the last time that Ryan Thomas played a competitive game of football. Another knee surgery, a slow recovery, getting released by PSV... the milestones have not been good ones for him since that day (when he actually scored the second goal of a 2-1 win against Sparta Rotterdam). It’s been a long time out, but now he’s finally back...
Count it as 461 days between games (not including last week’s friendly return). 15 months if you prefer to measure it that way. Thankfully that’s all in the past as one of Aotearoa’s most talented ballers has finally returned to action.
The occasion was PEC Zwolle’s first game back after the break. An Eerste Divisie clash against Almere City (former club of Michael Woud) and having twice gone behind in the match, Thomas was subbed on in the immediate aftermath of a very well taken equaliser by Davy van den Berg after 65 mins. Part of a triple change with PEC eyeing a winner against a team that had been reduced to ten men soon after half-time (although they scored their second goal straight after that). Thomas operated as a left-sided number eight. Nothing too fancy, just making sure that ball kept moving through the midfield. Swung in a few crosses that didn’t hit their target but otherwise did a tidy job – most notable being a couple strong tackles, showing no hesitation upon his surgically repaired knee.
And with five minutes to go, Zwolle did indeed find a winner. Apostolos Vellios with a mean header, putting it away after the keeper had attacked a corner kick delivery from none other than Ryan Thomas. Keeper didn’t punch it far enough and Vellios nodded it into the open net. Bring back Michael Woud, aye? That was the goal that marked a 3-2 comeback victory for PEC Zwolle who thoroughly dominated the game against ten men during the stretch that Ryan Thomas was involved.
Guess what else? This win means they’ve now won the second period of the season. The Eerste Divise keeps a side tally of standings for the four quarters of the campaign and if you top any of those quarters then you get an automatic spot in the playoffs regardless of if you finish in those spots on the full table. Heracles won the first quarter so they’re ineligible for the second spot (though Zwolle will win it outright with a point or better in their next match) and nobody else can catch them. Meaning they got served with a sneaky trophy after the Almere City win.
24 minutes played and one trophy won. Not sure Ryan Thomas can keep that ratio going but it’s one heck of a start to his second stint with the club. The playoff spot is nice though they should probably kick on and get promoted automatically in the top two without the need... albeit good to know that if it all goes to hell then they’ve still got this lifeline.
Ryan Thomas: “It's been a long time since I played. I worked hard for this and sacrificed a lot for this. I'm very happy to be back and to be here with a prize: I can't complain! I've had so many problems over the last four or five years. I just wanted to play football again and have fun. I have the feeling that this is possible here, at PEC. We have a good group of players and a good staff, I like it here.“
Up Next: Yeah... just the small matter of facing Feyenoord away in the KNVB Cup on Friday at 9am – Feyenoord are top of the Eredivisie as it stands – then they also face their top second tier rivals Heracles away in a massive game on Monday at 2.30am so it’s a rather massive week upcoming (NZT)
Ben Waine – Plymouth Argyle (English League One)
The first Plymouth Argyle game that Ben Waine was in town for, he watched from the director’s box. The second game that he was in town for, he was presented to the crowd beforehand as a fresh new signing. The third game... in the third game he was named on the bench and subbed on for a debut in the 65th minute of the contest. Choo-choo.
The Pilgrims were away against Bolton Wanderers, definitely a tricky sorta game. Despite being the top ranked team in the division they found themselves under a lot of pressure from Bolton in a rapid-paced game. Had to scrap pretty hard to keep them at bay a few times there. It was in that light that Waine was introduced with the starting forwards having failed to really spark very much of note and a tactical switch required.
Waine replaced Callum Wright who was another of the club’s recent signings... in fact Steven Schumaker gave debuts to all four of his January additions in this match. Wright started as an attacking midfielder while Waine was brought on after 65 minutes as part of a double sub that also included Jay Matete for his first Argyle match (Waine played up front on the right). And near the end they also introduced Saxon Earley to make it four debutants. They’ve since gone and signed one more bloke: Tyreik Wright. No doubt his turn will come next time.
It was almost a dream debut for Waino. Sent on to bring some energy, he did exactly that with an infectious enthusiasm as he competed for everything he could... including a late header which he was able to flick on target only for former Plymouth defender Will Aimson to slide in with a magnificent goal-line clearance. Imagine if that bad boy had gone in. Waine did score the winner on All Whites debut so there’s a precedent for him. There was also a sharp move where he shoved a bloke off the ball, carried it up the right wing, and swung in a mean low cross that was hacked away for a corner. Great to see him mucking in from the get-go.
