Flying Kiwis – January 14
Liberato Cacace – Empoli FC (Italian Serie A)
Libby Cacace had played 103 league games in Europe prior to this season, split between Belgium and Italy, and from all that he’d mustered zero goals and three assists. He’s a defensive player so that’s hardly a critical fault... but he’s a defensive player whose attacking energy had been so useful for the Wellington Phoenix before this and continues to be crucial for the New Zealand national side. It was a weird situation. Happily, goal contributions have not been a problem for him in the 2024-25 campaign. Nope, in fact here’s another one...
This goal against Lecce, popping up at the back post to nod home from close range, was his second of the campaign to go with two assists and all of those efforts have happened within his past nine appearances. We can’t be too surprised by this development, though. For one thing, he’s always looked capable having had several disallowed goals and numerous close misses during the intervening years. For another thing, this wee burst of creativity aligns almost perfectly with Empoli using him up as a forward/winger.
Cacace didn’t make his first Serie A start of this season until October and he’s never actually unseated left wing-back Giuseppe Pezzella. It’s just that he’s done well enough that they’ve gone looking for other ways to get him into the side beyond the tag team LWB duties he was performing off the bench earlier in manager Roberto D'Aversa’s tenure with the Azzurri. Cacace’s only gotten three of his eight starts as a left-sided defender (granted, he has finished there on several of those occasions after Pezzella got subbed). Four of those other starts have come as an attacker and one was as the left centre-back in a three. Even though he’s not the first choice in his favoured position, D'Aversa is manufacturing ways to keep him involved.
One of the reasons the manager is doing this is because he’s not got many other players he can lean on. With four goal contributions, Cacace is suddenly ranked third in the squad behind Sebastiano Esposito (7 goals) and Lorenzo Colombo (4 goals, 2 assists) and those guys are both outright attackers. The issue for Empoli is that they’ve got the second worst expected goals tally in Serie A and that mark (17.1 xG from 20 games) is barely ahead of last-placed Monza who have a game in hand.
And it’s not getting much better because, despite Cacace’s goal, Empoli were beaten 3-1 by Lecce. Thus they dip to 14th on the ladder. Thus they’re now only two points clear of the relegation zone. The bottom-half of the table is so close that a couple good results could change everything but after taking only one point from their last five fixtures that’s not looking too likely for Empoli at the present moment.
Empoli drew with Lecce back in November with Cacace getting the assist (a favoured opponent?). They led for much of that game before conceding a 77th minute leveller. This time they trailed for almost all of it after conceding a couple of sloppy ones to be 2-0 down within 12 minutes. It was a terrible first half and they only had their debutant keeper to thank for it not being any worse as Lecce’s strikers kept getting in behind the line. But it was a completely different Empoli that we saw in the second half, swifly leading to Cacace’s 47th minute goal and then to a handful of other chances to potentially tie things up. Cacace had a shot saved from a cutback. He also drilled a low, deep cross into the mixer which was fired over the top by Esposito. As so often happens, Cacace moved back to defence for the last ten mins after Pezzella took his rest. Empoli kept pushing... but they conceded a clinching goal in stoppage time and that was that. Work to be done over the second half of the term. At least Cacace’s going good.
Up Next: Inter Milan vs Empoli at 8.45am on Monday (NZT)
Anna Leat – Aston Villa (English Super League)
Well that’s a bombshell... although we cannot say there haven’t been hints. After all, it was at this time last year that Anna Leat was rumoured to be leaving Aston Villa before eventually doing the opposite and signing a one-year extension. But then a head injury in preseason kept her out of action for several months - despite the coach (since fired) confirming she’d returned to training as of early November. Leat never appeared in a matchday squad for the Villans in 2024-25. Her last game of any competitive description was at the Paris Olympics.
Then there were also the distasteful vibes of being in her third season with the club and seemingly getting stuck as backup to a third different goalie. She was Hannah Hampton’s understudy in year one before Hampton moved to Chelsea. Then she was Daphne van Domselaar’s understudy in year two before DVD moved to Arsenal. But rather than giving Leat the next chance, they grabbed veteran Canadian glovewoman Sabrina D’Angelo instead. Leat’s injury meant she never got to be D’Angelo’s understudy but the impression is that’s where it was headed. The way this departure was framed by AVFC was that Leat “expressed her desire to be closer to her family in New Zealand, the club wished not to stand in her way”, which is no doubt true... but this was already a strange situation for footballing reasons as well.
