Flying Kiwis – May 14
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
It’s trophy time in the European football scene and the kiwis are getting amongst it. Last week saw Marko Stamenic clinch the Serbian SuperLiga. This week we’ve got Callum McCowatt putting his fingerprints on the Danish Cup trophy... a piece of silverware that Stamenic himself won with Copenhagen one year ago. This after Silkeborg claimed a 1-0 win over AGF in the final, courtesy of a 38th minute goal from Oliver Sonne.
McCowatt played the last quarter of an hour off the bench to help his side to close out a famous victory – Silkeborg last won this trophy way back in 2001. Not a major impact from CM in this final (although he did nearly score from a long shot that rocked onto the post via a crucial outstretched touch from the keeper) but he was out there for the final whistle and he contributed heaps throughout their run. McCowatt appeared in all eight matches with four of those being starts... scoring in the first leg win against defending champs FC Copenhagen in the quarters as well as bagging a double against Hvidovre in the round prior. Beautiful stuff. And what’s more is there’s an extra bonus for the club alongside the obvious honour: this win also puts them into the first round of Europa League qualifiers for next season. It’ll be McCowatt’s first taste of continental club football.
Silkeborg probably celebrated that one pretty hard so to turn around and play Nordsjælland a few days later in the Superliga was always going to be a toughie. Naturally there was a bit of rotation there with McCowatt given the start and playing 73 minutes. SIF started brilliantly with a goal inside of two minutes... but they just didn’t have the legs. They were 2-1 down when McCowatt was subbed and ended up conceding twice more for a 4-1 defeat. No dramas. They won the one that mattered and this was merely continuation of what’s been some very rough league form going back several months now. They’ve actually only won one of their past 17 Superliga fixtures and that lone win happened two weeks ago. Good thing they’ve had a legendary cup run mixed in between to take the heat off.
Up Next: 4am on Friday there’s a rematch against AGF (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Hansa Rostock (German Bundesliga 2)
This bloke is cursed. Dunno what other conclusion you can take from the overwhelming evidence of his time in the German second tier. Bad fits, injuries, changes of manager, losing teams, strange selections. Sarpreet Singh cannot catch a break in this division.
As Hansa Rostock flail against potential relegation, Singh was given a rare chance to start against rivals Schalke – injuries elsewhere clearing the pathway for him to make his first appearance in the initial eleven for three months, having only played six minutes in the previous eight fixtures (unless you count the one reserves game he played in which he got two assists in an hour’s work). With that rare start he showed exactly why he should have been way more prominent... then the bad luck returned to mean he might not feature again this season.
Hansa are second to last in the Bundesliga 2 standings and had lost four games in a row heading into a derby game with Schalke. The day began with a few kerfuffles amongst the respective disgruntled fans in the hours leading up to the match. A heated atmosphere to find oneself amongst when you’ve barely played recently... yet Singh had a point to prove. So after Kenan Karaman headed Schalke into a 21st minute lead from a corner kick, Sarpreet struck back with a 31st minute equaliser. Drifting right to collect a chipped ball over the top then shaping up his marker and firing low into the net via a slight deflection. His first goal for the club. His first goal anywhere for 15 months, since he scored for Jahn Regensburg in a 1-1 draw vs Hannover in February 2023. Only the second goal he’s scored since the pelvic injury he began suffering from in early 2022.
Unfortunately the Hansa goalie made a mess of a cross late in first half stoppage time, rushing out then getting nowhere near the ball to gift Paul Seguin a goal that put the home side back in the lead. Singh had a chance to tie things up again when he drilled a shot just over in the second spell. But then his resurgent evening took that accursed twist as he tried to drag a bloke back to stop a counter attack, accidentally trod on his heel in the process, and the referee upgraded the initial yellow card to a red one after a peek at the VAR screen on the sideline. You can see that the stomp wasn’t what he was aiming for, he just got his timing wrong. But you’re always going to be in trouble when they look worse in slow-motion.