After that, things got kinda frisky. Plymouth were satisfied with the away point and so reverted to a few time-wasting tactics that fired their opponents up to no end. Tempers frayed and in stoppage time Argyle were reduced to ten men when Joe Edwards received a second booking. Wasn’t to matter though. Game ended 0-0.
FA Cup ties elsewhere meant that only a few League One catch-up games were able to take place this weekend, hence the Pilgrims missed the chance to move seven points clear of Sheffield Wednesday at the top of the table. However that five-point buffer still looks sweet. Sheff Weds now have a game in hand but points on the board are what matters.
Plymouth Herald: “A promising debut for the New Zealand international as a 65th minute replacement for Callum Wright. He was quick, confident on the ball and was brave to win a header against Bolton goalkeeper James Trafford which was cleared off the line by Will Aimson otherwise he could have had a winning goal in his first game.”
Steven Schumacher: “Ben Waine came on the pitch and gave us loads of energy. He’s got a little bit of an unknown quantity. Done great when he come on. All his touches looked assured. I said to him: go on, mate, score the winner in front of our fans. That’ll make you a hero. And he almost did.”
A positive first impression... and the manager has already suggested he’ll be involved again in the EFL Trophy quarter-final (along with the rest of the new signings). Could even mean his first start, potentially, who knows? That one’s on Wednesday morning so it may have already happened by the time you read this.
Tell ya what, the idea seems to be catching on. Within a day of Ben Waine’s debut for League One leaders Plymouth, the second placed team in the division were also reported to be interested in young kiwi striker Oli Colloty, who top scored for Melville in the National League. And sixth placed Barnsley (who’ll go fourth if they win their game in hand) are apparently inviting Jesse Randall of Wellington Olympic along for a trial. There’ll be more on both those situations in our Substack newsletter on Friday, don’t worry.
Up Next: EFL Trophy quarters away to Bristol Rovers on Weds at 8.45am, then away to Ipswich Town on Sun at 4am (NZT)
Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)
Doing the media rounds ahead of the first game of the new year. Taking on them leadership duties. Gotta mention that Celtic have been good buggers in allowing Liv Chance to be released for the upcoming Football Ferns fixtures against the USA – which are outside the international window so even though Chance may have wanted to play there was no impetus for them to let her go. Chance makes a point of thanking the club early in that presser. It probably helps that they’re playing the bottom team in the division next week, to be fair.
The game that she was previewing was... an away trip against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup. They failed to defend their League Cup title but there’s still the big cup to target. As well, of course, as a title race in the Scottish Premier League. Early rounds of the cup meant this was always a match they were expected to win and sure enough they did so handsomely with a 9-0 thrashing handed out. Get some of that.
Liv Chance didn’t score although she did get a cheeky assist from a corner kick delivery in amongst it all. She’s been less involved in the goal contributions this season as she’s more often been deployed out wide on the left as opposed to the central midfield puppet-master stuff of last season – she talks briefly about the positional change in that presser. Should mean more continuity between Celtic and Ferns duties. Anyway, good win and the Ghirls continue on in the cup without a worry.
Nines is a hefty scoreline... but it wasn’t the biggest going around in this Scottish Cup fourth round (the first round to include the top sides). That honour belonged to Montrose Ladies who beat Bonnyrigg Rose 12-0... while a close second was Rangers with an 11-0 win over Stirling University. Vic Esson started in goal and had a very easy afternoon. Absolutely nothing to worry about in that victory.
Glasgow City also progressed with a comfortable 4-0 win over Hamilton. Tougher game than the others but they scored early to be three up after 36 minutes and pocketed another in the second half. Meikayla Moore played the full game which was good to see – she’s been in and out for them this season. Worth mentioning that this was the first match in charge for interim manager Leanne Ross (a Scottish legend with 135 international caps, who retired from playing in 2021 and immediately joined the club’s coaching staff) following Eileen Gleeson’s resignation over the winter break. Officially the word was that Gleeson had been “recalled from a two-year career break by her employer, Dublin City Council” although there’s speculation she’s got something else in football lined up. Either way, a new coach might help Mouse crack the starting eleven on the regulars.