Leat made 22 appearances for Aston Villa over the previous two seasons. 14 of those were in the WSL to go with the four WSL matches she got for West Ham prior to that. Plenty of cup games sprinkled in there as well. With 18 WSL games overall, she ranks fifth among New Zealanders and that’s no small achievement for a perennial backup goalie, to be fair.
The issue now, of course, is where Aotearoa’s top goalkeeper goes from here. The Villa announcement suggested a move back home but obviously we want the Footy Ferns number one (and it does seem that she’s overtaken Vic Esson over the past twelve months) to be playing at the best standard possible. Technically speaking, a move back to London would be “closer to her family” but that’s probably not what they mean. There will be an Auckland FC team next season so that could be punt. Maybe another A-League club in the meantime? In all honest, she’s far better than the ALW... but it would be a solution to her dire need of gametime. Katie Bowen and Indi Riley both took A-League sabbatical seasons that then successfully rebooted their overseas careers so there’s a precedent there. Or maybe that injury was worse than we realise and the homesickness kicked in she’s just taking a break with no future plans as of yet. All in good time.
Up Next: TBD
Oskar Van Hattum - Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
The legacy continues in Sligo. Nando Pijnaker and Max Mata have moved onwards to Auckland FC, in Mata’s case via a loan from Shrewsbury Town, but they love a kiwi baller in that part of the world so they’ve scooped up Oskar Van Hattum from the Wellington Phoenix for the 2025 campaign. A one-year contract. Straight into the action after being granted an immediate release by the Nix.
Why have the Nix let him go? Probably because he’d fallen out of favour already. OVH had some great moments last season but never really nailed down a consistent role and this season found himself stuck behind a few younger/newer guys pushing through (Nathan Walker, Luke Brooke-Smith, Corban Piper, etc.). Van Hattum only played 146 minutes and was in the final year of his contract. They clearly weren’t going to extend him, nor were they going to be able to ask for a transfer fee. So instead they’ve facilitated a move overseas in what is probably the best case for all parties.
Therefore Van Hattum gets to continue the lineage of Sligo Rovers having a New Zealander in their squad for what’s about to be a sixth year in a row. Ryan De Vries for two seasons. Then Nando Pijnaker and Max Mata for most of the next three. Now Oskar Van Hattum. We respect the dedication.
John Russell, Sligo Rovers manager: “Oskar is primarily a right winger but is comfortable playing across the front line where he will bring pace, power and directness to the team. I feel his attributes will suit our league and it’s always vital to have players who can play in several positions. His work rate is excellent and I know he is very motivated by the challenge of playing in Europe. We’ve had good success bringing players in from New Zealand in recent years and we’re hoping Oskar can make a big impact at the club.”
OVH himself admitted that this transfer was in the works for over a month, hence why he dropped out of Phoenix matchday squads over that time. Being the versatile player that he is, the Sligo Rovers announcement stated that along with predominantly being a right winger, Van Hattum “can operate on either flank and is also comfortable competing as a striker or a ten [and] has also filled in at right back on occasion”. In other words, put him anywhere and he’ll do a job. That versatility was a blessing and a curse for him at the Nix so we’ll see if he’s able to settle in that right wing spot over in Ireland.
Up Next: He’s arrived just in time for preseason, with the real stuff beginning in March
Moses Dyer - Galway United (League of Ireland Premier Division)
But wait there’s more because one of the worst-kept secrets going around has been confirmed...
Moses Dyer’s time in Canada had come to an end a few weeks ago, leaving after a year split between Vancouver FC and Pacific FC. He previously played for Valour with a one-year stint in America with Tulsa (USL Championship) in between. He leaves the CPL as the second-top goal scorer in the competition’s history with 27 goals from 77 appearances. 11 assists in there too. Several CPL clubs were reportedly vying for his signature for 2025 but he shrugged them all off because new challenges await in Ireland with Galway United.
