Flying Kiwis – May 21
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
There is very little room for sentimentality in football. If there was then the Wellington Phoenix would’ve won on the weekend. But there isn’t so Chris Wood had nothing to worry about as he returned to Turf Moor to play against Burnley on the final day of the Premier League season – fortunately with Burnley having already been relegated and Nottingham Forest having all but secured their own safety. There was a chance that this would end up as an effective relegation duel with the Woodsman trying to doom the club for whom he remains their all-time record EPL scorer. That fate, at least, was already determined.
Meaning there were no conflicts of emotional interest as a recalled Anthony Elanga immediately burst up the right wing and slammed a low cross towards the back post where Chris Wood expertly flipped it into the roof of the net. His finishing has been betraying him recently as he’s found himself in a wee slump. That slump ended after 77 seconds of this match. Beautifully done.
Then, wouldn’t you know it, he scored again after 13 minutes. This one stemmed from good spell of attack for Forest, though it was mostly down the left where everybody kept cutting in rather than crossing... so Woodsy went hunting for his meal by diverting a low shot from Ryan Yates (which was probably going wide) into the opposite corner to where the keeper had dived. He was instantly flagged offside but the VAR check confirmed that the right back had been lagging to keep him on.
Goals 13 and 14 for the season. He was happy to celebrate them too... which the fans may not have enjoyed but then the fans weren’t always as kind to him as they could have been, particularly around his departure. Also, while it’s only been a few years since he left Burnley... there are hardly any of his old teammates left there. When you go from Sean Dyche to Vincent Kompany that’s what happens. In fact, a couple of his old bros – Jack Cork and Johann Berg Gudmundsson – were on the bench for their final matches for the club ahead of offseason departures. The Dyche Days are well and truly gone. No room for sentimentality.
Other than those goals it was actually Burnley who were by far the more proactive team. They just couldn’t create much. Wood was absolutely gunning for a hat-trick after 55 minutes when Forest broke away with a 2v1 after Wood managed to time his run perfectly, staying in his own half until a split-second after the ball was played forward. Under ordinary circumstances he’d have slipped Callum Hudson-Odoi through on goal... but he hesitated and decided to go himself, ending with a shot fired over from the edge of the area. Nowhere near the chance that move deserved. To be fair, it did give CHO a taste of his own medicine for all the times he cuts and shoots rather than feeding Wood in the middle.
Yeah nah, that was all there was to it. Burnley pulled a goal back with twenty to go, Josh Cullen giving the fans something to remember with a deflected shot, but Nottingham Forest still won 2-1. Wood was subbed with about ten mins left. Capped his season off with a double. 14 goals overall ties his career best in the PL. It’s also second only to Stan Collymore for Nottm Forest, as that bloke bagged 22 of them in the 1994/95 campaign. Sweet as.
That goals to expected goals buffer had been getting rather slippery lately but this game put an emphatic fullstop on the matter. 14 goals from 11.7 xG, achieved from only 48 shots. He was tied with Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea for 12th on the Golden Boot ranks... only Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace scored more goals with fewer attempts. And that guy had two penalties within his haul. After only scoring eight times combined (for three different clubs) across the past two seasons, this was arguably Woodsy’s finest Premier League campaign. Many thanks to Nuno Espirito Santo for seeing the truth as soon as he took over as Forest manager.
Now for some chat...
Up Next: That’s for next season’s fixtures to decide
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
The Situation: Rangers and Celtic entered the final week of the season equal on points but with Celtic having a considerably higher goal difference with two games left for each. Vic Esson has been on a run of starts for Rangers, winning SWPL Team of the Week honours in consecutive rounds. But winning their own games isn’t enough. Having only drawn 0-0 with Celtic a few weeks ago, they also need their archrivals to drop points themselves, either against Hearts or against Hibs.
The midweek round did not offer much of the drama that Rangers required. Celtic vs Hearts and Rangers vs Hibernian kicked off simultaneously on Thursday morning. Celtic were 3-0 up by half-time so that was that one done and dusted. Two chances for them to drop points and the first was blown away in a hurry. It ended up being 3-1 to Celtic and that wasn’t nearly close enough.
