Flying Kiwis – May 23
Marko Stamenic – FC København (Danish Superliga)
For a span of about five months, Marko Stamenic played a grand total of seven minutes of football across two substitute appearances. There was an injury late last year, then the long winter break, then by the time things resumed he’d revealed he was leaving at the end of the season.
Understandable that FCK would then look towards other options... but Stam popped up with a short cameo late in a loss to Nordsjælland to snap eight weeks of unused sub duty and the following game he received a sudden boost back into the starting line-up for the crucial 3-1 win over Brøndby, as covered last week. They needed a third central defender to match their opponents’ formation and he was the bloke they leaned upon. Stamenic was then brilliant in that different role and thus he was back in the mix just in time for a Danish Cup final against Aalborg.
He didn’t start there. Not with FCK reverting to their usual 4-3-3 formation. But after Diogo Goncalves had given his team the lead early in the second half with a beautifully placed curling snapshot, Stamenic was thrown on for the last twenty minutes to help ensure they held onto it. Replaced the goalscorer and sat on the right side of the midfield three, making clever decision after clever decision as Copenhagen bossed it. AaB were quick to pump the ball towards the penalty area but FCK’s defenders were winning all the headers and honestly AaB barely had a threatening shot in those latter stages.
Aalborg did earlier think they’d equalised on the hour but it was disallowed for an offside spotted by the VAR. Stamenic smashed a first-time effort on target running onto a loose one on the edge of the area mere seconds after he’d entered the game. Comfortable save though. On the whole it was an impressively assured close-out from København, presenting a brick wall to their opponents. Not much between the two teams yet FCK had that one crucial moment. Fire off the confetti, here comes the trophy... and also the comically oversized Carlsberg bottles.
That recent momentum for Stamenic took a halt after the cup final but only because he was one of a trio of players (Viktor Claesson and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson being the other two) who missed the quick turnaround league game against AGF because of yellow card accumulation suspensions. At least that would’ve freed them up for the cup final celebrations. Pity though, because there’s a good chance that Stamenic would have otherwise gotten another start considering that they continued with the back three that opened the door for him last week and also in the midfield they had to play Rasmus Falk on one ankle despite him having been subbed off injured in the first half of the cup final mere days earlier.
Nevertheless, FCK began fantastically with a 2-0 lead inside twenty mins of kickoff courtesy of Diogo Goncalves again. However by the break they’d allowed AGF to swing back to 2-2 and then with quarter of an hour to go they were trailing 3-2. Potential carnage to their title hopes... only for Jordan Larsson (76’) and Kevin Diks (87’) to set them up for a 4-3 victory. Needless to say the crowd went bonkers. Massive comeback three points to keep them top of the ladder for another week with two games left to clinch a repeat championship.
Nothing else of positive note in Denmark. The hope was that Joe Bell would get back into the team with midfielder Daniel Wass suspended but instead he was an unused sub once again as other squad members were used ahead of him including one or two out of their regular position. Either Bell’s only being considered as a CDM or he’s carrying an injury or he’s just plain out of favour. Whatever the case, he had to sit watching as Brøndby drew 1-1 with Viborg.
Elsewhere Eli Just’s Horsens lost for the third week in a row going down 1-0 to Silkeborg with Just playing twenty mins off the bench. One of their remaining two games is against the bottom team so there’s still hope but as it stands they’re in the relegation zone due to poor goal difference with only one win from the 13 games they’ve played since the winter break. Down a tier, Helsingør lost 2-0 away to Vendsyssel with Callum McCowatt getting ninety mins (as a winger this time, rather than his now-regular midfield role). They’re already out of promotion contention. Kolding did get a 1-1 draw against B93 in the third tier though. Wasn’t the win they wanted but Dalton Wilkins’ crew are still in the hunt lingering only one point behind automatic promotion with four games left to go.
Up Next: Tuesday at 2am, FCK are away to Viborg (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Glasgow City (Scottish Premier League)
There’s the official confirmation that we’d been waiting so long for, proving that Moore’s been out injured during her long spell in the stands... and also that she won’t return this season for Glasgow City. No surprises there given that they played their last game of the term this past weekend. But she does add that she’s now back on the pitch and training again so that’s good news for the Football Ferns whose own World Cup preparation camp is already long underway.
