Flying Kiwis – May 28
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Libby Cacace and his Empoli team were heading towards relegation. Udinese were on their way to a 1-0 win over Frosinone in the other game which meant that nothing short of victory would suffice for the Azzurri, who were at home against sixth-placed Roma. They had scored first through Matteo Cancellieri after only 13 minutes but then conceded an equaliser in first half stoppage time and too many half-chances had gone astray since then.
This all could have been avoided had they not drawn with Udinese last week. A 90th minute penalty had put them on the brink of exactly what they needed only to then give away an even later penalty (90+13’ by the time it was taken), leaving them needing to win against Roma instead. There was a scenario in which they could have drawn and Frosinone won where they’d have gotten a two-legged relegation playoff against Udinese (which as of last season is how they now work the tiebreaker for relegation-specific scenarios rather than goal difference – very cool initiative)... but Frosinone lost so that turned out to be moot.
Cacace was an unused substitute in that Udinese draw. After he came off the bench to set up a late winner against Torino in early April, it wasn’t unreasonable to think he might play a big role down the home straight of the season. Instead he didn’t start any of the next six games... with Empoli taking just five points from those matches to sink towards the brink of relegation. Giuseppe Pezzella has been fine for Empoli this season, when fit, but the team has always been way more effective when Cacace has played. Finally, at the last possible opportunity, Cacace was recalled for this Roma game and went on to play all ninety minutes. Davide Nicola, thank you for listening.
He was fantastic too. Most of Empoli’s moves began on Cacace’s left edge, with LC progressing things either steadily or with a rapid burst. You know the ones. He took on a few defenders when the moment arose and whipped in some tasty crosses. Did what he needed to do defensively. But it wasn’t looking like it was going to be enough... until the third minute of time added-on when Cancellieri got forward from wide on the right and slipped a clever ball infield for M’Baye Niang who drilled it low first time past the keeper and the whole damn stadium erupted. Empoli closed out the remaining minutes. The final whistle blew and the crowd rushed the pitch to celebrate with the team (who for their part quickly rushed back into the sheds for a safer environment). Empoli had done it.
A 2-1 win means that they retain their Serie A status for a club record fourth season in a row. It helped them that Roma were guaranteed sixth place no matter what happened, this being a team that beat Empoli 7-0 in the reverse fixture (needless to say Cacace was an unused sub that day). Cacace made 31 appearances throughout the season. They didn’t win any of the seven matches that he missed. In the 1922 minutes that he played, the team scored 1.04 goals and conceded 1.40 per ninety (-0.36). With Pezzella on the pitch (1085 mins), Empoli scored 0.33 goals and conceded 1.40 per ninety (-1.07). Four goals in the equivalent of twelve full matches.
Here’s hoping they hire a new stats analyst ahead of next season... but the important thing is that somehow some way they’ve managed to remain in the Italian top division. Wasn’t looking good for a while there, can’t lie, but a very, very late goal got them over the finish line. Cacace only has one more season on his current deal so that could be something to keep an eye on, though regardless of that we’ve avoided the worst-case scenario of relegation.
Up Next: A large sigh of relief
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
Scottish Cup Champion Victoria Esson. There’s a ring to that, don’t you think? Just like Scottish League Cup Champion Vic Esson had a ring to it a few months ago.
This was a revenge-filled cup double for Esson because Rangers actually made the Scottish Cup final last season too except on that day they were beaten 2-0 by Celtic. Esson was in goal for that match. They did manage to win the League Cup last season but she was an unused sub for that one. Played the final they lost, didn’t play the final they won. However, Rangers returned to both of those finals this year and Esson made up for those previous experiences with victorious performances to match her first name. A 4-1 win over Partick Thistle earned back to back League Cups for Rangers, now a 2-0 win over Hearts has seen them lift the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history.
