Flying Kiwis – February 1
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Big cheers to the officious referees of Serie A for ensuring that Fabiano Parisi has already picked up five yellow cards this season, leading to a one-game suspension that gave Liberato Cacace a free run at the starting left back spot for the game against Torino. No Matt Garbett in the squad for Torino, by the way, more on his future in a sec. Would’ve been cool to get the full-banger with both of them... but let’s not get greedy. Any Cacace sighting this season has been a blessing, this being only his second start and fourth league appearance in 2022-23.
Wasn’t quite the marauding Cacace of old. The gameplan didn’t allow it to be, this was a game of few overt chances where defensive solidity was the priority so Libby had to remain disciplined (he’s also trying to impress his coach for more opportunities, so gotta do what’s asked). He did a lot of excellent work consolidating possession – passing out of pressure, shielding the ball, winning the loosies – but overlapping runs were rare and he only attempted one cross all afternoon.
Still, he looked sharp out there and for 72 minutes all was swell. Empoli took a 37th minute lead when defender Sebastiano Luperto headed in at the near post from an inswinging corner kick. Torino ramped it up after half-time including a flick off the post as Cacace was beaten at the back stick... but then in the 69th minute Razvan Marin slammed in a belter of a strike to make it 2-0 and there ya go. That crucial second goal. At home with twenty to go, just need to close it out from there... and they subbed off Cacace.
Clearly, that was where they messed up. Because fast forward to the end of the match and Torino had scored two late g’s to end up with a 2-2 draw. Goals on 82’ and 85’ made for a dramatic finish and it was only the width of the post that kept Torino from finding a late winner. It was going so good until they replaced Libby, smh.
Ah well, that does at least make it six games unbeaten in a row for Empoli in Serie A. They’ve climbed up to tenth in the process. Also gotta point out that we’ve made it to the end of the January window and Parisi is still an Empoli player. But that was to be expected, it seems that Empoli are trying to drum up a bidding war with all sorts of clubs being linked to him and that was never likely to reach its peak during the mid-season market. The summer window is way more likely to see a resolution there. Cacace’s just gonna have to stay the backup for a wee while linger... at least there’ll be a few All Whites games between now and then to keep him active.
Up Next: Away to Roma on Sunday at 6am (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - SSV Jahn Regensburg (German Bundesliga 2)
He’s back, he’s back, praise the big spirit in the sky because he’s back.
As covered last week, Singh has been busy building up his match fitness over the winter break during friendly games. He would have been ready to play during the final months of 2022 if those registration dramas hadn’t surfaced so he’s fit and he’s fresh, has been for ages now.
And finally, as Regensburg faced Darmstadt in their first 2.Liga game of the new year, he was able to complete the comeback. Singh was only named on the bench so he still had to wait until the 65th minute for his opportunity. But 65 minutes isn’t so long to wait when you’ve already been marking off the calendar for nine months desperate to play proper footy again.
Sarpreet Singh on his 301-day absence: “Of course I was disappointed but I tried to stay positive. I'm still young. It's good that the injury is now completely cure.”
Unfortunately Regensburg kinda suck at the moment and by the time Singh got out there they were already 2-0 down and had been reduced to ten men. In fact those things would still have been true had he been subbed on after half an hour. Pretty abject way to get the season rolling again. Darmstadt didn’t need to flex much ambition in the second half as they kept the ball and nursed that multi-goal lead against an undermanned opponent. Regensburg had a mere 32% of possession and only four total shots (none on target). Singh himself had 11 touches in 25 minutes playing on the right wing and whenever he did get the ball he was isolated and stranded with it. Not a classic comeback yarn, sadly.
All the same, it’s beautiful to have him back and maybe the next match will be a little more enjoyable. If not then you’ve also gotta wonder how long it’ll take before he’s back in the starting eleven... at this rate potentially not long at all. Darmstadt are the top team in the division so at least that defeat was expected, however with Regensburg sitting only two points off last they’re in dire need of some of that Singh magic.