Glasgow City had been leading the SWPL pretty much the whole way but three defeats against Celtic (twice) and Rangers had left them needing to win their final game – against Rangers – in order to lift the trophy. Even their top-two Champions League qualification would be in serious jeopardy if they lost to Rangers... who’d overtake them with a victory. Meanwhile Celtic were playing Hearts at the same time trying to stock up their goal difference knowing that a draw in that other game would open the door for them to win the title while a Rangers win would mean a goal difference comparison.
Celtic did what they had to do with a 2-0 win. Hearts are a dogged defensive team and they made it tough but goals for Cailtin Hayes (43’) and Natasha Flint (69’) got them where they needed to go. That put the Celts on 81 points with a +104 goal difference. More goals would’ve been handy, and maybe a fit Olivia Chance would’ve been able to help them with that, but with the Glasgow City vs Rangers game still locked at nil-all in the latter stages they were on course to win the title.
Until, in an instant, they weren’t.
As it happened, Rangers would’ve needed to win by two goals to overtake Celtic but at least a 1-0 win would have put them back into the Champions League. They were looking good against a shaky GC team too. They’d had the better chances to start with, Glasgow City’s only decent chance in the first half came from a heavy touch from RFC goalie Jenna Fife – getting the start over Vic Esson. But Rangers just couldn’t get the ball in the net. Some good scramble defence and some average finishing kept them at bay... then Glasgow City gave it a push in the closing minutes and what do you know? A stoppage time goal from Lauren Davidson, through the legs of keeper Fife from close range, and they snatched it. Not only the 1-0 win on the day but the three points that won them the league championship.
Meikayla Moore: Champion of Scotland. We were gonna get a kiwi champ in the SWPL one way or another, she’s the one that triumphed in the end.
But only just. A draw would have dropped them to second given the Celtic result (and GC’s stumbling late form). Yet that late goal meant that winners were grinners and the trophy was theirs. Incredible drama on the final day of the season – the trophy was apparently already on the way to Celtic’s ground when the car had to turn around and change direction.
Glasgow City and Celtic thus get the two UCL spots while Rangers finish third and miss out on Europe. Great news for Meikayla Moore and Glasgow City. Some solid consolation for Liv Chance and Celtic. Brutal for Rangers. Should’ve picked Vic Esson for the decider, aye? They will at least get the chance to finish on a high next weekend when they face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, which hopefully Esson will get to start. She’s had a tag-team duo going with Fife all season so it’d make sense if she did, particularly as she’s been better in the big games lately. Rangers won the League Cup earlier in the season with Fife playing the final.
Of course we don’t actually know yet if any of these kiwis will be back at their clubs again next season. Moore was in and out of the GC team even before her injury. Chance seems most likely as she’s been with Celtic for a couple years now and getting back into the Champions League always helps. Yet Vic Esson may want a more permanent starting gig and the World Cup should give her a platform to find one. There’s also Katie Rood with Hearts too, recovering from an ACL tear. Time shall tell on all fronts, s’pose.
Up Next: World Cup prep for Moore... Cup final for Esson (and maybe but probably not Chance) – that’s Monday at 12.30am, Celtic vs Rangers (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
It’s cool to have at least one kiwi woman playing overseas who can tick all three boxes of the Fit/In Form/Not a Defender triumvirate. The defensive players are doing great as always. The attackers... less so, mostly because there are so few of them (beyond the A-League at least). That makes what Jacqui Hand is doing in the Finland top division even more special.
Hand’s first season as a pro went pretty brilliantly. Her second season is going even better as her sizzling performances continued this week in a 4-0 win over PK-35. Hand scored the first and fourth goals in the rout, yet another big win to nil for Åland United who have well and truly overcome their initial stumbles. Four straight wins in which they’ve scored 18 goals and conceded zero.
Goal one happened inside ten minutes as Hand followed up on a spill by the keeper after closing down striker Aada Törrönen’s run in behind. On hand, so to speak, to guide that one through the traffic and into an empty net from just outside the area. Åland kept on going throughout the half but spurned a few good chances to add to their lead until two goals in the ten minutes after the break, both from crosses (one from open play, one a corner kick) put them beyond doubt.
Yet there remained time for Jacqui Hand to go weaving past three defenders and then slide her finish past the goalie on 82’. Slipped as she shot but it didn’t matter. Superb individual goal as Hand now has five already for the season. Five goals and three assists in only five appearances. Remarkable stuff. If she can carry this one into next week then they’ll be in a great place – with league leaders KuPS on the cards, sitting only three points ahead of them.