Hansa Rostock did not find another goal after they went down to ten men. They lost 2-1 to extend their run of defeats to five matches – capitulating at the worst possible time. They now cannot finish higher than third-to-last, which would still require a relegation playoff in order to remain in this division. To do that, they need to win their last match against Paderborn whilst hoping Wehen Wiesbaden also fail to win. WW are hosting St Pauli who need the victory to secure the 2.Liga title so that much they can reasonably expect. It’s taking care of their own business that’s hard to envisage... and now Sarpreet Singh will be suspended for that (and potentially that playoff game too, if it comes to pass).
Jahn Regensburg were relegated last season so if you’re wondering why Sarpreet Singh can be so electric for the All Whites then barely get a look in for his clubs then that’s a big part of the reason why: his clubs have sucked for two years now. He’s not necessarily a dude suited to those types of teams. Coincidentally, there’s a good chance that it’d be Regensburg that Hansa Rostock faces in the playoff as they’re currently third in the 3.Liga.
Singh has two more years on his Hansa contract but third tier footy does not really seem like an exciting idea at this stage of his career. Nor does this club/player fit feel like anything worth preserving. That could be a different story if a new manager comes in with different ideas but there’s a considerable chance that red card could have been his last act for the club. A loan out next season wouldn’t be the worst idea. This time potentially to a club outside of Germany... somewhere that his 2.Liga curse won’t reach.
Up Next: Hansa vs Paderborn on Monday at 1.30am (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC / Meikayla Moore – Glasgow City (Scottish Premier League)
This was a Flying Kiwis derby. The two New Zealanders in the SWPL going head to head. Huge ramifications, with Rangers trying to win the title and Glasgow City down to their last remaining chance at finishing in the top two. Out of respect for an excellent season from Meikayla Moore, she gets to share headline status with Vic Esson... but that’s kinda the last thing there is to say about her. Moore was solid but this was Vic Esson’s day as she continued her resurgent run of appearances with yet another clean sheet.
Rangers showed good control on the artificial surface though they did have trouble creating clear chances against Moore’s defensive unit... and Esson was very fortunate to see a rocket of a shot pound against her crossbar during the first half. She also had to be sharp to gather up an errant defensive clearance that bounced off the inside of her post with strikers lurking. But then Rachel McLauchlan curled in a wonderful goal on 45+2’ and that settled Rangers down. Esson made a very good save tipping a back-post half-volley over the top and was otherwise untroubled the rest of the way. 1-0 to Rangers.
Jo Potter, Rangers manager: “We asked our goalkeepers to stay concentrated and stay in the game for ninety minutes and Vic was excellent today. She kept us in games with moments, good decision making. That can be the difference at times. It was a big defensive performance today. We stood up to the task and managed to come through”.
Vic Esson: “Yeah it’s awesome to get some game time and it’s credit to the team. the clean sheet doesn’t just come from the goalkeeper, it comes from blocking shots and denying chances and we were really good at that today. Especially at the end of the second half. Our wingbacks had done a tonne of work to make sure they don’t get chances at the back post. It’s a credit to everyone.”
That result means that Rangers have officially qualified for Champions League next season... which alas means that Glasgow City cannot make it. Commiserations to Meikayla. Congratulations to Vic. Rangers remain level with Celtic atop the table with the final two matches to be played over the forthcoming week. Celtic won 3-0 vs Partick Thistle on the weekend. It’s unlikely that Rangers can make up a margin of 16 goal difference so they’re going to need Celtic to drop points somewhere. Good thing about the Championship Rounds is that they’re all against top half opponents so at least the games will be tricky.
Celtic (76 points/+105 goal difference): Hearts (A), Hibernian (H)
Rangers (76 points/+90 goal difference): Hibernian (A), Partick Thistle (H)
By the way, we’re now up to five consecutive starts for Esson and she’s kept clean sheets in four of them. She’s conceded three times in eight SWPL matches this season and only five times in 20 league appearances for her career. Never more than once in a game. 15 clean sheets. Plenty more where those came from in her various cup appearances too.