Moses Dyer: “I’m a high-intensity type of player. I love to run in behind, I love to attack the goal, and no matter what, I’ll always give it my all for Galway United. I think the fans will see that. I’ve heard great things about the league, there’s a lot of games in the League of Ireland—36 in the season—and I’m used to 28, so I’m excited to play more games and make a big impact. The fans can expect me to give it my all. I’m excited to play in front of them, to hear their support, and to contribute to the team’s success. Let’s make this season special together.”
One of the things he spoke about upon his unveiling was a desire to get back into the All Whites picture. He’s not played since scoring against India in 2018 in what was the only one of his 11 caps that didn’t come during Anthony Hudson’s tutelage. It’s a weird one because he was picked way too early for the national team, meaning that he got discarded when the eras changed and the McCowatt/Just/Garbett/Waine/etc. generation emerged. But he’s a much better player these days. The CPL probably isn’t a high enough standard to get him noticed but the League of Ireland could be. It was for Max Mata and Nando Pijnaker. If he scores goals then he’ll at least be getting noticed.
Galway United finished fifth in 2024 with 52 points from 36 games. Sligo Rovers finished sixth with 49 points. Neither Dyer nor Van Hattum are joining championship calibre teams but they also shouldn’t be dealing with relegation battles like Norman Garbett (Dundalk) and Alex Greive (Bohemians) had to deal with last year. With Dyer coming from North America and Van Hattum moving from the A-League, this’ll be a fascinating zone to track.
Up Next: See above
Kate Taylor - Dijon FCO (French Première Ligue)
When you’ve just had four weeks off, it’s nice to get back into the groove with a winnable game against a weaker team. Get that steady build up. Bit of room to find that match rhythm again. It’s nice when that happens... but that’s not what happened to Dijon. Nah mate. Their first game in four weeks was away against Olympique Lyonnais and their vast array of world class players.
Credit where it’s due though, Dijon were extremely outplayed in a technical sense as Lyon held 77% of possession... yet their back five, including Kate Taylor amongst the CBs, were sturdy and organised and really limited what Lyon were able to forge from that abundance of ball. Vanessa Gilles (27’) and Danielle van de Donk (43’) scored a couple of first half goals that ensured the result was never in much doubt but the game never got out of hand.
Then the Dijonnaises dusted themselves off for a very different task against lower-league Clermont for a chilly French Cup tie. Dijon switched out their entire midfield and frontline from the Lyon game but their defence was mostly the same so Kate Taylor backup up on the short turnaround... and wasted no time in putting her team ahead when she converted on the end of a second minute corner kick. Sounds like it may have been a deflected effort but unfortuantely there’s no video. Still, this was KT’s second goal in French footy and it set them up for what ended up as a 6-0 victory. Easing on into the next round.
Since there’s no vid of her latest goal, have a bonus geeze at her previous goal instead...
Up Next: Dijon vs Strasbourg at 5am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Roma won Serie A last season by finishing 11 points clear and winning 23 of their 26 matches... but the championship defence is now in tatters after Katie Bowen and Inter Milan got at them. In the first round back after a short winter break, Inter defeated Roma 2-1 to deal them just their second domestic of the league season. It was Internazionale’s first-ever away win against Roma.
Inter nearly conceded after sixty seconds when their goalie passed the ball to a Roma midfielder but the first-time snapshot went wide of the goal. Ten minutes later, it was Roma who couhged the ball up in a bad area only this time Elisa Polli smashed it top corner for the lead. Roma hit back immediately when Frederikke Thogersen ran into the area to convert against her former club – again the chance came after the Inter goalie fluffed a clearance, although the defence should have been able to recover on this occasion. Inter could have had a penalty when Tessa Wullaert got cleaned out by the keeper but no need to moan about it because the referee wason their side in the 24th minute when Valentina Giacinti lost her cool and got sent off.
The incident began with Giacinti, a very experienced Italian international, dribbling against Inter’s emerging defensive midfield maestra Marija Milinkovic out on the right sideline. The two got tangled and Giacinti appeared to drag Milinkovic to the ground before getting up and carrying on her run to the byline. Play on, said the ref. Katie Bowen was the right-sided centre-back and she didn’t want to see any nonsense so she stepped across and arguably fouled Giancinti as she put her body between player and ball. But the ref didn’t call anything there either. Not until Giancinti put her hand on the ball and appealed for a free kick. Free kick for handball. Bowen then kicked the ball away from Giacinti, who lashed out from the ground and tripped Bowen up.