And we made it four from four when Katie Rood’s Hearts were able to get by Dundee United 2-0 away from home. Two goals in the space of four minutes early in the second half did the trick there. Roodie began on the bench but was subbed on after the first goal and then won the intercept header from a throw-in that began the move for the second. Sweet as. Everyone’s through to the next round.
Up Next: Forget about Celtic because Liv Chance will be on a plane to Wellington, elsewhere there’s a big game between Hearts and Rangers on Monday at 4am while Glasgow City have a catch-up match on Thursday at 8.45am away to Spartans then face Dundee Utd away at 5am on Monday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Newcastle United (English Premier League)
Arsenal versus Newcastle in a bout of midweek Premier League footy. There was a time, in fact many times and a lot of them quite recently, when this fixture didn’t matter too much beyond the two sets of fans. Not so on this occasion. Arsenal are atop the Prem ladder but with a potentially defining tough set of games in the vicinity. Newcastle were 14 games undefeated in all competitions and sitting not so far behind the Gunners,. This was a massive game for them both to prove their credentials.
What we got... was a very odd game of football. Neither team was able to play anywhere near their potential in a match where one hard foul followed another hard foul to prevent either team from getting a rhythm going. Which was probably perfectly to plan as far as Newcastle were concerned. The Gunners bossed the ball and had the better of the chances but were increasingly frustrated as the game progressed. Arsenal were convinced they should’ve had a couple penalties. Each team earned four yellow cards. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Chris Wood was on the bench with Callum Wilson starting, yet as often seems to happen it was Wood who was called upon late as the Magpies got closer to the finish line. He’s kinda like a defensive sub up front, someone who’ll give them an extra aerial presence on defensive set pieces and who’ll never shirk his responsibility in tracking back. That’s what Eddie Howe loves about him and it earned the man 22 minutes off the bench as his team completed the task for a hard-earned point (thanks in large part to a magnificent late save from Nick Pope). Wood only touched the ball six times and didn’t have anything close to a shot... but he won a few headers and made a couple clearances. All part of the bigger picture.
After that, the focus shifted to cup football. A League Cup quarter-final against Leicester City was the priority but there was also an FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday to get through on the weekend. As such there were a number of changes to the team that started against the second-placed team in League One (one of Ben Waine/Plymouth Argyle’s main rivals for the division title)... alas that did not include Chris Wood. He was on the bench as summer signing Alexander Isak made his long-awaited return from injury. Isak had a couple chances in that first half but wasn’t able to make a breakthrough as the match remained level at the break... and that’s where we pick things up for Flying Kiwis.
Because that’s when Chris Wood was subbed on. A half-time introduction replacing Isak after the Swede’s scheduled 45 minute runaround. Wood immediately began whipping out the first-time lay-offs as Newcastle moved the ball at pace. One such move ended with Wood trying to pounce on a low ball across goal but his effort was smartly blocked by a defender from eight yards. But then Sheffield Wednesday did the same thing only nobody got a foot in to block the finish from Josh Windass. Probably because he was offside... but there’s no VAR in this round of the FA Cup so the goal stood and Newcastle were trailing after 52 minutes.
A couple long strikes and set-piece testers followed before the Magpies made a triple sub bringing on Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron, and Joe Willock - big donnies on to chase the game over the remaining thirty minutes. Except then Windass slipped between the central defenders and curled a beauty of a finish from the edge of the area to make it 2-0 to Wednesday after 65 minutes.
A lifeline was soon to arrive. On came Kieran Tripper and one of his first actions was to swing in a corner kick. Chris Wood started near the keeper in the six yard box but ran past the near post to break free and glance a header on target. Wood’s header was raked off the line by the goalie and then Bruno bundled it over from close range. Turns out Bruno was even more offside than Windass had been... s’pose it cancels out though. Chalk that up as a Wood assist. 21 minutes remaining, still 2-1 to Sheff Weds but Newcastle were back in the hunt.
Although only just, as Josh Windass smashed a direct free kick off the crossbar. That dude scored a hatty against Cambridge in their previous game and he nearly had one here too. On we went and in the 82nd min came the moment that Chris Wood had been begging for, some slick passing putting he and Joelinton away on a 2v2 break. Joelinton fed Wood through into the area... and Wood’s first time effort flew miles over the top. It wasn’t quite a sitter, there was still the keeper to beat, but to not even get that on target was shocking. He wouldn’t get another chance. His team would rustle up a few... but they wouldn’t put any of them away.