Up Next: Sunday at 1am against Arminia Bielefeld (NZT)
Rebekah Stott - Brighton & Hove Albion (English Super League)
Oh yes she’s back. Finally.
Stotty didn’t get a go last week in the Conti Cup when it seemed like she might, and she’s still yet to feature in the WSL despite her name now being a regular sight on the substitute list. But an FA Cup match away to lower tiered West Bromwich Albion proved just the tonic. Stotty was listed to start... and within six minutes of kickoff she’d let everyone know about it by scoring the opening goal.
All these Flying Kiwis comeback stories lately, well here’s another one. The last time that Stott played a game for Brighton was in a 3-1 defeat to Reading back on 21 December 2020. Then she got cancer. Then she got rid of her cancer and made a return for Bulleen Lions in the Aussie NPL before returning to Melbourne City and playing another season in the A-League during which she also returned for the Football Ferns. Stott subsequently re-signed with Brighton to pick up where she left off... yet preseason ankle surgery conspired to cost her the entire first half of the season. Now, after all that time, she’s back in a Brighton jersey and immediately getting up to antics.
Stott never scored in her previous six-month stint at Brighton so already the sequel’s got one over the original. Lovely goal too, that give and go following her run into the area and then swish. It was especially nice because, in true Stotty fashion, she was actually playing centre-back. Been far too long since we’ve seen Stott step up out of the backline and then just keep going like she does so well – Melbourne City had her playing in the midfield last season, and sometimes even further forward than that.
Ninety full minutes for RS. Brighton carried on their merry way after her goal, eventually beating West Brom 7-0 with six different goal scorers getting amongst the festivities. An easy clean sheet and a big win – as was the case with many of the mismatched ties in this FA Cup fourth round. Hopefully this buys some favour with the new coach and we can soon see her back in the WSL fixtures as well. Brighton have been drawn at home against Coventry in the fifth round.
Up Next: Away to Aston Villa at 1.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
The arm injury only kept him out for one game, told ya it was nothing to worry about. Thommo sat out as PEC Zwolle battled to a 2-0 win over VVV-Venlo then was back in the starting eleven, despite also having gone home early from training the day before due to illness, as they hosted TOP Oss. There he did his standard things in the midfield looking like a rolls royce in those central areas. Also ghosted into the penalty area a couple of times including this first half chance which nearly provided the opening goal...
Instead that goal would have to wait until Younes Taha headed in from a Davy van den Berg cross after 28 minutes. No less than Zwolle deserved amidst a dominant team performance. From that point onwards until Thomas was replaced after an hour – still not in ninety minute shape quite yet – they were in full control with most of the ball seeking that second goal. Then almost as soon as Thomas left the field, they randomly conceded.
That could have been awkward... had Zwolle not then scored three times in the last quarter of an hour to win it with room to spare. Apostolos Vellios was subbed on and scored within a minute (75’). Lennart Thy (80’) and Dean Huiberts (85’) then polished things off to give Zwolle their eighth Eerste Divisie win in a row. 4-1 the final score.
A few days later they backed it up away to Roda JC. Ryan Thomas was again in the starting line-up for that one as they sought to extend said winning streak. This was a game that had definite midweek vibes about it. Neither team had a shot on target in the first half hour... but then Zwolle turned the screws with quick goals for Lennart Thy (32’) and Thomas van den Belt (37’), each finishing off low crosses into the middle of the area. Nothing actually changed because of that but no dramas because now PEC Zwolle were in the lead.
Ryan Thomas kept things simple. A few attempted long passes and other than that just holding his zones and making sure the ball never stopped moving. All reliable stuff, up until the 68th minute when he was replaced as part of a triple change. That’s the longest he’s lasted in a game since he returned. But, just like the previous game, Zwolle then went and conceded within five minutes of Thomas’ departure.
What had been a comfortable lead was now a very fragile one. Roda JC hadn’t looked like getting up to much before that goal but after it they went nuts and frankly they’ll be stewed they didn’t get a draw out of it. There was one move in stoppage time where a shot from just outside the area struck the post then they recycled it with the Zwolle keeper making a stunning save and then a third attempt was drilled wide of the post. Exhausting stuff. Somehow PEC Zwolle did survive for a 2-1 victory though. Make that nine in a row.