This final came at the end of the best run of starts that Esson’s ever had in a Rangers jersey. As their season has gotten to crunch time, Esson has made eight consecutive appearances. Cup semi-final. SWPL title race. Cup final. She was there for all the good stuff. This match just happened to provide her sixth clean sheet across those eight consecutive appearances.
Several of those other cleanies were exercises in goalkeeping simplicity, to be honest, with barely a save to make let alone any tough ones. VE did keep two shutouts against Celtic during that time so they don’t all fall into that category, no way... yet this one was another of the simple ones. Esson did have to be alert to cut out a low cross in the first half but that was the only intervention deemed worthy of the highlights package – though there was a stretching save later on as well. Nothing fancy. Meanwhile Rachel McLaughlan scored a brilliant long range goal to put Rangers up 1-0 after 24 minutes and they continued to push for a second until Lizzie Arnot finally gave them that on 86’. It was a close game for a long time but Hearts never looked like scoring. 2-0 was the result. Get those medals.
The only thing missing for Rangers this season was the SWPL title. Sadly, they missed out on the league via goal difference to Celtic. You read about that one last week. Still, a cup double with Champions League qualification means that everything else went as well as it possibly could. Also, check who got nominated for SWPL Player of the Month for May...
Up Next: See if she won that POTM award, then see if she’s gonna get a new contract
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
Wouldn’t you know it, Marko Stamenic has won another trophy. Chuck the Serbian Cup onto the pile, having already won the Serbian SuperLiga. This after also doing a League + Cup double with FC København last season. Utterly unprecedented areas for a kiwi footballer to be doing the double in consecutive seasons in different countries, let alone whilst playing Champions League for both. We’ve been counting down for this moment and, as expected, it has come into reality.
The Serbian Cup final went about as anticipated against Vojvodina. The underdogs put up a decent fight but Red Star dominated throughout and easily deserved their victory. Marko Stamenic started as a defensive midfielder, as he has done in every round since the first, and played 74 minutes. Did get a yellow card after 20 minutes but otherwise looked comfortable as Mirko Ivanic (37’) and Uros Spajic (65’) scored the goals that sent Red Star onwards to victory. Vojvodina did get one back deep into stoppage time but that was late enough as to only be a consolation. 2-1 to Crvena zvezda.
Stamenic could have had an assist within the first ten minutes when he slipped a ball in for Ivanic. He also won possession a couple of times leading to other chances, plus there was one that he dummied over early on where he could potentially have taken the shot himself. Next time he was in that position he did shoot... but couldn’t get his feet set up and flunked it wide. All of that was within the first fifteen minutes. When they eventually did score, it was Stamenic’s cross that instigated it. He picked out Cherif Ndiaye who nodded across to Ivanic to finish. From there, Red Star had a couple of goals disallowed for close offsides before they eventually scored the second from a corner. Stamenic was subbed soon after that but was back on the pitch before long for the trophy presentation.
After which came the last league game of the season. Nothing on the line there so Stam only featured off the bench for the last dozen minutes of a 4-1 win against Čukarički. Routine footballing activities, wrapping up a season in which Red Star played 37 times and won 31 with 3 draws and 3 defeats whilst scoring 94 goals and conceding just 28. The title race was in doubt at the halfway stage when they sacked their previous manager but they were borderline flawless from that point onwards, winning by 18 clear points. Only drama is that they will have to go through Champions League qualifiers because Serbia’s coefficient has been damaged enough that there’s no more automatic group stage entry... largely because of how much Red Star themselves have underperformed in the continental stuff these past several years.
Stamenic appeared in 27 of those league games (plus eight more in other comps, including four UCL appearances). One goal in the SuperLiga. One goal in the Champions League. Eight combined yellow cards. He had a couple of stints on the outer but overall he played way more than expected in year one – this being easily his most prominent season as a senior pro. He’s only just getting started.