Meanwhile Rangers sprayed several good chances before finally taking the lead against Hibs through a 31st minute Kirsty Howat goal. Apparently Howat was the only one with any composure because, as her teammates continued to miss chances, she would score twice more to make it a hat-trick. The Hibs goalie made an incredible 15 saves plus there was a clearance off the line from a defender. Rangers might have hit double digits if they were truly ruthless. Instead they nearly paid the price for their wastefulness as they conceded two late ones. 76’ and 90+1’ – the first goals Vic Esson had conceded for several weeks after four straight clean sheets. First goal she rushed up and wasn’t able to claim a free kick swirling into the rain. Second was a stitch-up from her defence who turned the ball over and left her in a 1v1. Rangers held on for the 3-2 win though. The title remained in the balance. Just had to better Celtic’s result in the final weekend.
This time Rangers scored early and kept it comfortable with a 4-0 victory over Partick Thistle. Back to the business of clean sheets for Victoria Esson. Didn’t have to do much to earn this one but that’s still five cleanies in six matches. All victories. No worries there, mate.
All the while, the SWPL title was creeping closer and closer towards their hands. As Rangers took the lead against Thistle, Celtic were still hovering at 0-0 against Hibs. As Rangers made it 4-0 against Thistle, Celtic remained stuck at 0-0 against Hibs. It was right there on the brink for RFC... until Amy Gallacher picked up the ball in the area, skipped past a couple of challenges, and picked out the bottom corner for a 90th minute league championship winning goal for Celtic Football Club. Talk about the moments you dream of. Sadly, that dream excluded Vic Esson from being able to lift the SWPL trophy, as Celtic instead claimed the first league title in their history. No treble for Rangers. Instead they’ll have to dust themselves off and try and make it a cup double as they face Hearts in the Scottish Cup final next week, having already won the League Cup earlier in the season.
Up Next: Rangers vs Hearts in the Scottish Cup final at 1.30am on Monday (NZT)
Matt Dibley-Dias - Fulham (English Premier League)
Every week now somebody wins a trophy. This week Matthew Dibley-Dias got to have that honour after his Fulham U21 side claimed the Premier League Cup. It’s always hard to judge with youth teams but this lot were brilliant on their way to this trophy. Once they hit the knockouts, they won 2-1 against Middlesbrough, beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the quarters, whipped Chelsea 4-0 in the semis, then thrashed Tottenham 4-0 in the final. Callum Osmand scored a first-half hatty in the final and yes of course MDD set one of them up. Rushing forward on the press, winning possession off the rival team’s captain.
MDD missed some time earlier in the season but once he got back to fitness he settled in comfortably in their midfield and regularly captained the side. This is a team that also finished third in the PL2 academy league. They’re an excellent youth team and Dibley-Dias is the bloke recognised as the foremost leader amongst them. Sadly the Premier League season passed by without him getting into another matchday squad but there’s little doubt he’ll be with them for preseason again... and he might just find his way into being an important player for the NZ Olympic team in the meantime. We can at least hope for as much.
Up Next: Olympics? Or Fulham first team footy?
Anna Leat – Aston Villa (English Super League)
For some mutually competitive reason, it seems like every time Vic Esson has a good week, Anna Leat also has a good week. And vice versa. The two top Football Ferns goalkeepers are pushing each other to new heights even when they’re not in camp together. So if Vic Esson had a solid week in a title race that didn’t quite work out, obviously Anna Leat was going to turn it up with title implications on the line too.
In her case, Aston Villa were the spoilers not the contenders. They faced Manchester City who needed to either improve upon Chelsea’s result against Manchester United or they needed to gain a three-goal swing on the differentials, i.e. if Chelsea won 3-0, City had to win 6-0. Well, Chelsea were 2-0 up within ten minutes and ended up beating the FA Cup champions 6-0 so if Man City were getting progress updates then they knew pretty quickly that it was going to need to be something outrageous. Believe it or not, City ended up attempting 31 shots and ten of those were on target which means that it actually could have happened. It could have happened... had they not run into Anna Leat on a day ending in ‘y’.
AVFC lost 2-1. Mary Fowler put one away in the 21st minute and it remained at 1-0 until Rachel Daly predictably popped up with an equaliser against the run of play. Lauren Hemp did eventually win it for City in the 77th minute but it was too little too late by then. Not often do you see a player score a late winner only to be in tears getting consoled after the final whistle... Man City did their arithmetic. They had to go wild and Anna Leat refused to let that happen. Guess who got the Player of the Day nod?
Anna Leat: “Yeah nah, thank you. It was a busy one but the girls all put in a shift last game of the season. It was good. Everyone loves playing here and coming out on our own turf we knew City was going to come at us and we just had to hold down the fort. It’s awesome playing here with all the fans. Obviously it’s a huge game for them. We’d secured seventh. But you just have to play football at the end of the day. I just wanted to play my best game.”