Up Next: Tuesday at 8am away to Jong Ajax (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
And now, ladies and gents, comes the Deadline Day confirmation that Ryan Thomas will not be alone in the Eerste Divisie. Not after Matt Garbett has joined NAC Breda on loan for the rest of the season. This one did also get a bit of a yarn in last Friday’s Substack newsletter when the rumour first emerged, just so you know to stay alert on all fronts with that TNC goodness.
Garbett has been at Torino in Italy for the last 18 months. After a strong season with the Primavera (U19s) last term, he’s graduated into the first team... but game-time has been tough to come by. Those extended Serie A benches have been lovely but perhaps misleading as so far he’s only actually played in one cup game – along with some preseason/friendly minutes. The expectation had long been that he’d go out on loan in January and reports suggested that a handful of Serie C clubs were seeking to snap up his services. Then nothing happened for a while and it got a bit confusing. Like, if playing time is the focus then why not leave as soon as possible? Well, now we know it’s because his agents, true to reputation, were staying extremely busy leaving no stone unturned in search of the best gig possible.
NAC are back in ninth place in the Dutch second tier but with 10 points from their last four games they’ve been in good touch and a push for promotion via the playoffs is certainly not out of the question. A solid team in a solid league that should be enough of a drop for him to play regualarly but which is also probably a step above the third division in Italy where he’d otherwise have found himself. Can’t argue with that, good work from the hired suits.
Where it gets a tad funky is with NAC Breda possessing an option to buy at the end of the loan. That suggests it’s not purely about development and experience. There’s a chance he’s gapping it for good, although we don’t know if there are any stipulations involved there.
To be honest, he turns 21 in a couple of months and is already a regular international so it’s about time he settled at a club where he actually gets a few opportunities - even if it means giving up the Serie A dream. He’s developed heaps at Torino, at least judging by his All Whites efforts (which are all we’ve got to go by), yet the point of diminishing returns will rise up quickly if he continues to sit on the bench, if it hasn’t already. Garbett’s actually started more games for the All Whites (10) than he has at senior club level in Europe (7). Poor jerry was an unused sub on 16 occasions in Serie A this season, plus twice more last term, without ever actually getting onto the pitch.
Considering that playing time will have been a priority with whatever loan move he made, there’s a good chance he goes straight into the matchday squad for NAC Breda. He’s already with the squad, ready to get stuck into training. Also oughta note that thanks to some useful heritage he’s able to get a French passport (his mother’s French, his father’s English) which makes the registration process that much easier.
Yes folks, it appears that 2023 is Matt Garbett Initiation Season. Here we gooooo.
Up Next: 8am on Saturday, NAC vs De Gradschap (NZT)
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
These FA Cup ties were a gentle thing for most of the Super League clubs. Already mentioned Brighton’s big win. Elsewhere Tottenham kept themselves in the competition (and kept Ria Percival’s chances of returning in time to play some part in it) with a 5-0 win over London City Lionesses – Grace Neville was an unused sub for LCL. Anna Leat wasn’t even in the squad as Aston Villa strolled to an 11-0 victory against Fylde with Rachel Daly scoring four goals. Hannah Hampton continued the ‘cup keeper’ duties there which feels like a good sign that Leat will keep getting the WSL starts from here onwards (fingers crossed, anyway). Kiwi fullback Laura Merrin played the full thing for Fylde in that game.
But Leicester City were an exception to the gentility. They didn’t get drawn with a lower league team, instead they were stuck with Reading in one of only two all-WSL ties (Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 in the other, thanks to a Sam Kerr hat-trick).
The Foxes went for it. Four changes from the team that lost to Man City in the Conti Cup and one of those changes was CJ Bott returning at right back. A strong team with strong intentions... unfortunately they missed a great chance to score after teenaged striker Ava Baker sliced into the penalty area but was crowded out and then they conceded directly on the counter attack. Sanne Troeslgaard with that goal in only the sixth minute after Bott had been unable to cut out a perfect threaded cross from Charlie Wellings.