Up Next: Four more UCL apps and he’ll surpass Wynton Rufer... just sayin’
Daisy Cleverley - HB Køge (Danish Kvindeliga)
DC has done it again. Two weeks ago she’d not started a game since before the winter break. Then she got given a rare go in the eleven for a massive fixture against Brøndby and she scored in a 2-0 win. Cleverley was rewarded for that effort by getting to keep her starting eleven spot for the match away to Kolding... where she scored twice in a 4-0 win.
The first of those goals came in just the third minute of the match. Cornelia Kramer and Cecilie Fløe got the other goals. Nice and convincing. Clev played 70 mins before being subbed off with the job already well done. Still no sign of Claudia Bunge though. Unused sub duty for five straight games meaning she hasn’t gotten on the pitch since March. At least Bunge should see some game time during the international window.
HBK have two more games remaining in their season and are three points adrift of Champions League qualification. That’s still a distinct possibility. They probably can’t catch Nordsjælland in first given that there’s a five point gap there but if FCN beats Brøndby in the final round and HBK wins their last two matches then they would likely slide into second place on goal difference (unless BIF does something crazy in their other game like hits double figures or whatever). A couple more Daisy Cleverley goals ought to help with that prospect. She’s up to four goals now... which ties her for second-place across her entire team. Kramer has six, then it’s Cleverley, Alyssa Mae Walker, and Olivia Garcia all with four each. They share the burden at HBK, that’s for sure.
Up Next: International break... then away to AGF at 11pm on Saturday 8 June (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)
Meanwhile at the very tip top of the Kvindeliga...
Had ‘em worried for a minute there. For 73 minutes, in fact. That’s how long the FCN vs Fortuna Hjørring match remained goalless, putting ith Nordsjælland on the brink of handing control in the title race over to Brøndby... until Anna Walter shaped up on her defender and smashed home a great finish at the near post for the winning goal. 1-0 to FCN. Massive result which keeps them two points clear atop the ladder.
Malia Steinmetz played ninety minutes at the base of midfield where she set the foundations with 88% passing accuracy and a bunch of tackles/interceptions. Doing what she does best. With two rounds left, it’s still all on course for Brøndby vs Nordsjælland on 16 June NZT to be the match that decides where the trophy goes. Brøndby won 4-0 against AGF in their match. Once again there was no sight of Ally Green for AGF – like Claudia Bunge, she’s not taken the pitch since March. That’s two months of unused substitute service. Very annoying because she’d been doing so well for club and country until they signed someone else in her position and she suddenly disappeared down the depth chart.
Up Next: After the international break we’ve got Nordsjælland vs Kolding at midnight on 9 June (NZT)
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Macey Fraser only arrived in the USA about a fortnight ago and didn’t start training with the club until they returned from a 1-0 loss away to North Carolina Courage. Coach Amy Rodriguez may have teased an acclimatisation process for Fraser but apparently seven days was long enough because she was straight onto the bench for their next game – at home versus Kansas City Current.
That was an undefeated KCC team who also happen to be the highest scorers in the league against a Utah side that are the lowest scorers and on an eight-game winless streak. Not the easiest situation to rock up into, but a situation which probably helped Fraser’s case since the Royals are desperate for that outside help. Ana Tejada, a Spanish international centre-back who was signed at the same time as Fraser, also made her debut in this match. Starting eleven duties for her (Tejada was booked inside of three minutes but otherwise looked very good – particularly when on the ball).
See, Macey Fraser’s not in Utah for a holiday. The Royals said from the very start that they signed her expecting a player who could give them playing minutes from the get-go. Sure enough, that meant a debut at the first opportunity. With about a dozen minutes remaining in the match, Macey Fraser was subbed on in place of captain Paige Monahan. Bringing the long-sleeves to Rio Tinto Stadium. Fraser therefore won the race between herself and her old U20s teammate Milly Clegg to become the seventh New Zealander to play NWSL. Clegg should become number eight soon enough. The two of them are following in the footsteps of: Abby Erceg, Emma Kete, Katie Bowen, Rosie White, Rebekah Stott, and Ali Riley.