Meaning that League One’s Sheffield Wednesday held on for the 2-1 victory to eliminate Premier League club Newcastle United from the FA Cup and in the process snap a 15-game unbeaten streak across all competitions for the Magpies. It was only their second loss of the season. Not quite how that was supposed to go down... and it was particularly rough for The Woodsman as that miss obviously caught plenty of attention given the result that followed it. With Alexander Isak back he didn’t do his chances of continual footy a great service there. Bummer.
Up Next: EFL Cup quarters, Newcastle vs Leicester on Weds at 9am; Premier League footy, Newcastle vs Fulham on Monday at 3am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Always a proud sight. Third Serie A appearance of the season for Libby Cacace.
LC doesn’t get out there as much as he’d prefer these days and he’s not going to as long as Fabiano Parisi is there to keep that left-back spot on lock... luckily transfer rumours continue to swirl about the Italian defender. If he leaves then Cacace’s got a free run at the position but in the meantime just gotta keep the head down and work hard and make the most of opportunities such as the one which came along away to Udinese in Empoli’s first competitive game since before the World Cup.
Empoli could not possibly have had a better start as Francesco Caputo broke the offside trap to set up Tommaso Baldanzi for the opener inside three minutes of the kickoff... yet that was where it peaked for the Azzuri who did not have another shot on target all game. They did well to maintain that lead into the half despite Udinese working several good chances including a Roberto Pereyra shot off the post. However nothing changed in the second stanza and just before the clock ticked over to 70 minutes Pereyra converted a cut-back to tie things up.
Cacace was still watching from the sideline at that stage but eight minutes later Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro collected a second yellow card for a defensive foul and Empoli would have to play the remainder with ten men. Swiftly the subs were up and stretching... and pretty soon Cacace was brought on to help hold on to what they had.
It took a couple minutes for all the friendly debating with the referee to ease up, by which time Udinese were already preparing a triple change as they quested for the three points. Those changes waited until after the free kick and by the time that was all taken care of Empoli were ready to make a double of their own with Cacace and Nicolo Cambiaghi each introduced (at the expense of Francesco Caputo and Tommaso Baldanzi – a striker and attacking midfielder respectively). Having been playing a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, and having just had a midfielder sent off, Paolo Zanetti’s team changed things up to settle into a flat 4-4-1 shape with Cacace operating as a left midfielder (which in effect meant a second left fullback slightly higher up the pitch). Cambiaghi played up front.
The state of the game meant there was no room for the funky stuff. Instead his job was all about tactical discipline. Cacace did still showed off a few sharp passes out of the back and his work rate was excellent... as you’d hope from a guy only just brought into the game. Granted, he did get beaten twice on the dribble by Irish/Nigerian winger Festy Ebosele, the second time dragging his shirt back but advantage was played so he got away with it as Parisi stepped across and they paired up to take the ball away. Cacace shuffled him infield and away from danger the third and final time they were matched up.
No major chances allowed the rest of the way, not even in the four minutes added on. The closest were a few crosses into the area which Empoli dealt with comfortably. Job done. 1-1 the final score. Pretty obvious to see which team was the happier with that scoreline (particularly when the Udinese coach was booked for arguing with the ref after the final whistle).
Empoli then played away to Lazio a few days later, ripping off a brilliant comeback to draw 2-2 having been trailing 2-0 with ten to play. This time Cacace’s services weren’t required, an unused sub once more, though it was still an exciting game. A great counter attack in the 83rd minute saw Francesco Caputo drill home a lovely goal with Empoli’s first shot on target (Caputo had missed the target with a great chance about twenty mins earlier). Then three minutes into stoppage time, Razvan Marin curled in a beauty from the edge of the area with their second shot on target.
Up Next: Empoli vs Sampdoria on Tuesday at 8.45am (NZT)
Erin Nayler – IFK Norrköping (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Flying Kiwis had to simmer on the backburner for a few weeks late last year with so few games going on so apologies for missing this the first time around but Erin Nayler has signed on with Swedish top flight club IFK Norrköping, a newly promoted side who’ve just gone up as the second-placed team in the Elitettan last year. Decent gap between them and undefeated champions Växjö (8 points) but still enough to get them into the top flight for the first time ever.