Not ideal. Luckily it didn’t take the Foxes too long to respond. Great free kick delivery from Jemma Purfield and there was Sam Tierney to head home unmarked after 29 minutes. On we went into the second half, some sharp touches from CJB included, and Baker almost had LCFC in front but for a very good low stop. Baker then turned provider with a super cross to the back stick which was headed on target by Missy Goodwin but saved again. Wonderful pass up the line from Bott to let Baker loose there, by the way. Also dug a bit of this misdirection trickery...
Still there was no way through so onwards to extra time we went. 120 minutes for Bott. Leicester made five subs along the way (including a debut for Aussie left back Courtney Nevin) but CJB wasn’t one of them. Meanwhile Hannah Cain finally gave LCFC the lead after 92 minutes, getting there first for a rebound in the area and slamming the thing into the roof of the net for a perfect start to extras. They also hit the post from a free kick and missed a great chance on the follow-up. Could have put it to bed right there. Alas, they were made to suffer for that wastefulness when a defensive mix-up allowed Emma Mukandi to dash between two players and score on 102’.
CJB made a brilliant sliding block to keep a late cross from being delivered. Had to stretch out some cramp after that effort play. She also won the clearing header after the subsequent corner which led to a great counter attack that once again the Foxes couldn’t make the most of. Game ended 2-2 and a penalty shootout was required... where Leicester City had both their second and third attempts saved. Janina Leitzig did stop Reading’s fourth to keep her team in with a hope but another miss immediately after clinched a 3-2 shootout victory for RFC with a kick to spare. Bugger. At least it was another competitive game from a Foxes team who are looking a whole lot more competitive this year than they were in the last.
CJ Bott: “It’s definitely a tough pill to swallow but we’re for sure happy with the performance. There’s things to still work on but compared to a few months back we’ve made leaps and bounds. Definitely room for improvement but we’re taking the wins where we can. We’re happy yet devastated at the same time.”
Up Next: Leicester City vs Manchester City, Sunday at 12.30am, back in the WSL (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Grimsby Town (English League Two)
FA Cup weekend continued with as fellas also had their own fourth round, and the last kiwi remaining in the competition... still remains in the competition. Grimsby Town didn’t beat Luton Town but they did hang on for a 2-2 draw to force a replay at home in a week’s time.
Luton Town probably aren’t one of those clubs you hear about too often but they’re actually sitting seventh in the Championship (second tier). Right in that playoff hunt for a chance to get promoted to the Premier League. This was no mug team, no sir/ma’am. For League Two mid-tablers like Grimsby Town to hold them to a draw was massive.
Crocombe was beaten by a diving header after eleven minutes but that goal was wiped out for an offside, a relief which seemed to help Grimsby settle into their affairs. Crocombe went close to an assist when he pumped one long out of his hands leading to Gavan Holohan’s deep dropping volley which was only just tipped over the bar (tbf it took a large deflection off a defender so not sure if Crocs woulda been given the assist or not). As the half went on, Grimsby only got more confident... culminating in them taking the lead via a Holohan header just before the break. 1-0 up despite there being 57 places between them in the Football League. Have some of that.
It probably doesn’t need to be said that Luton stepped things up in the second half. They went up the gears and very quickly won a penalty (dangling leg in the corner of the area, can’t argue with the call) and Crocombe was unable to prevent Elijah Adebayo from slipping it past him on 49’. Then on 66’ Jordan Clark was able to whip in a sharp effort, flicking up his first touch then volleying home with the second. Crocombe got a big hand to it but not enough to keep it out.
That could have signalled the end of the resistance... except that Harry Clifton equalised for GT within literally one minute of them going behind. Slick touch into his path by Danilo Orsi-Dadomo and Clifton did the rest with only the keeper to beat. Luton Town had the bulk of the play for the rest of it yet Grimsby actually came closest to scoring again when Clifton had a shot cleared by a defender inside the six yard box following some more sharp work from Orsi. Seven minutes of injury time later and the final whistle blew out to confirm the draw. Grimsby Town had earned themselves a replay.