Up Next: Monday at 1.30am, Åland United vs KuPS (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Last game of the season. Zwolle away to Helmond Sport. They’d already been promoted but there was a league title on offer if they could either beat Heracles’ result in their concurrent fixture or match Heracles but overturn six goal difference points. They did win a game 13-0 earlier in the season but realistically it was a matter of making sure they won and then hoping for an upset as Heracles played Jong Ajax.
Ryan Thomas was reunited, for a final time, with Zwolle’s star man Thomas van den Belt who recovered from injury in time for one last emotional farewell before he joins Feyenoord in a month’s time. The dream team midfield combo. And Zwolle scored early through Haris Medunjanin with a close range header on 17’ at which point... so far so good.
However they got caught out in defence three minutes later when Helmond equalised from a cut-back and shot. Then despite getting back on the front foot, hitting the crossbar, going close a couple other times, they hit the sheds trailing 2-1 after conceding again just before the whistle. Less than ideal. The championship dreams were just a flicker in their memories at that point... particularly with Heracles leading 1-0 at the half in their own game.
There was an equaliser ten mins into the second half from Lennart Thy, the division’s Golden Boot winner. Thomas would’ve had an assist if his chipped ball into the area had been fired on target but regardless Zwolle kept going, surviving a couple of sketchy moments on the counter back the other way. Thomas was subbed with twenty to go as part of a triple change. Eventually they got what they were searching for when Sven Zitman banged in the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time for a 3-2 win... although Heracles won 2-0 so the title went their way on goal difference. No trophy. But Zwolle did hit their main target of promotion – they will be an Eredivisie club next season. Now we wait and see if Ryan Thomas re-signs to join them there.
Up Next: There is a chance that the next time we see Ryan Thomas on the footy pitch will be in an All Whites jersey... last time he played for the national team was in November 2019 so we’ll keep our fingers crossed for that one
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Moustache is gone, transfer is permanent, Dutch culture is being assimilated, and NAC Breda are preparing for the promotion playoffs. Garbs said there he’s not bothered about who they draw in the knockouts, gotta get past them all anyway. That playoffs draw is now settled... but first there was the last round of the regular season to get through.
Which Garbett was left on the bench for. There wasn’t really anything to play for with their playoff spot already sorted so they rested a couple of their more usual starters. Not too many of them but Garbett was one, while top striker Elias Mar Omarsson was another. Garbett ended up being subbed on at half-time with his team up 1-0. They went on to lose 2-1 to Telstar conceding both goals in stoppage time... with a brief hiatus in between the goals as the players left the field due to fans throwing stuff onto it. Crowd trouble seems to be a recurring theme in Dutch football lately.
Anyway, stupid way to lose but luckily the game didn’t matter. What does matter is what comes next. Six teams from the Eerste Divisie will scrap it out over two legs. Winners advance. FC Eindhoven vs Almere City is one game, VVV-Venlo vs Willem II is another. Then also NAC Breda face MVV. The victors of those first two games will meet each other over two legs in the semis while Breda are on the side of the draw which gets to face the third-to-last team in the Eredivisie in the next round. FC Emmen are those jerries. After that comes the two-legged final to decide the lone team that’ll join Zwolle and Heracles in going up (or, in the case of Emmen, staying up). Here’s a graphic...
Breda vs MVV is fifth against sixth on the ladder. Both teams ended on 59 points with an exactly even goal difference. Had NAC held on and avoided defeat in that last game then they’d have had the home leg second but that’s the only difference. Last time they played, Breda won 4-1 with Omarsson getting a hat-trick (Garbett had an assist in an excellent performance). The previous one meeting was a 3-1 loss in August but that was a very different NAC team back then, Garbett’s not the only signing they’ve stocked up with during the term. Should be good. Six games to win a spot in the top division.
Up Next: First leg vs MVV is Wednesday at 7am at home, second leg is away at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Ten more minutes off the bench for Ria Percival (18 if you include a long stoppage time period), who has now featured in three straight games for Spurs. She came on in the midfield to help take her team to the finish line of a massive victory. Percy didn’t have much to do other than stretch her legs and provide some energy because Spurs had already put four past Reading by the time she joined the fun. A desperate Reading team did have a couple of late chances but only a couple – the damage had been done by Beth England (29’ & 62’), Celin Bizet Ildusoy (41’) and Kit Graham (75’) although Reading did pull one back via Justine Vanhaevermaet just before Percival was brought on.