Nayler joined a newly promoted team last year in Umeå IK and that didn’t go so swell as they ended up heading straight back down. Nayler had one spell out of the starting team midway through but otherwise was the top choice keeper... but couldn’t do much for a team that scored just 21 goals in 26 matches. They had a chance to at least force a playoff in the last few rounds but lost their final three games.
That sounds a bit like groundhog day but the difference with Norrköping is that they’ve got a very good men’s team. Not as good as they were in the 40s and 50s when they were the powerhouse team in all of Sweden but they’re still a top division team. Whereas Umeå are a yo-yo club who’ve been relegated three separate times in the last decade, with Norrköping it’s more a case of a team on the rise having only relatively recently put the proper emphasis upon their women’s team. For them, Erin Nayler is a veteran with previous Damallsvenskan experience who can help guide a young squad into the next stage of their journey.
IFKN Manager Tor-Arne Fredheim: “Erin is a very experienced goalkeeper who has played in the women's league before, along with several years in Europe. Erin and Sofia [Hjern] will complement each other well, they are different ages and different types of goalkeepers. We have a young, talented team that needs to be balanced with experience, and Erin can bring that to the whole team.”
Sofia Hjern is a fascinating player, by the way. She’s only 20 years old but she’s been in all the Swedish youth teams and has been the starter for this club for the past three seasons – two in the third tier and one in the second tier. She has had an agreement in the past where she trained with Linköping, one of the top teams in the country, on top of her Norrköping duties (rejecting the chance to join them permanently in order to continue getting playing minutes where she was). Hjern has even captained the club in the past. There’s no guarantee that Nayler will be an automatic starter ahead of her... but we love a good challenge, aye?
Erin Nayler: “I have heard that IFK has a great environment and good facilities. It seems like a very good place to play football. I would say my strengths are my agility and my strength in the air. I am experienced and a leader on the field. I played in the Damallsvenskan last season and know what the series is like, and what it takes to stay there. I hope, of course, that we stay in the top league and make a strong impression in IFK's first season in the division. I want us to be a team others feel they have to fight hard against. Personally, I want to continue developing as a goalkeeper and get in as good shape as possible before the World Cup in July, which will be a home World Cup for me.”
Up Next: New league season starts in March and there’ll be Swedish Cup games before that, though in the meantime it’s Footy Ferns stuff where Nayler will probably be the starter with both Vic Esson and Anna Leat unavailable due to club commitments
Marko Stamenic – FC København (Danish Superliga)
Well now. Official word that Marko Stamenic will not be signing a new contract with FCK despite his current deal expiring in six months when the current season concludes. According to the club, there were extended negotiations but no agreement was forthcoming. They wanted him. He chose otherwise. And you don’t turn down a new deal at a club you’ve been playing Champions League football for unless you’ve got something good lined up.
FCK sporting director Peter Christiansen: “Over a long period, we have had a dialogue with Marko and his advisors about a new contract, but we have not been able to reach an agreement, and we have now ended the process. Marko will continue as an FCK player until the summer, and then he will find a new club, if an opportunity does not arise already in transfer window in January. We think Marko has developed well here, but we have to deal with the fact that he does not want to extend his contract.”
Needless to say this comes amidst strong chatter that Serbian club Crvena Zvezda (aka Red Star Belgrade) were not only interested in Stamenic but had actively made contact over a possible bid. This new development means that he’ll definitely be leaving Copenhagen at the end of the season but they still could get some form of financial compensation for him were he to leave this month while the January transfer window is open. In other words, it’s now Red Star’s move to make.
(Side note, FCK also flipped Aussie keeper Mat Ryan to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands on the same day. Ryan had done really well for them after signing in the summer but when their regular keeper Kamil Grabara returned from injury things got weird as old mate was openly hostile to Ryan’s competitive presence in a couple media interviews... well, they’ve solved that strange dilemma now)
Up Next: Watch this space...