Lovely way to end the season. Even though they lost, it was a big occasion and they turned in a strong performance with nothing to lose. This was ACFC manager Carla Ward’s last game before taking a break from management. It also, just sneakily, might have been Anna Leat’s last game for the club. She’s off contract now and rumour is that she’s not expected to return. Regular Villan number one Daphne van Domselaar has been strongly linked with Arsenal while it seems that Arsenal backup Sabrina D’Angelo might head in the other direction. It’s all speculation at this point... but if Leat’s leaving it’ll be to further her career in some capacity. Ideally with a starting gig somewhere.
Leat made seven WSL appearances this year, keeping two clean sheets and serving up one of the better save percentages (74.2%) going around. Numerous cup games as well but hopefully we’ve moved past the cup specialist back-up duties now. This performance against Manchester City might just be the final slice of evidence that proves it.
Up Next: Football Ferns vs Japan in a few weeks, leading into the Olympics
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
Leicester City also lost their last match of the season but there were far fewer positives to fall back upon after a 4-0 loss at home against Liverpool. First two goals were headers from wide crosses. Second two goals were counter attacks with strong finishes. We did at least get CJ Bott back in the starting eleven, out there making tackles as usual. Five more here means she’s ended up seventh in the entire WSL for both tackles attempted and also tackles won, despite missing time through injury and thus playing less than anyone above her. She’s also second only to Ashleigh Neville of Spurs for tackles in the defensive third.
CJB’s wrapped up with 20 appearances this season (one more than last time). Big improvement in her passing amidst a huge increase in touches. She’s remained one of the best ball-winners in the competition while adding plenty to her technical game... that’s what we love to see. She’s got another year under contract with the Foxes, who will have a new manager next season.
Up Next: Season over, quick rest and then into the internationals
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Tottenham Hotspur finished their WSL season with a 3-1 win over West Ham, finishing sixth on the ladder. They also made the FA Cup final (remember they beat CJ Bott’s Leicester City in the semis), where they lost 4-0 to Manchester United. Really strong campaign from Tottenham but Ria Percival hasn’t been seen hanging out amongst the squad since her Crystal Palace loan ended. Obviously ineligible to play since there’s no transfer window in which to register her. But she wasn’t in their big squad photo after the WHU game. All indications seem to hint at a permanent move to Crystal Palace now that they’ve been promoted. And you know what? Ria’s already on record with it...
Ria Percival: “I’m one that likes to stay at a team long-term. I’ve felt since two weeks of being here that I would love to stay. I feel it has become a home. There aren’t many teams where you will settle so quickly. Coming in when I did, it was nice to step into a team where all the players get on. We’re really tight as a unit and our football this season has been some of the best we’ve played as a club. We’ve got a good mix of ages, and we’ve fought hard to get up to the WSL for next season.”
She does have another year on her Spurs contract but it’s doubtful there’d be much of a playing role there for her to go back to. On the other hand, Palace view her as a key veteran and will be desperate for that top flight experience, especially if they struggle to retain all of their best players from this term (as sadly does happen to promoted teams with a lot of one-year contracts going around). At this stage it just makes sense for all parties.
Up Next: Getting that Palace deal done
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
She cannot be stopped! Gabi Rennie pounced on a loose defensive pass in the third minute of Aland United’s match against PKKU. Bad pass but also you can see how Rennie anticipates it and then her finish was all class. Soon afterwards she lobbed another of those wicked right wing crosses in for Aada Törrönen who needed two goes to bury it but bury it she did, another assist for Rennie.
Her team would score again through Olivia Ulenius on 26’ for a rapid 3-0 lead and it could have been more. Rennie had a close range chance charged down by a brave keeper and also put a strong header on target but straight at that same goalie. Instead they conceded on 34’ and never did find another. Thankfully they never conceded another either. Fairly comfortable 3-1 win against the bottom team in the standings. Should’ve been more, no dramas, that’s 10 points from their past four matches and AU are up to fourth after six rounds.
That’s all well and good but how about Gabi Rennie? Three games in a row in which she’s scored and she leads the Kansallinen with four assists. Going back through the games, it seems she was given the assist for a goal that was scored a couple of weeks ago after she’d (cleverly) dummied over pass... must have gotten a touch on that because otherwise we can only count three. No arguments here. Three goals and four assists in her first six games as a professional – incredibly that exactly matches her goal contributions from her entire combined four year college career in the United States: three goals and four assists.