The state of the game allowed for roughly twenty minutes of Fraser funkiness, including stoppage time. Kansas City Currents were leading 1-0 and it probably should have been a lot more. KCC had been finding ways not to score all game, from misses to saves to penalties declined and all sorts. Fraser came on in the midfield and immediately completed a few passes. There was one sharp tackle followed by a quick turn to open up room for a safe pass backwards. She tried her luck with a long shot, though the keeper saved it comfortably without having to move. Utah were at the stage where any shot is a good shot and you do love to see that confidence from a kiwi on debut in a league as strong as this. She did also get shoved off the ball another time so the physicality will certainly take some getting used to... but she looked at home at the higher level.
Sadly, Utah lost 1-0. Never really mustered a good chance in the closing stages and they’ve now lost five matches on the trot. Four points from 11 matches this season. Dead last on the ladder. At least Fraser’s cameo did offer them a bit of encouragement moving forwards.
Up Next: Utah Royals vs Washington Spirit, next Sunday at 11.30am (NZT)
Abby Erceg & Milly Clegg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Just a few hours before that Macey Fraser debut, we had our third opportunity for a Milly Clegg debut. Three weeks in a row she’s made that Louisville bench... though again the team didn’t even get close to using their allotted subs so that debut will have to wait at least two more weeks (given that there’s an international window to get through now). But that’s all good because something more immediately important happened instead: Racing Louisville won a game.
Yes, they beat Chicago Red Stars 1-0 away from home. Abby Erceg against the team that she made her NWSL debut for way back in 2014. Keeping a well-earned clean sheet after Emma Sears, their rookie forward (who just signed a new deal and is more than four years older than Milly Clegg), scored an excellent goal after 26 minutes. Really nice finish after Chicago inexplicably gave her all the time in the world to bring down a loose ball in the area. Despite producing one of their best attacking performances all year, especially in the first half, Racing Lou struggled to find a second goal to emphasise the afternoon. Nevertheless that was alright because Erceg and the crew held it down in defence. Couple of important saves by Katie Lund in there too. GIven how many late goals they’ve conceded this year they needed a close one like this to show they can handle a lead.
No need for the Abby Erceg goal and assist show that we got last game. Instead she simply had to protect the gates, which she did with five clearances, a blocked shot, a tackle, 87% passing accuracy, and so forth. While this was only RL’s second win of the campaign, their six draws have at least kept the points ticking over so they’re up to eighth off the back of this result. With only two defeats from ten matches, the two undefeated leaders (Orlando Pride and Kansas City Currents) are the only teams with fewer defeats.
Up Next: Racing Lou vs Houston Dash at midday on Saturday 8 June (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Last game of the season and Callum McCowatt was subbed on for the last half hour against title-favourites FC Midtjylland (Winston Reid’s old club, once upon a time)... and he scored the equalising goal in the 82nd min. Slick work collecting a short free kick just inside the area. One touch to set it up and one touch to stroke it through the crowd and into the net. We’re talking about a fifth Superliga goal of the campaign for McCowatt and his eighth across all competitions. Fine mahi. Add in the Danish Cup triumph, which earns Silkeborg a Europa League spot despite their sixth-placed finish, and it was a wonderful first season in the Danish top flight for CM.
That’s the perspective we’re here for... but there was also incredible story unfolding simultaneously because this goal very nearly cost Midtjylland the league title. Defending champs FC København were on course to win again until they only took one point from their final three fixtures – one of those being a 2-1 defeat to FCM. But then Midtjylland drew with Nordsjælland to leave them in a tricky spot. A win against Silkeborg would still do the trick... but anything less and the door was open for Brøndby to come swooping through and claim the trophy. As we know, McCowatt’s goal meant that FCM did not beat Silkeborg. Yet at the same time Brøndby were beaten 3-2 by AGF to ensure that Midtjylland take the spoils by a single point.