Up Next: Hibs vs Rangers on Thursday at 5am; Rangers vs Partick Thistle on Monday at 1.10am (NZT)
Daisy Cleverley - HB Køge (Danish Kvindeliga)
When we claim that HBK’s match against Brøndby was a must-win fixture, this is what we mean:
Three teams are challenging for the title in Denmark, with the top two also getting Champions League
HBK had failed to win any of their previous five matches, leaving them seven points off top
HBK also happen to be two-time defending champions and this was their last chance to take points off either of the teams ahead of them (three more rounds remain afterwards)
There was no choice but to pocket three points from the BIF fixture and haul back some of that space on the ladder... and in their quest to do so, Daisy Cleverley was elevated to the starting eleven for the first time since December in a Kvindeliga match. Her 18th appearance of the season (out of 21 total games) but just her fourth start. She responded in the perfect fashion by scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory. Absolutely what the doctor ordered and suddenly HB Køge’s Champions League chances have been revived.
Cleverley’s goal came soon after a great strike from Olivia Garcia had opened the scoring (goals on 32’ and 39’) to cap a really strong first half. HBK then settled into game management mode against a Brøndby side desperate for a reply, though it was only in the last half hour after Cleverley had been subbed that BIF mustered anything to worry them. To be honest, Køge should have won by more. Nevertheless, they got what they needed with a 2-0 win and are now only three points behind Brøndby.
What about Claudia Bunge? Well, she was there on the bench. You can see her celebrating on the sideline after Clev’s goal. But CB hasn’t been getting picked since the last international break and centre-backs don’t tend to get subbed on unless there’s an injury so she’s just doing unused substitute things these days. Frustrating but it cannot helped.
Meanwhile AGF and Nordsjælland drew 1-1. Ally Green was nowhere to be seen for AGF but Malia Steinmetz logged a full ninety as FCN snatched a point with an 89th minute leveller from Josefine Bunch. Not quite the ideal afternoon for them. Could have gone four points clear with a win after Brøndby’s defeat. Two points clear instead. Three rounds left. Brøndby hosts Nordsjælland in the last round of the campaign and if FCN wins that then HBK can sneak into second if they win all of their remaining matches. Hectic days in the Kvindeliga.
Up Next: Kolding vs HBK at 11pm on Saturday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Without Chris Wood’s goals, Nottingham Forest would probably already have been relegated. Take them away and they’d have eight fewer points than they do now (twice what they were deducted for FFP breaches). He’s their top scorer by a clear margin and that’s the main storyline of his season. But from having been one of the most efficient finishers in all of Europe a month ago, he’s definitely hit a wee slump in the weeks since. His goal against Tottenham on April 7 made it four games in a row with a goal to his name. He’d scored 12 times from 38 total shots and 7.8 xG. Since then he’s had 13 shots at 2.6 xG across five games and scored none of them... and sadly there have been a few wonky misses in amongst.
The game against Chelsea on the weekend was no exception. Wood had a chance inside of ninety seconds dashing in behind a sluggish backline but the keeper did really well to rush up on him quickly enough to volleyball-block his attempted lob. Not much else Wood could have done with a bouncing ball, merely a good save. He later missed the target with a header that had been deflected into his path at the back post. Half-chance at best on this occasion, as was the dropping deflection that he tried to first-time volley on the run which ended up gently in the keeper’s mitts.
Those were after Mykhailo Mudryk 8’ and Willy Boly 16’ had traded goals to make it 1-1. It then remained at 1-1 for quite a long time but it really should have been 2-1 to Forest after 57 minutes when Morgan Gibbs-White struck the far post with a close range header and then the rebound fell to Wood right in front of the goal from four yards out and he sliced his volley over the top. Keeper was there, as was a defender. It wasn’t quite a sitter... but quicker feet and a composed side-footed shot probably buries that eight times out of ten. Instead he rushed it and skewed it. Ah well.