Up Next: AU vs PK-35 at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Now this is a remarkable footballing tale. Strap yourself in for this, maybe even refresh your drink. About a week ago, NAC Breda were in a dodgy having only won once in their final eight matches of the Eerste Divisie season. Annoyingly, the one game that they won was the one game that Matt Garbett didn’t start during that stretch. They still did enough to scrape into the promotion playoffs but only by goal difference as the lowest qualifying team and nobody really expected them to last very long.
Especially not having been drawn against Roda JC who themselves were mere moments away from automatic promotion. In fact, there was a pitch invasion in Roda’s penultimate game from fans who thought they’d already gotten the job done... only to find out that Groningen had scored a late goal in the other match to remain in contention. Groningen then beat Roda JC 2-0 in the last round to pip them on goal difference, hence Roda had to dip back into the playoffs instead. Both of these teams making the playoffs via goal difference but in contrasting ways.
But NAC Breda caught them out with a 3-1 win in the first leg, throwing the cat amongst the pigeons. A late concession did seem to open the door back up for Roda JC and most pundits still assumed that the higher seeded team would figure it out at home in the second leg. Yet they did not. NAC Breda were able to hang around for most of the first half and then they scored right before the break. Then again right after it. Then Matt Garbett, who played off the bench in both of these matches, came on and instantly set up a third goal with a superb through ball...
At that stage, an already emotionally shattered Roda JC team pretty much capitulated. They’d concede twice more before the game was through, losing 5-0 on the day and 8-1 on aggregate. They were so close to promotion that they were already celebrating it three weeks ago and now they’ve been bundled out of the playoffs in the first round. Stunning. Needless to say, the home fans did not dig it. Beer cups were thrown onto the pitch after the goal that Garbett set up, leading to a delay of the game under the guidelines in Dutch football that stipulate the ref must take the players off the field whenever debris is thrown onto the playing area. The same thing then happened again after the next goal which technically means that the game was supposed to be suspended and finished off the following day with an empty stadium... but thankfully the refs were able to bend the rules and get things finished. NAC Breda are marching onwards.
They face FC Emmen in the next round. Two more legs, then one more round after that if they manage to progress. Den Haag and Excelsior are in the other promotion semi, with Excelsior having dropped down from the Eredivisie to try and save their position. Doubtful that any of these other teams are as brittle as Roda JC proved to be but at the same time perhaps NAC Breda have rediscovered their confidence. Of course this does now mean that their last three wins have all come with Garbett on the bench... but he still popped up with an assist and that’s a fair sacrifice if it gets them into the Dutch top flight.
Up Next: Home vs FC Emmen at 6am on Weds; Away vs FC Emmen at 2.30am on Sun (NZT)
Abby Erceg & Milly Clegg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
One day this Racing Louisville team will win again instead of all of these infernal draws. One day they might use more than one or two substitutes as well. But that day was not the day that they hosted league leaders Kansas City Current over the weekend. Milly Clegg was on the bench for the second time however they only used two subs and she wasn’t one of them so that debut continues to wait (although she has proven herself fit enough to get back into the next Football Ferns squad). And, yes, once again Louisville were condemned to drawsville. But at least this draw came with some of this...
Air Erceg. Set piece specialist. That goal means she’s now scored in eight consecutive A-League seasons... although never more than twice in a single league campaign so that’s the next thing to aim for. She did seem to head it into the shoulder of the defender so perhaps a bit fortunate they didn’t classify it as an own goal. Don’t tell anybody about that, just in case.
Fair play, this game was a chaotic thrill. RL took the lead on 18’ through Emma Sears with a cross that floated in over the goalie. Great start to the game against a very good opponent but then a silly bit of defending cost them a penalty just before half-time when Vanessa DiBernardo took her eye off the ball and didn’t see an attack creep in front of her. Lo’eau LaBonta scored the spot kick then Michelle Cooper put KCC into the lead ten mins into the second half. Wasn’t looking great at that stage... until Erceg gave Louisville their first (and surely not last) kiwi goal of the year.
If they were going to throw Clegg on, they probably either needed to be comfortably winning or narrowly losing. Instead they were drawing and happy with that as an outcome. Possibly too happy because KCC took control of proceedings leading to a 90+2nd minute goal from Gabrielle Robinson (big looping deflection on the shot, unlucky) which had all the makings of a late winner... until Savannah DeMelo did something special in the thirteenth minute added on. Super run. Super finish. And, just quietly, it all began from a lobbed ball forward from Abby Erceg so give her an assist to go with the goal. 3-3 final score. Six draws from nine matches for Racing Louisville.