Max Crocombe had an excellent game with three saves, some flawless work against the high ball, and plenty of those hooping long punts to get his team down the pitch. He’s also exactly the type of personality you want when you’re hanging on for a draw against a team multiple divisions higher. Never averse to a few shenanigans so of course we got some of this towards the end...
Meanwhile here’s a funky yarn: back when Crocombe was an 18 year old on the rise at Oxford Town, injuries to the two first team goalies meant he was in line for a senior debut until Oxford instead turned to the emergency loan market. There they scooped up the temporary services of a 19yo Arsenal academy keeper named Emiliano Martinez. Yes, the very same.
That bloke is now a World Cup winner and there’s an interview with Crocombe in the Football League Paper talking about all that experience. Granted, it’s paywalled so dunno what he actually had to say.
Martinez only played one game – it was the last match of the 2011-12 season and Oxford Town were away to Port Vale with an outside chance of making the League Two playoffs. That didn’t happen. Port Vale won 3-0 and results elsewhere meant that Oxford wouldn’t have made it no matter what happened. But the bottom line is that what could have been Crocombe’s first senior first team appearance in England was instead it was Emi Martinez’s first senior first team appearance in England. The rest is history.
Up Next: Got Crew Alexandra away on Sunday at 4am, while the FA Cup replay is on the following Wednesday (8 Feb) at 8.45am (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League Two)
No FA Cup heroics for Nik Tzanev. Wimbledon were knocked out by Chesterfield back in the second round, so the fella simply had to settle for more League Two heroics…
In a scrappy game against Stockport, Tzanev was almost the villain after tripping Kyle Knoyle in the box after half an hour to concede a penalty. A strange decision, just sayin’. Long ball into the area which Tzanev came across to shield out of play but in doing so collided with the attacker running onto it. Big contact yet the ball was loooong gone and the accidental collision didn’t affect the play at all, nor was it violent or aggressive in any way. They simply bumped into each other. But as you can see there was no need to worry because Tzanev then pulled off a wicked save against Myles Hippolyte. Here’s another angle of the denial...
The Dons found their stride after surviving that scare, finishing the half strong and re-emerging even stronger to take the lead through Harry Pell’s 48th minute header. Stockport threw the kitchen sink at them late but there was no way past Nik Tzanev as he kept his third clean sheet in a row and his eleventh overall. This was their first game for two weeks thanks to a couple postponements. The previous two clean sheets had both been 0-0 draws so good to see this time it contributed to a three-pointer. 1-0 to Wimbledon was the final score.
Tzanev had a five-game clean sheet streak back in November/December. Now he’s on an unbeaten three game cleanie streak. Lots of draws in there but Wimbledon have only lost one of their last 14 matches.
Up Next: Trying to keep the streak alive away against Leyton Orient at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Love that. Ria Percival has signed a new contract with Tottenham which will keep her at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season (when she’ll be 35 years of age).
This is fantastic news because as you no doubt know she’s still recovering from the ACL injury she suffered with the Fernies back in April. Recently got back into running and non-contract training and has been hard at work in the gym but still a while away from proper footballing activities. So for Spurs to be giving her a new contract at 33yo before she’s even recovered from a serious knee injury... votes of confidence do not come much stronger than that.
But the feeling is justified. Percival was a key player for Spurs last season as they logged their best ever WSL finish. She led the team in expected assists (3.3 xAG, way out in front despite only getting two actual assists) and her 34 key passes were also a huge team-best. Plenty of that was from her set piece prowess, plenty more was from her excellent work in transition as the instigator of the Tottenham press. Again, 60 shot-creating actions was the highest tally of any Spurs player in 2021-22 despite her missing the final month – that’s 3.57 SCA per ninety minutes. She was also second in tackles and blocks (the latter she’d have topped had she not gotten injured). An enforcer in the midfield. A consistent source of creativity. Such a crucial player to Tottenham Hotspur.