There will also be another New Zealander in the Danish Superliga next season with McCowatt’s old mate Dalton Wilkins getting promoted with Sønderjyske – who’ve already wrapped up the Division 1 title. More on him next week because they still have another game remaining.
Also, interesting to note that Elijah Just has only started one of AC Horsen’s last five games. He had something of a transfer saga a few months ago amidst a poor season from the club (finishing bottom half of Div.1 after being relegated). Could be that this next one proves to be his last game for ACH... although he does have two more years on his contract so it also could easily not be the case.
Up Next: Silkeborg have wrapped things up so focus on Sønderjyske vs Kolding instead... Dalton Wilkins against his previous team at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
The journey continues. Defying all form and expectations, NAC Breda are now only two games away from promotion to the Eredivisie. This is a proud club with a strong top flight history, with one of the biggest supporter bases in the country, but they have not been in the top flight since 2018-19. Maybe, just maybe, that drought could be coming to an end.
Last week’s efforts against Roda JC, where they destroyed that team’s entire soul with an 8-1 aggregate victory, set them up with a clash against FC Emmen. Now, as we’ve established this has mostly been happening with Matt Garbett as a substitute. They haven’t won a game with him in the starting line-up since January... which coincidentally was a 3-2 win over FC Emmen in which Garbett scored. He’s had some injuries during that time and has still played his part in some victories as a substitute (not the least of which being his lovely assist in the 5-0 away leg win vs Roda a week ago). So no need to panic. Promotion to the Eredivisie is worth more than all the rest of it and NAC Breda now only have to get past Excelsior to achieve that.
The first leg against Emmen played into some doubts over whether they could repeat their Roda performances against a team that was not already psychically broken. They were at home and the crowd was right up for it... yet converting chances into goals again proved an issue. They did manage to take the lead through Sigurd Haugen on 38’ with a wonderful lunging header but they also left the door open for Emmen who eventually tied things up with an 82nd minute penalty for handball. Garbett was only introduced after the penalty and even then they were mostly just trying to hang on and not lose. 1-1 final score.
Thus they had to get the job done on the road in the second leg. And that they did. This one felt different from the very start, as Breda hit the post inside of ten minutes before taking the lead soon after when Haugen smashed in a low shot from just outside the area, taking advantage of his team’s quick and direct approach. Then on 14’ they made it two when Jan van den Bergh scored off a corner. An early lead allowed them to manage proceedings, although a few hard fouls showed they weren’t going to be passive about it. Emmen made a double change at half-time. Instead it was Roy Kuijpers who scored to make it 3-0 with a spectacular long shot that made it clear that this was absolutely going to be Breda’s day. Garbett was subbed on after 66 mins and set about controlling the midfield with his short passing. NAC Breda won 3-0 on the day and 4-1 on aggregate. The dream moves ever closer.
Their opponents in the two-legged final will be Excelsior, who were the 16th placed team in the Eredivisie and are thus competing to hold onto their top flight status. Despite some heavy defeats along the way, Excelsior have shown an ability to score goals throughout the campaign and they put that on display with a 9-2 aggregate win over ADO Den Haag in the previous round of these playoffs. But, hey, this is the level that Breda are aspiring to so if they can beat Excelsior then they’ll have earned it.
Up Next: NAC Breda vs Excelsior at 6am on Wednesday; then Excelsior vs NAC Breda at 4am on Monday (NZT)
Maya Hahn & Suya Haering - Turbine Potsdam (German Bundesliga II)
They’re going up. Potsdam were 1-0 down away to Ingolstadt with half an hour to go in the last game of the campaign. A double from Viktoria Schwalm ensured they won 2-1. Both were outrageous curling efforts from out on the left wing. There was a full game in there for Maya Hahn in midfield (wearing the 16 jersey) and there was also a big roar and some vibrant celebrations on the final whistle because with this result Turbine Potsdam had won the German second tier league. That means promotion back to the Bundesliga, one year after relegation.