It was a routine victory, beating the bottom team 4-1 to do everybody around them a huge favour. Because with that win Spurs cannot now be relegated. They’ve saved their WSL status with a week to spare – which, just quietly, could mean a bigger role for Ria Percival in the game vs West Ham with nothing else on the line there. What’s more is that they also did the same for Brighton. BHAFC lost 2-1 to Everton with Rebekah Stott doing unused sub duty again but it didn’t matter because Reading are now too far behind them.
The only other team that can still be relegated is CJ Bott’s Leicester City. The Foxes had the chance to claw their way to safety in the match against West Ham but weren’t able to get it done. CJ Bott started at right back in the usual formation but some decent early pressure went awry when they lost the ball through the middle and then got counter attacked in behind Bott’s position before she could recover and Sophie Howard’s partial deflection on the cross looped up and over her keeper for an 18th minute own goal.
Bott went close to levelling the game with a shot on the overlap that the keeper did well to push away at full stretch. Was headed for the bottom corner otherwise – Bott has never yet scored a goal in the WSL. Leicester City pressed onwards though a handball penalty against them after an hour allowed Dagny Brynjarsdottir to extend the lead from the spot. Bott was replaced with quarter of an hour left as they sought more attacking weapons. They did eventually get one back but not until the ninth minute of stoppage time. Hannah Cain from the penalty spot. This was after they’d been reduced to ten for a Ruby Mace red card. 2-1 to West Ham was the final score.
What that means is that Leicester City either need to beat Brighton in the final round of fixtures... or they need Reading to drop points. Brighton have nothing left to play for and their 3-0 win over that oppo a few months ago was the result that turned Leicester’s season around (it was also CJB’s best performance). They’ll give it a good crack.
Luckily, Reading also have the worst possible game: Chelsea. It is at home but that’s unlikely to matter against a team on a six-game WSL winning streak who need three more points to clinch the league title. Meanwhile Aston Villa drew 3-3 with Liverpool with Hannah Hampton again starting ahead of Anna Leat.
Up Next: West Ham vs Spurs; Brighton vs Leicester; Arsenal vs Aston Villa... all 1.30am Monday (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Team of the Round honours for Matchday 14, that’s how you know he really bossed things. This is Boxy’s second such honour having made the bench for the Matchday 6 team also. Get in.
MNUFC.com: “Boxall was an anchor of the back line, keeping the waves of Portland’s consistent attack at bay while also finding inspired bursts into the offense. Head Coach Adrian Heath was very impressed with the work of the back line during Saturday’s match...
Heath: ’I thought the two centre backs were excellent at times. We defended really well. We got a lot of first balls, and when we didn’t, we were there for the second one, which is always hugely important, especially when the opposition are pushing as many men forward as they do. It didn’t surprise me we made [so many] blocks because we were in good spots.’”
The buzz arose from a 1-0 win over Portland Timbers in MLS Rivalry Round. As you can guess from the coach’s quotes, Minnesota had plenty of defending to do and they hung tight with numbers around the ball on the way to blocking ten separate shots. Portland only got three of their 18 attempts on target. Boxall did get nutmegged one time but he had a midfielder there to cover for him. Other than that: flawless.
Meanwhile Minny did throw a bit back the other way though mostly just long shots that were well saved. Portland hit the crossbar with a deep shot on 65’. It looked like this bad boy was nearing a nil-all conclusion... then South African forward Bongi Hlongwane popped up with a sharp finish after four minutes of injury time, literally the final seconds of the match, and Minnesota won it 1-0. Crazy scenes... exactly what the Loons needed coming out of a tough stretch of results.
They also beat Houston Dynamo 1-0 in a midweeker with Hlongwane scoring the only goal there as well – much earlier on in the 14th minute. So that’s back to back clean sheets and back to back wins alongside. They’d gone six MLS games in a row without a win prior to that but now Minnesota Utd are back up to sixth in the Western Conference and can reach the quarter-finals of the US Open Cup with a win on Wednesday. Also star playmaker Emanuel Reynoso is finally back with the team after some murky personal circumstances kept him away for the start of the season – during which his creative flair was desperately missed.