This term she’s been absent and their midfield has been a mess and they’re lingering dangerously close to the relegation zone. Defensively they’ve been okay but the goals have not been flowing. They’re second worst in the league in terms of xG. This is despite an anomaly 8-0 win over Brighton back in October – a game which has supplied two-thirds of their entire season’s haul of WSL goals so far. They’ve been kept scoreless in six of 10 games and are on a five-game WSL losing streak. Probably not about to get any better in a hurry either considering their next three games are against Chelsea, Man United, and Man City.
Up Next: Edging closer and closer to a return...
Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)
It was a massive weekend in Scotland with the four top teams in the SWPL all playing against each other. One of those games was a dull anticlimax as the Rangers and Glasgow City defences cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw of limited chances... and to make matters worse Vic Esson (Rangers) and Meikayla Moore (Glasgow City) were both unused substitutes. Those were rare dropped points for the both of them and thus an opportunity for Celtic to move back within three points of GC in first with a victory against Hearts in their own game.
This time we did get the goods. Olivia Chance returned to the Celtic lineup after a couple of games away with the Football Ferns. Katie Rood has been starting most games for Hearts lately and nothing changed here. Quick g’day during the handshakes and then onwards with the task at hand.
Rood played on the left wing, Chance also played on the left wing (in the wing-back role they’ve shifted her to this season – should be good practice for her wide role with the Fernies). That kept them each only on the margins of the action as Celtic went through the middle to score a pair of first half goals, first Jacynta (28’) and then Shen Menglu (30’) in quick succession. It was a strong first half against an in-form team and it took them into the half in a great spot... but four minutes into the second stanza it was game on again when the Celtic back three misplayed a switch over the top and Jenny Smith ran through to slam in a great finish.
From that point on... very tense. Celtic always looked closest to scoring again but Hearts defended really well. A couple times Chance didn’t get the ball in her direction when the overlap was on. She did almost set Shen up for another but the shot fizzed wide. Up the other end, Hearts had the ball over the line from a long free kick nudged back across but the offside flag ruled that out while a similar move was cleared off the line. Great push from Hearts but Celtic held on for a 2-1 victory. Hearts’ first league loss at home this season, Celtic with a tough three points to make up some distance in the title race.
Up Next: Celtic host Aberdeen at 3.30am on Monday; Hearts are away to Motherwell at 5am on Monday (NZT)
Alex Greive - St Mirren (Scottish Premiership)
Back in the starting line-up, a third start in four games for Greive, and just in time for the Buddies to win their first Premiership game since October. Now, there was a World Cup break in there, to be fair... but it had still been eight games without a dub. Four draws and four defeats. They needed a big one and by the skin of their teeth they were able to get exactly that against Motherwell.
The goal came early. We were only in the sixteenth minute when Alex Greive held off his marker to control a throw in sent towards the corner. From there he chopped back and flipped a cheeky reverse pass into the overlapping run of Ryan Strain. Strain squared low from the byline and Curtis Main poked the ball home from close range on a tight angle. It was a smart move sparked by the busy work of Alex Greive and that would prove to be the moment that won this thing for St Mirren.
There was still a long way to go at that point though. The Buds held solid for the rest of the first half, creating a few more useful chances, but in the second half the visitors really came at them. A flashing header past the post. A drilled low show well saved initially and then gathered on the second grab. Crosses that didn’t find their target. A sharp reaction stop from the keeper. Greive lasted 59 mins before he was subbed already on a yellow card from the first half. Certainly got sweaty for them but log it as a 1-0 win for St Mirren.
Up Next: Double banger week away to Aberdeen at 8.45am Thursday then home vs Hibernian at 4am Sunday (NZT)
Ally Green - AGF (Danish Kvindeligaen)
Another NZ international in Denmark? Yeah why not. Ally Green spent last season with Vålerenga in Norway, her first gig in Europe after coming up through the Sydney FC ranks, but while the team was very successful her own personal situation wasn’t. Took awhile to get her registration over the line then even after that she hardly played. A backup fullback doesn’t always get very many chances – Libby Cacace knows that deal. Hence Green only made six substitute league appearances in 2022 totalling 91 minutes. Strangely 91 minutes is also exactly how many she’s played for the Football Ferns across her four caps.