Maya Hahn has already played a wee bit of Bundesliga, both with SV Meppen and with Potsdam before they were relegated. 12 appearances all up with three of them being starts. However, it was this year in the 2.Liga where she really blossomed into a key player for the club, scoring four times in 24 matches and starting almost all of them. Hahn did of course swap her international allegiances over to Germany after playing for NZ at the U17 World Cup... but she’s never actually played for Germany at any level (largely due to covid spoiling her U20s eligibility range) so not sure if it’s possible to get her back or not. She’s not alone in Potsdam though. Suya Haering is only 18yo but the NZ youth international has snuck onto the bench on four occasions, including this Ingolstadt game, since joining Potsdam at the start of the year. Mostly she’s been a reserves player as she settles in but the fullback isn’t too far away from a senior debut. Now she’s heading to the Bundesliga too.
There was a wobble when Turbine Potsdam lost two games in a row out of the winter break. That wobble was quickly forgotten as they peeled off seven wins in a row to follow, conceding just once. Two draws made things frisky heading into the last few rounds but 2-1 wins against Borussia Monchengladbach and Ingolstadt meant they remained ahead of Carl Zeiss Jena by one clear point to claim the title. And also two points clear of SV Meppen in third. Only the top two get promotion and Meppen have a better goal difference so a draw or defeat in that last game would have seen TP miss promotion altogether. Instead they’re going up as champions. Fine margins. Meppen won their last four games in a row, CZ Jena won their last five in a row, yet it wasn’t enough from either of them.
Up Next: Party time
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkaugsliiga)
The penalty looked a little soft (there was clear contact though) and it’s never ideal to miss a penalty (he did score one in the Suomen Cup a few weeks back, at least). But a goal is a goal and the assist goes down well too. Especially because Haka ended up needing every bit of both of them as they nearly blew a 4-1 lead with two late concessions against Oulu. Thankfully they held on for a 4-3 win and are now pretty firmly entrenched in the top half of the table, two months into the season.
Also great to see Whyte starting and playing a full game. He had to trial for his contract during preseason and was the last man signed to the main squad but he’s continued to earn opportunities from the League Cup stuff onwards. This was his first Veikkaugsliiga goal of the term so he’s now scored in all three competitions this season... and he’s also been getting assists on the regular too. Excellent mahi. Here’s to plenty more of it.
Up Next: Inter Turku vs FC Haka on Saturdau at 1am (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Bellinho doing what Bellinho does best by making players around him better. To be fair, this assist isn’t quite on par with some of his previous ones. A little more about the spectacular long strike from Simen Kvia-Egeskog... though Joe Bell did still push up and win that ball around halfway and the second-attempt flick towards SKE was a silky one. Four assists already from deep in the midfield. There are a bunch of other blokes with four assists across the league but the only player with more is Bell’s own teammate Zlatko Tripic (six).
This latest one came in a 3-0 win against HamKam. Kvia-Egeskog’s goal arrived in first half stoppage time and was bookended by a brace from Sondre Auklend (15’ & 77’). Viking took their chances when they came around... an important detail because their opponents did not do that hence what should have been a close game ended up looking like an easy win. It wasn’t easy... but that does mean four wins from VFK’s past five Eliteserien matches. They currently sit sixth on the table albeit with games in hand that could raise them as high as third. Bell’s playing great and Viking are winning games. All is well in Norway.
Up Next: Molde vs Viking at 12.30am on Monday (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova (Italian Serie C)
Sorry to say that it didn’t happen for Niko Kirwan and Calcio Padova. Once again they were really good throughout the season but only one team gets automatic promotion from each regional group and Padova ended up second in their section, three points behind Mantova. Too many draws was the issue there.
There were still the playoffs for the final spot... but those are notoriously brutal with 28 teams involved across the various tiered stages. Kirwan did once make it through the Serie C playoffs for the only promotion spot on offer back when he was with Reggiana Fortunes have not been the same with Padova though.