Anyway, about twenty minutes later Callum Hudson-Odoi buried a lovely goal against his old club to have Forest on course for a huge victory. But Raheem Sterling scored an even better one within five minutes and then Nicolas Jackson scored a winner for Chelsea in the 82nd minute. Chelsea won 3-2. Another defeat for Forest... but fortunately for them the three teams in the relegation zone all lost too. Luton Town most notably. They went down 3-1 against West Ham.
What that means is Nottm Forest are three points clear with a far superior goal difference. It’s Luton vs Fulham and Nottm Forest vs Burnley on the final day. Burnley have already been relegated by their latest loss (so no reason to feel guilty about scoring against the old mates) and it’d take something drastic for Luton to stay up. A 6-0 win combined with a 6-0 Forest loss would do it. That’s not gonna happen... thus Chris Wood is almost certainly staying in the Premier League. Sigh of relief. It was looking pretty dodgy for a while there.
Up Next: 3am on Monday, Nottingham Forest vs Burnley (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
Another milestone for EP. They simply do not cease. This time it’s a professional contract, fine reward for everything she’s been up to these past few months. Pijnenburg joined Feyenoord as an academy player in early 2023 and by the end of that year was starting to sneak into a few matchday squads. In February that led to a debut. Soon afterwards came her first start and she’s been a first eleven player ever since. Scored her first goal for the club in that time. Helped them make the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup. Got her maiden call-up to the New Zealand national team. All in the space of a few months, all whilst still technically an academy player.
That ain’t the case any longer because Pijnenburg has signed a two-year deal to remain at Feyenoord until June 2026. Great stuff from the 19 year old. Even had the folks there to witness the signatures.
Emma Pijnenburg: “I am proud to have signed my first contract with Feyenoord today. It has all happened very quickly in the past period. For me, the next goal now is to remain a permanent starting player for Feyenoord V1.”
Manon Melis, Feyenoord’s Director of Women’s Football: “It is wonderful to see what steps Emma has taken in a short time this season. She is experiencing excellent growth and has more than earned this first contract. We look with great interest at how her development will proceed in the coming years.”
All very happy, very encouraging. Pijnenburg then played a little over an hour in Feyenoord’s final game of the season, which they lost 2-1 to Utrecht. Leaves them with an eighth-placed finish. Comfortably clear of relegation with EP starting each of their final seven games (540 minutes), scoring once from right back. PSV Eindhoven won 3-1 vs Excelsior in their final match with Indi Riley getting 86 minutes. IPR finished with seven goals from 19 appearances (1260 mins) as PSV finished in third. Two very good individual seasons there, each progressing their careers in positive fashion.
Up Next: Time for a little rest, no doubt
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Look who’s been at it again...
An assist two weeks ago. A goal and an assist last week. Another goal this week. This goal just happens to look a lot like her other one as both were crosses from wide right which floated over the keeper and under the bar – with Rennie again celebrating this one in reserved fashion. But a goal is a goal, no need to get picky about it, and this one helped seal a 2-0 victory for Åland United against JyPK. Silja Tuomonen had opened the scoring ten minutes before the break. Rennie scored hers ten minutes after it.
Rennie also missed a great chance later on when a corner kick picked her out with a free header six yards out but she couldn’t keep it down. Didn’t matter. That’s seven points from three games with Rennie serving up the goal contributions after losing both of their matches prior to that. Rennie’s built nicely into this season, stepping up her impact from week to week to reach this point. AU also had a good win in the cup midweek though GR was given a rest for that one.
Up Next: PKKU vs Aland at 11pm on Saturday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Standard recent areas here with Empoli losing and Liberato Cacace only playing off the bench. At least he did get on a little earlier this time, chucked out there on 66’ with the Azzurri down by a goal against Lazio. They got a header on target from one of his corner kicks... but then they conceded again right at the end to go down 2-0.
Worse still is that Udinese won 2-0 away to Lecce which means that Empoli have dropped into the relegation zone with two rounds remaining. They play Udinese next so they could immediately solve that conundrum... or they could further doom themselves. There are four teams within two points of them on the table so even a draw there might lift them up, but they host Roma in the final week so it’d be way more efficient if they could just win that game comfortably and then see some other fortunate results elsewhere. Sweaty times.