Joe Bell – Brøndby IF (Danish Superliga)
Elsewhere in Denmark, Joe Bell’s got himself a new manager. Jesper Sørensen has been announced as head coach of Brøndby following Niels Frederiksen’s departure late last year. They held firm with Freideriksen for longer than most clubs would have in honour of his past success with the team but a wildly inconsistent season wasn’t getting any better so it had to happen eventually. Sørensen is a former assistant to Frederiksen but he left prior to Bell’s arrival and had been working with the Denmark U21s. Bell had fallen out of favour over the last few months of 2022 so hopefully this change is what he needed to get rolling again.
Up Next: Competitive footy doesn’t return until mid-February when the worst of the winter is over though there’s a healthy stack of friendlies to play in the meantime
Alex Greive - St Mirren (Scottish Premiership)
Into the starting line-up this week, love to see it. St Mirren hosted Hearts which must have been a strange one for Aotearoa’s Alex Greive considering how many Australians he was surrounded by. Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain started alongside him for the Buddies. Hearts had Kye Rowles and former Wellington Phoenix mini-enforcer Cam Devlin (at least they got this one in before Garang Kuol joined Hearts on loan). Far too many Australians for a Scottish league game... but we’ll forgive them because Ryan Strain actually scored a banger of a free kick inside the fourth minute of the match to give St Mirren the lead. The free kick was awarded after Devlin tripped up Baccus.
Strain went off injured quarter of an hour later to limit the Australianness of the game. Regardless, the Saints had a very decent first half, creating a few more good looks and hitting the sheds a bit miffed they couldn’t add to that lead. One chance was a Ryan Flynn drop-volley from the edge of the area which Greive got in the way of, diverting it wide of the target – although it was going to be saved if he’d dodged it, looked like he was actually trying to divert it into the corner. Greive had another chance later on as a looping cross fell his way in the six yard box but his attempted volley flew over the top. Good technique but the timing was off... maybe didn’t need to hit it so hard. There was also a low cross that went just behind him about eight yards out. Could’ve had a hat-trick with a bit of luck.
Instead Hearts upped their game in the second half and levelled things in the 49th minute when Robert Snodgrass’ cross from the right wing fizzed inside the far post. Hearts pretty much dominated possession the rest of the way but the Saints knuckled in for the draw. Greive was out there until the 78th minute making this his longest outing of the SPL season to date (all three of his goals have come as a substitute, this was only his fourth start). St Mirren ended up with ten men after Marcus Fraser leapt over his own teammate to stop on an opponent... he wasn’t trying to be dirty, just overeager in getting to the ball, but he was late and it was reckless and he was given a VAR red. But that was five minutes into stoppage time so no major consequence. 1-1 the final score. Six games undefeated in a row for St Mirren - granted five of those have been draws.
Up Next: Hearts vs St Mirren again, but this time away, on Saturday at 8.45am (NZT)
Stefan Marinovic - Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israeli Premier League)
Big Stef has experienced more rewarding games of footy than this one, that’s for sure. Hapoel Tel Aviv were away to Hapoel Be’er Sheva, who are third on the ladder, one of the three teams in this season’s title race... and they got smoked in a 6-0 defeat.
Marinovic almost raked the first goal off the line with a launching one-hander but no success there. That was in the seventh minute. In the 19th it was 2-0 as the HTA defence got sloppy as an advantage was played for a foul, allowing the ball to be nudged in behind to an onside forward with Stef beaten as he desperately rushed out. Make it 3-0 after 28 mins following a slick move and an even slicker finish into the top near corner. Pretty much all over already.
Except it got worse with two more concessions in the first ten minutes of the second half. Easy finish after a flick-on header for one, then a screamer from distance for the other. That fourth goal was scored by a half-time substitute by the name of Tomer Hemed. Remember him? Former Phoenix teammates running into each other in Israel. Hemed then scored again with quarter of an hour remaining, timing his movement perfectly to dodge the offside flag and nudge in from close range. Not the happiest Welly Nix reunion for the kiwi gloveman.
Up Next: Sunday at 2am against Sektzia Nes Tziona in a mjuch more winnable game (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Grimsby Town (English League Two)
You wouldn’t have picked it at the start of the season but Max Crocombe is the last remaining New Zealander in the FA Cup this season. Chris Wood’s Newcastle being knocked out by Sheffield United – as well as Jamie Searle’s Barnsley going out 3-0 against Derby County, although as third string keeper Searle wasn’t in the squad – ensured that much. None of the other kiwis in the English leagues made it as far as the third round. Only Max Crocombe has made it beyond the third round (of course, the transfer window is still young so you never know if he might get company).