Up Next: US Open Cup round of sixteen away to Houston Dynamo on Weds at 12.30pm; MLS at home to Real Salt Lake on Sun at 12.30pm (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
It wasn’t ever clarified how long Bill Tuiloma would miss with his latest injury but the suggestion was that it could be several weeks. It ended up being four games, about three weeks on the sideline in total. That’s after he made his return off the bench in a 2-1 midweek win over Chicago Red Stars being brought on after his team had just taken the lead rallying back from a one goal deficit at the break. Tuiloma was the closer at the back. Mission accomplished. That win continued a sneaky impressive streak for Charlotte who made it four wins in a row in all competitions with that result.
Of course those wins all came in Tuiloma’s absence - he only played about six minutes of the last one of them... and got fined by the league for his part in a kerfuffle between the sides. No big deal. Tuiloma was then elevated back into the starting eleven for the visit to Nashville SC and, well, they lost. Not only did they lose but the first Nashville goal, equalising after CFC had taken a sixth minute lead, was a long range shot deflected off Tuiloma’s back. It wasn’t a howler, it wasn’t even really a mistake just an unlucky moment, but it’s another tough one for Billy T in what’s been a tricky season for him so far at his new club.
Then they conceded a dodgy stoppage time penalty (looked like the defender had pulled out of the challenge before any contact) and thus lost 2-1. So after a winning streak without him, Tuiloma returned and instantly they lost a stink one that they at least deserved a point in. It’s all a work in progress.
Up Next: US Open Cup R16 away to Birmingham Legion at midday Thurs; away to LA Galaxy on Sun at 2.30pm (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
The Abby Erceg influence is beginning to shine. A 2-0 win over Kansas City means consecutive victories for Louisville after not winning at all in their first six. Savannah DeMelo scored first after 12 mins charging down a keeper’s clearance then Kristen Wright finished off a low cross on 27’. From there all they had to do was not allow KC a path back into the game which they dutifully did not do. Highlight was a sliding block from Erceg to turn a Debinha shot over the bar – the two old North Carolina teammates. Louisville had chances for more goals but a 2-0 victory was all class. A proper professional performance.
They also came from a goal down to beat the same opposition 3-2 in the Challenge Cup during the midweek. KCC had rested a few players while Louisville took it more seriously, with Savannah DeMelo bagging a double inside the first half hour. Ary Borges added another late on before Debinha kept it close with a response. First game of the Challenge Cup group stage and three points on the board. Erceg had said prior to the match that any game this team plays is a big deal no matter what competition. True to her word.
The next game won’t need any extra motivation... it’s Abby Erceg (and Carson Pickett) against the North Carolina Courage.
In the other game of note, Angel City drew 0-0 with the Courage. Ali Riley played 55 minutes at right back. Not a lot of chances. So here’s a funky yarn about her going to uni class with Alyssa Thompson...
Up Next: Racing Louisville vs NC Courage at midday on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Relegation? Don’t know what you’re talking about, mate. Nottingham Forest may have been in dire trouble a few weeks back but three wins and a draw in their last five games has quickly changed that story. The latest of those was a 1-0 win over Arsenal which not only ensured that Manchester City would remain Premier League champions but it also ensured that Nottingham Forest would remain a Premier League club. Took them up to 37 points now they cannot be caught. Chris Wood, whose move to Forest becomes permanent at the end of the season, will remain in the EPL and thus, assuming he takes the pitch (he is currently injured after all), the streak of having at least one New Zealander appear in the English top flight will be extended to an even 20 years. Ka pai.
Wood managed to dodge relegation last season when he left Burnley in January. Now he’s dodged it in absentia thanks to this sudden and crucial run of form from his teammates. Wood featured seven times for Nottm Forest, five of them starts. He scored one goal in that time and it was a memorable one: the late equaliser against champs Man City. Excluding the Tottenham game in which he was subbed on, got injured, then was subbed off after only six minutes, Forest took six points from six games with Wood playing. After he got injured long-term on international duty the club then took one point from the next six games... but have finished strong with this sudden burst.