As a second-placed qualifier, Padova got to skip most of the early rounds, joining the fun in the final eight where they were drawn up against Vicenza (who’d been third in their regional group). But they stunk it up over two legs, failing to score a goal. Beaten 2-0 away and then 1-0 at home for a 3-0 aggregate result and that’s Padova’s promotion hopes gone for another year. Just like that.
To recap, in the three seasons that Niko Kirwan has been there this team has finished:
Second in their region, eliminated in the playoff final (final two teams) 2021-22
Fifth in their region, eliminated in the second round of pre-playoffs (final 20 teams) 2022-23
Second in their region, eliminated in the second round of playoffs (final eight teams) 2023-24
This season saw Kirwan regularly captaining the side... though also regularly missing out on the starting eleven. He played a lot as they took things into the final of the Coppa Italia Serie C, where his side were defeated in extra time of a two-legged series against Catania (Kirwan played ninety in the victorious home leg but didn’t play the return match two weeks later). He had a great run of appearances down the stretch of the league stuff too but then was an unused sub in both playoff matches. 39 matches across all comps, with two goals and one assist. Decent work though probably not of a calibre to be getting further All Whites selections any time soon (although it only takes a couple of injuries).
Up Next: Get back at it next season and try to get promoted
Alex Greive - Dundee United (Scottish Championship)
St Mirren: “Sadly, the club says goodbye to Keanu Baccus, Charles Dunne, Alex Greive and Ryan Strain as all leave the club following the expiry of their contracts... New Zealand striker Alex Greive made 76 appearances and scored 9 goals after joining from Birkenhead United in January 2022. Greive spent the last few months on loan at Dundee United, helping the Tayside outfit to promotion from the Scottish Championship.”
No surprises there. When you loan out a bloke for the last six months of his contract when he wasn’t really playing much anyway, that tends to work like an advance on free agency. Greive didn’t quite have the goal-filled stint with Dundee United that he’d have hoped for but he was a solid contributor for a side that earned promotion back into the Scottish top flight as champions of the Championship. Chuck a winners’ medal on the pile and see if he can’t negotiate a permanent deal with the same outfit. Dundee United did announce three weeks ago that Greive (and several other loanees) had returned to their parent clubs... but then they did a happy birthday post for him a few days later. So we’ll see how this tracks out.
Up Next: TBD
Ben Waine – Plymouth Argyle (English Championship)
Waine, meet Wayne...
PAFC.co.uk: “We are delighted to announce that Wayne Rooney has been appointed as the new Head Coach of Plymouth Argyle. His appointment follows a lengthy and extensive recruitment process, as a result of which a number of highly experienced Managers and Head Coaches were interviewed. Wayne, however, stood out as the right candidate for Argyle.”
Curious decision. A lengthy and extensive recruitment process somehow led them to the bloke who last season got the Birmingham job when they were in sixth place and then lost 9/15 games to leave them in the relegation zone. Rooney’s a young manager so it can be a steep learning curve. But Argyle have the lowest payroll in the Championship and only barely avoided relegation last season. To be fair, you could argue that Rooney’s exploits with Birmingham were the main reason that Plymouth Argyle stayed up so he’s already kinda saved them from relegation once. Just gotta try do it again.
Up Next: Learning from one of the best strikers of the previous generation, yeah fair enough
Moses Dyer - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
On the board again. That’s three goals and two assists in seven games for Moses Dyer at Vancouver FC. This one was the equaliser against Pacific FC. He scored five minutes before half-time after Pacific had been leading since a sixth minute penalty. Vancouver would end up winning it 2-1 thanks to an 85th minute goal from Vasco Fry and are up to second on the ladder. Next week they take on Dyer’s former club Valour.
Up Next: Valour vs Vancouver, 9am on Monday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Goes without saying, really. Here is each and every one of those goals...
Up Next: Hopefully the Olympic Games
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