This after a sneaky wee 1-0er against Burton Albion. In soggy, freezing conditions both goalies had their handling fundamentals tested out early although it was always Grimsby Town who looked more likely to score. Some nice movement in the attacking third was opening things up for them. Just a matter of putting something away... which proved tricky until Lewis Richardson thumped in a banger at the near post in the 76th minute of the match. Might have taken a slight deflection. Who cares. Max Crocombe with the cleanie and Grimsby Town with the win to advance into the next round. And in that fourth round they shall face... drum roll... either Luton Town or Wigan away. Those two teams drew 1-1 on the weekend so it’ll require a replay to sort them out.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am away to Swindon Town (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)
Not being in the FA Cup any more, after getting knocked out by Newport County in the first round, Colchester United were free to focus on League Two footy this week... and they took that opportunity to snatch up a very valuable three points with a convincing 3-1 win away to Harrogate – two teams both on the fringes of the relegation scrap.
Goals from John Akinde (12’), Noah Chilvers (17’), and Junior Tchamedeu (54’) set them up for victory with Tommy Smith logging a full game in the back three. Only stink note was that they blew the clean sheet in 77th minute... but the win is more important and this one meant that the U’s have won consecutive L2 matches for the first time all season. Finally got some breathing room above the relegation zone. Smith also got a yellow card near the end of the game, as well as one notable blocked shot as they made sure to get to the finish line without any further damage.
Up Next: 4am on Sunday away to Rochdale (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League Two)
The Dons were also in League Two mode and while things weren’t as heroic as they were for Colchester, they still came away with a solid point from a 0-0 draw away to Crewe Alexandra. Nik Tzanev with yet another clean sheet – that’s six in his last nine League Two matches, the other five of those all coming in a row through November and December.
Tzanev took an early knock against Crewe but was able to continue and took care of business with a couple simple saves and otherwise a comfortable view for some wonky shooting from the home side. The Dons did have a few moments of their own but they were happy enough with the point away from home against a team with a similar mid-table record. The scrappy ones add up over the course of a long season.
Up Next: Dons vs Bradford City at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Deklan Wynne - Charleston Battery (American USL Championship)
Another kiwi player switching USL Championship clubs. Deklan Wynne was brilliant for Detroit City last season. He was voted as the midseason Defender of the Year and finished up with 3 goals and 7 assists operating as a left wing-back as Detroit qualified for the playoffs. It was a brilliant season for Wynne who has missed so much time due to injuries over the last five years. Even got himself a call-up to the All Whites for those Aussie games.
Detroit City wanted to keep him, per reports, but instead Wynne chose to sign a multi-year deal with Charleston Battery, who were pretty crap last year winning just six of their 34 fixtures but have been hard at work in fixing things this offseason. First and foremost was their recruiting of new head coach Ben Pirmann from Memphis 901. Pirmann was previously the gaffer at Detroit City albeit before Wynne was involved there. He was also the 2022 Coach of the Year in this division so that’s a decent get and it’s no coincidence that Wynne shouted out him and his tactics in his announcement.
Deklan Wynne: “What attracted me to signing for the Battery was, of course, the history of the club and the successes had in the past, along with the way Coach Pirmann wants to play an attacking brand of soccer. I’m looking forward to linking up with my new teammates and coaching staff and creating a historic 2023 season that we can all be proud of when the year is over. I would like the Battery fans to know I’m very excited to be joining the club and to be giving my all during every game at Patriots Point with all of their support alongside the whole team.”
Head Coach Ben Pirmann: “Deklan is one of the best left-backs in all of the USL. He had an incredible season with Detroit last year in leading them to the playoffs by providing double-digit goal involvements, while also consistently being a lockdown defender in the wide areas. Additionally, Deklan is a great footballer with good quickness, agility and stamina, making him the perfect mold of the modern-day fullback. He’ll feature in our aggressive system up and down the left channel. Battery supporters will enjoy seeing Deklan working with his teammates to fight each and every minute this season.”
Up Next: Second week of March is when the USL Championship gets back underway
Marco Rojas – Colo-Colo (Chilean Primera División)
Preseason looks like fun.
Up Next: New campaign begins with the ol’ Supercopa de Chile (Community Shield type thing) as Colo-Colo face Magallanes on Monday at 11am (NZT)
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