That clears up plenty for the club and for Wood... though this will still be a pivotal offseason. Forest have cash available and used that to make an obscene thirty incoming transfers over the past two windows. Which, funnily enough, led to some very disjointed play. Hopefully they rein that in next time but even still it’s a bloated squad and if Wood is injured for a large portion of preseason then it could be hard to earn minutes. Fellow striker Taiwo Awoniyi (also a fellow signing, albeit with a six month headstart on Woodsy) has scored five goals in the last three games. Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson are crucial attacking players. Not simple to see where Wood fits in there. But that’s all for Steve Cooper to figure out. Important thing is that Nottingham Forest remain a Premier League outfit.
Up Next: Last game of the season is away to Crystal Palace on Monday at 3.30am (NZT)
Jamie Searle – Barnsley (English League One)
Speaking of promotion/relegation in absentia... Jamie Searle joined Barnsley on a two-year contract prior to this season so we can trust he’ll be around next season no matter what happens. As might Oliver Colloty, the NZ U20s striker who has reportedly spent some recent time on trial with Barnsley too – Barnsley have a strong case for being the foreign club who have supported kiwi footballers more than any other over the years. Colloty is currently away at the U20 World Cup and has trialled at several English clubs since the turn of the year... including Sheffield Wednesday.
That’s worth a mention because Wednesday pulled off a truly astounding comeback to make it through to the League One playoff final despite losing 4-0 in the first leg. Scored a 98th minute goal to force extra time. Won it on penalties after both teams scored in extras. Good yarns for them. In the final at Wembley they will meet... Barnsley, who won 1-0 in their second leg against Bolton after a draw in the first. Searle is third-choice keeper so he doesn’t make the matchday squad unless there’s an injury but he’ll be in that travelling group for the Wembley trip even if he ends up watching from the stands. And he could yet join Ben Waine in getting promoted to the Championship.
Up Next: Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday at 2am on Tuesday (NZT)
Zac Jones – Haverfordwest County (Welsh/Cymru Premier)
Super Zac is coming back. A one-year extension for the 22yo kiwi keeper which will allow him to enjoy the splendour of his spoils after his penalty shootout glory guided Haverfordwest County into European competition for only the second times in the club’s history. They’ll be battling it out in the Europa Conference League qualifiers and there was never much doubt that Jonesy would be amongst it. He’s now a gold-minted fan favourite at the club... who should also be hoping to carry this form into a top six finish next time around.
Zac Jones: “I’m delighted to stay on for another year with the club. After last week it was made a very easy decision for me. It’s really exciting, I’m still on a bit of a high now and I don’t think that will wear off any time soon. I’m looking forward to next season where we will certainly be pushing towards the top end of the table. I think we’ve done enough to prove that to everyone over the last five months or so. The fans have been brilliant all of last season, and I can’t wait to get back out there in front of them soon.”
Up Next: First qualifying round for the ECL takes place in July so it may not be the longest offseason for this lot
Alex Greive - St Mirren (Scottish Premiership)
The good news is that St Mirren held champions Celtic to a 2-2 draw. Won’t get them into Europe but it’s a tidy result late in the season. Bad news is that Alex Greive didn’t play. Having looked like he was primed for starter’s duties over the last month of the campaign following is recent goal, he’s instead joined the long injury queue after going off with an ankle complaint last week. Ligament damage is the diagnosis. Nothing serious, won’t endanger his presence for the All Whites next month, but it does mean his season is probably over at club level.
SM manager Stephen Robinson: “Alex Greive won't be available - Curtis Main is our only fit senior striker - and neither will Ryan Flynn, both ankle ligament injuries. Both will be a struggle to play any more football this season. It is not major injuries but we are probably looking at two to three weeks for both of them.”
Up Next: Aberdeen vs St Mirren on Thursday at 6.45am, then home vs Rangers on Saturday at 11.30pm to end the season... just in case AG makes a miraculous recovery (NZT)
Kyle Adams & Elliot Collier – San Diego Loyal (American USL Championship)
Couldn’t end on an injury note, so here’s Elliot Collier coming off the bench to score the winner for San Diego Loyal away against Miami FC...
A 3-2 win having been down 2-1 with ten minutes to play. Full game in there for Kyle Adams. The Loyal did stumble a bit last week losing to Rio Grande Valley (Adams’ old team) but this win means they’re still in third place in the Western Conference and absolutely intending on competing for the USL Championship this year. The goal is a useful boost for EC as well, given it’s been a month since he last started a game. Scoring the winner in a comeback ought to help his case plenty.
Up Next: Oakland Roots vs SDL at 2pm on Sunday (NZT)
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