Up Next: 11.30am on Sunday away to Chicago Red Stars (NZT)
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Look who’s touched down in the United States of America. Not just Macey Fraser either, but also Utah’s new Spanish defender Ana Tejada – two young internationals who it’ll be hoped can give this Royals team a little juice because they’re not tracking so well as it is. Fraser and Tejada are going to be given some time to get acclimatised, hence neither was available as they were beaten 1-0 by North Carolina Courage to make it four losses in a row. Only four points from ten matches. Might want to speed up that acclimatisation process, aye? Word from Royals HQ is that the pair didn’t travel for that game but will “participate in full training when the team returns to Utah”. Meanwhile Ali Riley was out injured as Angel City lost 4-2 away against Washington Spirit.
Up Next: Utah Royals vs Kansas City Current on Sunday at 2pm (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Standard areas here. Bellinho set up the third goal in a 3-0 win away to Sandefjord. It was an expected win against a club that looks like they’re heading for a relegation scrap but still a good way to bounce back after losing 4-1 to Lilleström in their previous game. Overall VFK sit fifth after nine games played. They could go ahead of Molde and into the European spots if they win their game in hand.
Up Next: Viking vs HamKam at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
This is where we pause for some negativity. Empoli had a massive relegation contest against Udinese this week, pretty much needing to win for their best chance to stay up. But they chose to do the silly thing and left Cacace on the bench as an unused sub. You know how that goes. They did have a goal disallowed in the first half. Then they won a milked penalty with minutes remaining which was converted by M’Baye Niang, their penalty specialist, but the long VAR review meant heaps of stoppage time and right at the end of it Jacopo Fazzini thought it necessary to drag an Udinese player back by the jersey to prevent a goal. Maybe it was necessary. But Lazar Samardzic scored the spot kick anyway and it ended 1-1.
Sassuolo lost their game so nothing to worry about there. They’ve joined Salernitana in getting relegated. The worry stems from the fact that Empoli’s failure to close out this win keeps Udinese (and Verona) one point ahead of them. Empoli’s final game is against Roma. Maybe they’ll take it easy on them with sixth place all but locked up... but Roma are still a much better side than Empoli are and Empoli absolutely cannot lose that game. They can’t even afford to draw unless Verona or Udinese go and get beaten by double figures. Nope, it’s going to have to be three points or relegation and for some reason they keep insisting on picking Giuseppe Pezzella ahead of Liberato Cacace despite the team having had much more success with Libby out there instead. This was the seventh game in which Cacace has played no part and Empoli have lost five and drawn two, scoring twice and conceding seventeen.
Dunno what would happen if Empoli get the drop. Cacace has another year under contract so maybe he stays and helps them get promoted back up again. Or maybe they try to cash in on a 23 year old international with a year to go on his deal. Who can say? Hopefully they beat Roma and it’s all hypothetical. But what we can say for sure is that this is a conundrum that Sarpreet Singh will have to solve because, as expected, Hansa Rostock were defeated 2-1 by Paderborn (despite having been 1-0 up after 70 minutes). That means they don’t even get the dignity of a playoff. Straight down. Second year in a row that Singh has been relegated from the 2.Liga and this time there’s no end of loan escape clause. Singh was obviously suspended for this game. Free Sarpreet and Free Libby.
Up Next: Empoli vs Roma at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
James McGarry - Aberdeen (Scottish Premiership)
You know what’s even better than James McGarry finally getting back on the pitch for six minutes of Aberdeen’s match last week? James McGarry getting ninety minutes in the fixture immediately after. Midweek against already-relegated Livingston, fine opportunity for some rotation, McGarry comes in at left back... and the Dons win 5-1 in one of their better performances of late.
McGarry played all ninety minutes. Only the second time he’s done that with Aberdeen. This was his first start since December 30 and his ninth start overall from 16 appearances. Two reasons why those starts have been scarce: one is that they’ve lost five of them (although that’s secretly a better record than most of his teammates across a tricky campaign), two is that he’s twice been subbed off injured after starting (including once after only six minutes). He didn’t get a preseason after joining from Central Coast Mariners and has been hampered by multiple muscle injuries along the way. Performances could have been more impactful but remember he’s trying to adjust to a higher level and doing so without getting much match rhythm.