Doesn’t help that they keep picking Giuseppe Pezzella ahead of Cacace when they’ve secretly been a way more effective team with LC on the pitch...
Cacace – 1822 mins | 17 starts | 1.03 Pts/Gm | -9 GD | -0.25 xG Diff/90
Pezzella – 995 mins | 13 starts | 0.78 Pts/Gm | -13 GD | -1.16 xG Diff/90
Empoli have scored a mere three goals in the almost 1000 minutes that Pezzella has been out there for. Three (3) goals... as an entire team. That’d be bad for an individual forward let alone the whole lot of them. Can’t blame a left-back for all of that but they’ve scored 20 times in the 1822 minutes that Cacace’s played. Two games remain with which to save themselves. We’re in need-a-hero territory now.
Up Next: An absolutely enormous season-defining game between Udinese and Empoli at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
Stamenic’s starting streak came to an end last midweek as he took a rest for a 1-0 win against Mladost. He returned to the walk-on side for their next match and played just under an hour in a 3-2 win against Radnički, with all of the scoring taking place in the first half. Cherif Ndiaye got a double. Radnički were briefly level in between. Hwang In-beom extended the lead though Radnički swiftly cancelled that out. No further goals though.
Not Red Star at their imperious best but they still won like they usually do. Stamenic smacked a low shot from thirty yards that was tipped around the post in the second minute of the match, though mostly he stuck to the defensive mahi at the base of midfield. This being the first home game since they secured the championship, it might have been the one where they handed out the trophy... but it seems they’d rather wait until the final round for those festivities. Fair enough. There’s a Serbian Cup final to be played soon also. That one is next Wednesday morning against Vojvodina.
Up Next: Friday at 5am away to Napredak in the SuperLiga (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
It’s been hard to track Matt Garbett lately because he’s been in and out for NAC Breda who have been up and down with their results. They only won one of their last eight Eerste Divisie games and there were some stinkers in there. The lone win was against Jong PSV and Garbett only got twenty minutes off the bench that day. He was back to start for the two subsequent games yet didn’t last ninety in either and NAC didn’t win either. Both draws... which saw them barely squeeze into the promotion playoffs by the skin of their teeth.
And then, stunningly, they beat Roda JC 3-1 in the first round home leg. Eighth against third and they won it with room to spare against a side that only missed out on automatic promotion in the final match when they were beaten 2-0 by Groningen who thus pipped them by goal difference. Three days later they had to rebound against an out-of-touch NAC Breda and they failed to do so. Alas, Garbett was only subbed on in the 78th minute so he didn’t do much. They might also rue the late goal they conceded which gives Roda a little momentum heading into the return fixture in a few days. Still, there wasn’t much optimism that NAC Breda would even avoid embarrassment in this tie let alone advance... now they’ve got a two-goal advantage heading into the away leg in a couple of days. Suddenly there’s hope.
Up Next: Roda vs NAC at 6am on Saturday (NZT)
Abby Erceg & Milly Clegg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Somewhere in the right-hand side of that image, in a pink bib, is Milly Clegg. Having been back in training for several weeks now, Clegg was included in a matchday squad for the first time when Racing Louisville hosted Washington Spirit. Didn’t get out there, as it happens RL only used one sub all match, but all in good time. This was a fresh milestone for an 18yo footballer who has already had plenty of those in her career. There hasn’t been a new kiwi debutant in the NWSL for over three years but the race is now on between Clegg and Macey Fraser, who herself has now arrived in the USA after her big money transfer to Utah Royals. Here’s a recent interview with Clegg talking about acclimatising.