You can tell Giacinti knew she was in trouble because she promptly rolled around and played the victim... although, in fairness, KB did catch her with the sprigs when she kicked that ball. Her coach said afterwards, as part of a wider whinge about the ref, that Giacinti now has three sprig marks on her thigh so that part wasn’t imagined. Whether the contact was brutal enough to justify her being driven away in tears by the golf buggy stretcher is another matter. We’ll just call it a personal chauffeur for a star of the Italian national team and move on. Hopefully she’s alright... but you’ve gotta know that you don’t hack Katie Bowen and get away with it.
Inter marched onwards to victory thanks to Annamaria Serturini’s goal on 55’, a fantastic volleyed finish worthy of deciding the outcome. Roma remained a threat even with ten women so Bowen and company still had plenty of work to do from there. Work that they did, no worries. 2-1 to Inter. Massive result in the course of their season. Internazionale have taken huge strides forward this season but beating the other top teams had previously proven a stretch too far. Lots of draws in there, sweet as, but this was their first win of the term against another top four side. Massive. The win sends them above Roma and into outright second place... albeit seven points behind runaway leaders Juventus who remain undefeated.
In other news, Sampdoria played away to Juventus and lost 3-0 but Kiara Bercelli wasn’t involved in the squad. Can’t find anything as to why, maybe she was injured or maybe she got some extra leave over the holidays. There were no new signings playing in the attack so it wasn’t that. Bercelli started the previous four games in a row so fingers-crossed she’s good to go next week.
Up Next: Italian Cup quarter final first leg at home against Sassuolo at 8.45am on Friday (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Reading (English League One)
English football was all about the FA Cup this weekend and for Reading that meant a third round visit from Championship club Burnley. Tyler Bindon’s been linked with several Championship clubs this window so here was a chance to get accustomed to that standard. The result went about as expected, with Burnley winning 3-1, but that was only after Reading took them to extra time.
Hugh effort from the League One side. They had a couple sketchy moments in the first half but Bindon and the lads mostly kept things steady and the longer the game went, the more confident they grew. They did get broken down eventually when Lyle Foster bundled one over the line on 71’... yet six minutes later Lewis Wing got Reading level again when his very long shot bounced just in front of the Burnley keeper who missed it through his legs. A mistake, sure, but one which the Royals earned through their dogged performance. Alas, the extra time period was too much for them as Burnley’s much deeper squad made the difference – substitute Zian Flemming scoring on 100’ and 109’. Nevertheless, Reading put up a great fight and all those scouts who were watching Tyler Bindon saw exactly what they wanted to see.
The Reading Chronicle: “Tyler Bindon (8/10): Looked the best defender on the pitch, oozing quality. Great with the ball at his feet and threw his body in the way of everything. A real standout performance against the likes of Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes.”
A full 120 minutes for Bindon in which he spent most of them battling against Premier League experienced strikers (and former Chris Wood teammates) Rodriguez and Barnes. Every game Bindon plays feels like it could be his last for the club. The ownership dramas are still swirling and the club’s financial situation as perilous as ever. They don’t want to sell anyone and the way the team is tracking it would be a shame if an exodus derails all that. But we all know the situation. Even without the club’s financial situation, Tyler Bindon’s making it clear that he’s destined to go far beyond England’s League One. We remain in Watch This Space mode.
Looking further across the FA Cup third round fixtures, Nottingham Forest had no issues pushing past Luton Town with a 2-0 win. Ryan Yates (40’) and Ramon Sosa (68’) scored the goals while Chris Wood was given a rest for most of the match. Taiwo Awoniyi got a rare start instead and didn’t do a whole lot in his 74 minutes. Wood took over for the final quarter of an hour as they closed out the result. Nottm Forest are away to Exeter in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Chris Wood’s also been subjected to plenty of recent transfer speculation but the latest, as was always the likeliest outcome, is that there’s been a breakthrough in contract negotiations. Forest wanted to give him a one-year extension. Wood wanted at least two years. It’s now being reported that he’ll settle for a 1+1 deal, aka a one-year contract with an option for another year. If that info’s legit then we should get an announcement very soon.