Hence why this game was so important for him... even if he didn’t really do much. Livingston are last in the relegation rounds and had already kinda given up. It was a close game while it remained level and it remained level for quite a while. Livingston had a few good chances, including a shot from outside the area which flew high after McGarry had rushed up and missed the tackle. Left him limping after an awkward slide but he was alright. 0-0 at the break. Then, suddenly, Livingston took a 52nd minute lead after they were awarded a convenient penalty for a minor handball. It turned out to be the worst thing for them.
Six minutes later, Junior Hoillett levelled from a direct free kick. McGarry was also standing over it but the angle was better for the right-footer and JH swept it inside the post with precision. Then it all went nuts with the Dons scoring four times in the final twenty minutes. Hoillett got two goals with two assists. Emphatic in the end. 5-1 final score.
They’d play their last game of the term shortly after, drawing 2-2 away to Ross County with McGarry this time an unused substitute. The Dons played the last 25 mins with ten men after centre-back Angus MacDonald was sent off. The draw meant that Ross County were relegated, it also kept Aberdeen clear at the top of the relegation phase having won five out of six matches once push came to shove. A new manager is taking over for next season, Jimmy Thelin, and there are expected to be a few ins and outs with the contract situations of various players. McGarry’s deal has two more years to run.
No sign of Callan Elliot for Motherwell, by the way. The Scottish media are reporting that he’s signed with Auckland FC (as we’ve kinda known since before he signed with Motherwell) which was strangely referred to by the Daily Record as “[causing] Stuart Kettlewell a right back headache”... even though Elliot literally never played for Motherwell and barely ever made the bench. Hard to imagine how much one bloke’s departure could upset the plans when he was never even in those plans to begin with. Seems like this was a keep-busy deal for Elliot: training at a high level, hoping for a game, but mostly staying fit for the next A-League season. It does mean that he’s had two stints in Europe, one with Xanthi in Greece and one with Motherwell in Scotland, without ever debuting for either.
Up Next: An actual preseason for Jimmy McGarry, probably
Nando Pijnaker & Max Mata – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Alrighty, that was sooner than expected. It was always the plan for Max Mata to return to Shrewsbury Town for preseason but it looks like he’ll get his holidays beforehand too because his Sligo Rovers loan has come to an end as the English league season has come to an end in mid-May. Mata provided four goals and three assists in 14 appearances on return to the Bit’o’Red. Good boost in confidence. Good run of appearances. The coach there says he’ll keep in touch in case another return is ever on the cards... but for now the focus shifts to trying to prove himself with the Shrews under manager Paul Hurst, whose hiring in January pretty much coincided with Mata’s matchday chances disappearing.
As for Nando Pijnaker, we haven’t seen him since the start of April as he continues to recover from the broken ribs he suffered in a defeat against St Patrick’s Athletic. That means zero New Zealanders in those Sligo Rovers matchday squads for the immediate future, as Pijnaker will probably still need a few more weeks. He was in very good form to begin the campaign and without him things have plummeted. Ironically, St Pat’s are the only team they’ve beaten since his injury.
Sligo Rovers with Nando:
8 G | 3 W | 3 D | 2 L | 11 GF | 7 GA | +4 GD | 12 PTS
Sligo Rovers without Nando:
8 G | 1 W | 3 D | 4 L | 3 GF | 11 GA | -8 GD | 6 PTS
So... yeah, fingers crossed that Nando’s back sooner than later. They lost 3-0 to Bohemians this weekend without either Mata or Pijnaker.
Up Next: Away to Derry City on Saturday at 6.45am (NZT)
Riley Bidois - Loudon United (American USL Championship)
Look at that, first pro goal for Riley Bidois. Clever wee finish. This goal got them started in what ended up being a 3-0 win against Monterey Bay, who were reduced to ten men late in the first half. Good impressive result. Congrats to Bids.
If you check the stats you might also notice another familiar name: Trevor Zwetsloot featured off the bench (and got a yellow card) for Loudon United. He’s been off the scene since finishing up with Pittsburgh Riverhounds last year but recently signed a 25-day contract with Loudon United so hopefully that goes good and Biddy can have some kiwi company. Former Wellington Phoenix Academy Technical Director Steve Coleman is an assistant coach with Loudon United too.
Up Next: Away to LAFC in the US Open Cup round of sixteen on Wednesday at 2.30pm; Orange County vs Loudon United on Sunday at 2pm (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
Up Next: Season’s done, contract’s signed... nothing to worry about
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