Green’s been a passionate addition to the Ferns since switching allegiances to her mother’s nation but World Cup squad places are not going cheaply and if she’s to have any hope of cracking that lot then she needs to be playing. So here we are in Denmark with AGF
Marie Greve, Head of Women’s Footy at AGF: “Over the winter we did plenty of scouting as to how best to strengthen the squad and we have focused on our left back as one of the crucial positions which needed to be strengthened. That’s why we are really happy that we’ve succeeded in getting Ally Green to AGF. With her experience and quality, she will be a great addition to our squad. Ally is a strong defensive player with lots of power that can play with both legs and therefore can be used in either fullback position. She is known for having a huge motor and does plenty of running, which fits well with our culture where hard work is absolutely crucial to the performances we hope to achieve.”
This comes soon after Indiah-Paige Riley (another who switched nationalities from Australia to Aotearoa in recent times) left Fortuna Hjørring to rejoin Brisbane Roar in the A-League. Wasn’t getting enough game time this season and when she did play it was usually out of position. Well, out goes one and in comes another.
The Kvindaligaen is midway through its season with AGF sitting second to last after 14 matches. That means for the rest of the way they and last-placed Sundby will be up against the top four teams from the first division in the so-called relegation rounds. Gotta finish in the top two to survive. They were able to do so last season. Now Ally Green’s in town to help them do so again this season.
Which of course means that there’ll be no Ally Green vs Daisy Cleverley derby as DC’s HB Køge are way up there in the champo rounds having won 13 of 14 games so far. HBK are planning on making it three league titles in a row. But all that’s still two months away so better hold back the excitement for now.
Up Next: Should finally get that debut on 2 April away against Sundby when the relegation rounds begin (NZT)
Logan Rogerson & Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
Logan Rogerson: “Overall, the season was good for the team. A place in the Euro qualifiers and a top four finish were good achievements. Personally, I think I played better than the season before and I was able to help the team on the offensive end, but I could have scored more goals. That’s one of the areas for development this season - I hope to be able to score more goals next season.”
The quest for additional goals began this week with Finland’s Liigacup – a secondary cup competition that starts with a group stage which effectively takes place during the preseason. Glorified friendlies, usually played indoors due to the weather at this time of year. FC Haka made it to the semis last year so there’s some decent precedence.
This year’s quest hasn’t gotten off to a fantastic start after a 2-1 defeat away to VPS. Logan Rogerson played the full game. Ollie Whyte started and played the first half. But goals to Savio Roberto (45+1’) and Teemu Hytönen (78’) overcame a late one from Tino Purme (86’). At least that Haka goal did make for an exciting last five minutes. And it was a ripper of a goal too, chipping the keeper from nearly halfway. Note the pace of Rogerson dashing onto that long punt from the keeper to spark the opportunity in the first place...
Rogerson had a great chance to open the scoring inside ten mins, sneakily staying onside after the midfield press turned the ball over but the keeper was on him quickly and he couldn’t guide it past him. Then later on in the half there was some superb work from Whyte to steal the ball from a defender and eventually win a penalty as his ankle was clipped trying to find room for a shot. Unfortunately Rogerson took that bad boy himself and the keeper made a good save diving to his left. Hit it okay but didn’t find the corner. It was about three minutes after that Rogerson penalty miss when VPS took the lead via a firmly planted header.
Also after they’d pulled that goal back late on, there was a move where Rogerson slipped a gorgeous pull-back into space in the area which nobody could get to in time (although the move continued and a teammate smacked a shot off the post). They really should not have lost this one... but that’s what can happen with a bit of early year rustiness to work through. No dramas. Catch some highlights here.
Up Next: Liigacup group stage game two of five takes place against Ilves on Sunday at 1.45am (NZT)
Stefan Marinovic - Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israeli Premier League)
The good news is that Hapoel Tel Aviv have now kept consecutive clean sheets after a 0-0 draw against Maccabi Tel Aviv in a hectic derby following on from a 0-0 draw against Hapoel Jerusalem the week prior. The club had only kept three cleanies in 18 previous games so this has been a welcome defensive turnaround (even if their attack has shrivelled up at the same time).