Racing Lou still have Aotearoa’s finest ever NWSL representative in Abby Erceg, who wore the captain’s armband against the Spirit... but they weren’t up to much in this match. They conceded early as Croix Bethune’s shot took a double deflection (including off Erceg) on the way into the net in the fifth minute. Louisville got given a very fortunate penalty after 25 minutes but Savannah DeMelo missed it. Lauren Milliet scored an own goal on 34’ to make things worse for RL. DeMelo made amends in stoppage time with a brilliant direct free kick goal but chances were limited in the second half and Lou couldn’t find another. Didn’t seem to trust their bench to make an impact either.
Elsewhere we had another unused substitute nod for Ali Riley, watching on as Angel City conceded late to lose 1-0 against Houston Dash. Like, eighth minute of stoppage time type of late. ACFC had an injured left back and still Ali Riley had to stay sat as someone else was subbed on in her place. She’s lost her spot... but with Angel City losing again that might not last. Speaking of losses, Utah Royals went down 3-1 to Chicago Red Stars and still only have four points after nine matches. Macey Fraser can’t get ready soon enough. Racing Louisville also only have one win but their five draws are keeping them hovering.
Up Next: Sunday at 1.30pm, KC Current vs Racing Lou (NZT)
James McGarry - Aberdeen (Scottish Premiership)
Hey check it out, we got some James McGarry minutes. Top of the celebration pile after being subbed on in the 77th minute of what ended up being a 4-0 victory away to Hibernian (it was 3-0 at the time he was introduced, the pile-on came after the fourth goal). This was McGarry’s first appearance for two months, the last one being as a substitute in that infamous match where the Dons scored in the first minute then conceded on 90+6’ and 90+7’ to lose 2-1 to St Mirren. Surely the longest any team has ever held a lead in a game that they ended up losing.
McGarry got demoted to the naughty chair after that but this appearance went much better. This was actually just his third game of 2024, though that was mostly due to injury. Three is also how many managers the Dons have had this season. This was a third consecutive win for the Dons and if they can make it five in a row then they’ll finish top of the bottom half of the Scottish Premiership.
Up Next: Aberdeen vs Livingston on Thursday at 6.45am; Ross County vs Aberdeen on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkaugsliiga)
On the board in a 5-1 Suomen Cup victory against Reipas, making the most of a favourable early round opportunity. Sweet as. Haka also had a 2-0 win against SJK in the league. Whyte played the second half of the second half off the bench and got a yellow card. After losing their first match, it’s turned into a great start for Haka who have not been beaten again since with 11 points from six matches, only two points behind first place. Whyte’s only made one Veikkaugsliiga start so far but he’s appeared in every game.
Up Next: Ilves vs Haka at 5am on Saturday (NZT)
Jay Herdman & Finn Linder - Vancouver Whitecaps II (American MLS NEXT Pro)
Who doesn’t love a stoppage time winner? Jay Herdman sure does. Even better when he also set up the equaliser in the 78th minute with some fantastic work down the wing. Waxed his man then floated in a wonderful cross. Such good work that we might as well link that one too, right...
See, this is the talent that earned him an MLS debut a few weeks back and which is almost surely going to get him into the Olympic squad as well. A 4-3 win over LAFC’s reserves. Great result on the road. Great showcase for Jay Herdman... although Finn Linder did also start this game in the back three, but he went off injured late in the first half.
Up Next: Monday at midday, Colorado Rapids U23s vs Whitecaps II (NZT)
Owen Parker-Price, Dom Woolridge, Harry Moss-Edge & Sean Bright – Torslanda IK (Swedish Ettan Södra)
OPP for DW, that’s the good stuff. Pity it only ended up being a consolation goal in a 3-2 defeat against Falkenberg (former club of Matthew Garbett). Torslanda did win 3-1 against Ariana a few days later though. No goals or assists for the kiwi lads this time around but that’s alright. The win lifts them out of the relegation zone after that difficult start.
Up Next: Sunday at 2am away to Eskilsminne (NZT)
Quick note to say that if you rate the yarns on TNC, it’d help immensely if you supported the work on Patreon, with a Paid Substack, or on Buy Me A Coffee – only if you can spare it, of course
Also goes hard if you whack an ad, and do all those like/share/comment things
Keep cool but care