The bad news here is that Stefan Marinovic didn’t play either of those games. Having played every previous game, suddenly he was nowhere to be seen. Not even in the matchday squads for either. Nor is he going to be in any further matchday squads because he’s been released from the club.
This comes amidst a mid-season shake-up in the HTA squad, an attempt to quit their lingering down in the standings. Their new coach, Haim Silves, recently referred to their defence as terrible (well, the Hebrew equivalent word) and it seems that Marinovic’s performances weren’t being regarded so highly amongst all that. Instead they’ve brought in Lithuanian goalie Emilius Zubas, who was immediately chucked into the deep end... responding with those two clean sheets.
Haim Silves: “In the situation that arose, we managed to upgrade in this position. I have a lot of respect for Stefan Marinovic but sometimes in football things don't work out. That doesn't reflect upon his ability.”
It doesn’t reflect upon his ability... but it kinda does if you’re claiming you’ve found someone better. Ah well, onwards to new pastures. No clues as to where Marinovic is headed next but as a free agent released within a transfer window he’s got no limitations.
Up Next: That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?
Marko Stamenic – FC København (Danish Superliga)
Hold up, can’t leave without updating on Marko Stamenic’s situation. He’d already revealed that he wasn’t going to be signing a contract extension with Copenhagen when his current deal expires at the end of the season. The only question was whether he’d be leaving in January or in June, with big rumours swirling about Red Star Belgrade (aka Crvena Zvezda) making moves to bring him over.
Crvena Zvezda may have scooped up several new signings this past month but Stamenic wasn’t one of them. However it’s being all but guaranteed by Serbian reports that Stam will be joining them on a free transfer at the end of the current term. He’ll see out his contract with FCK and then it’s off to Serbia to join Red Star as they bolster their squad for a Champions League quest.
They’ve already added about four fresh dudes this month, while Marko Stamenic and Piter Olajinka have supposedly signed pre-contracts with the club for the following season (which you’re allowed to do once you enter the final six months of a contract, as long as you’re negotiating outside the nation of your current club). Red Star did make a play at signing Stamenic now for a fee, clearly that would have been the preference for all parties, but negotiations didn’t pan out. FCK wanted more than CZ were willing to pay, so it goes.
Espreso via Maxbet: “Midfield reinforcements for the Champions League will have to wait until the summer transfer window. Specifically, the red and whites agreed on all terms of cooperation with Marko Stamenić (20), who will come to Marakana as a free agent and sign for four years. The Serbian champions sent a symbolic figure as an offer to Copenhagen to bring the New Zealand representative to Belgrade immediately, but the Danish club asked for one million euros for a boy of Serbian origin five months before the end of his contract, Maxbet Sport reveals.”
Red Star are especially shaking up their midfield with these moves - Stamenic being a big part of that - although they’re also still intending to add fullback and forward depth in the summer. They’re currently 10 points clear at the top of the Serbian league, undefeated after 19 games, and cruising towards another title barring any shocking collapse. The focus is very much on next season’s Champions League campaign with a firm intention to make it back to the group stages for the first time since 2019-20. For that they want a squad with two players covering every position, hence some hefty reinforcements have been required. Hence Marko Stamenic is on the way... in a few months.
In the meantime there’s no doubt he’ll see out his Copenhagen days with maximum professionalism (both he and his FCK coach have assured us of that). Stam played 25 minutes off the bench in FCK’s latest winter friendly. Probably won’t see him as often as we did in the first half of the season – for obvious reasons – but he’ll still do his bit. Copenhagen are next in action at The Atlantic Cup in Portugal, a winter friendly tournament that regularly features Scandinavian teams... in fact not only is Marko Stamenic’s FC Copenhagen team involved but so is Joe Bell’s Brøndby team. And also Joe Bell’s former team Viking. Bell and Stamenic haven’t been drawn to play each other though.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am, Copenhagen vs Eflsborg (NZT)
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