Nottinghamshire Live: “Wood, Forest’s top scorer this season with 12 goals, had wanted a new two-year deal at the City Ground. It now seems that an agreement has been reached on a 12-month contract, with an option for a further year. The Kiwi’s age may be a factor in Forest’s reluctance to hand out a long contract, with Wood now 33. But he’s in the best form of his career. He netted 14 goals last season to match his best-ever scoring campaign in the Premier League, and needs just three more from 18 games this term to eclipse that number.”
Other than that, Plymouth Argyle won 1-0 against Brentford in an upset result, though that’s of little interest to Ben Waine because even if he gets recalled from his loan before the next round he’s already been cup-tied with Mansfield Town. His loan club are still in the pot too... but their game against Wigan was postponed due to the weather. They’ll be playing that one tomorrow morning instead, with Fulham awaiting the winner in the next round. And, well, all the other kiwis have already been knocked out.
Up Next: Reading vs Stockport at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Championship)
It was an FA Cup weekend for the ladies too. Problem was that there was a wicked cold snap across Great Britain and the ladies often tend to find themselves on inferior pitches, probably for the usual reasons of patriarchal underfunding.
So if you wanted to see how Hannah Blake and Mickey Foster would go for Durham away to WSL side Brighton then you’ll have to wait because the game got postponed due to a frozen pitch. The clash between Indi Riley’s Crystal Palace and Jacqui Hand & Olivia Page’s Sheffield United? Yeah that one didn’t go ahead either. Nor did CJ Bott’s Leicester City vs Stoke City. Aston Villa were able to play and they won 9-0 against Bristol Rovers... but we don’t care about them any more after they fumbled Anna Leat. The good news is that most of those games have been promptly rescheduled. Crystal Palace vs Sheffield Utd is on tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and the Leicester City game is on Thursday. Durham’s match will have to wait until the end of the month.
Amidst all that frozenness, the fates did allow two kiwis to play this weekend. Grace Neville’s London City Lionesses were way too good for Fulham in a 5-0 victory. Neville only played off the bench though, getting on after 73 minutes with the goals already scored. However, Katie Kitching was a little more influential in Sunderland’s efforts...
Sunderland were away at Exeter City who are two tiers below them in the league system and therefore a heavy victory was always on the cards. No issues there. Sunderland put seven past them with only a consolation penalty kick offering any spoils back the other way. 7-1 to the Black Cats. Ellen Jones scored three and Eleanor Dale scored four so no goal for Kitch but she did set up her team’s third after winnow the ball high up the pitch and squaring to an open Dale. Kitching was subbed after an hour with the scoreline at 5-1. Can’t complain, can’t complain.
Up Next: Back in the WSL Champo for Southampton vs Sunderland at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Alex Greive - San Antonio FC (American USL Championship)
No surprises to see Alex Greive return to the USA having previously spent several bright years at Northern Kentucky University, following on from diminishing returns over in Scotland and Ireland. Oddly, the lower the level he found himself at, the less opportunity he got to play. But the USL Championship should be a much smoother fit for his style of play. Bit less rugged, bit more about fitness and technique. A less direct brand of football. He’ll be playing for one of the better teams too: San Antonio FC were champions of the competition back in 2022 when Elliot Collier was with them. Greive has signed a multi-year contract with the club.
SAFC Sporting Director Marco Ferruzzi: “Alex is an aggressive, technical forward with good hold up and combination play, who is also fast on transitions with very good awareness in the final third. He’s gained valuable playing experience in the Scottish Premiership and with the New Zealand national team, and at 25 years old, he has his best football ahead. We are pleased to welcome Alex and look forward to having him in our squad and in front of our fans.”
As things stand, the list of NZers in the USL Championship for 2025 reads:
Alex Greive - San Antonio FC
Kyle Adams - Louisville City
James Musa & Elliot Collier – Indy Eleven
Riley Bidois - Loudon United
Up Next: Still two months before the league gets going again
Matt Dibley-Dias - Fulham (English Premier League)
Fulham FC: “Matt Dibley-Dias has been recalled from his loan spell at Northampton Town. The midfielder joined the Cobblers in the summer and made three appearances but has returned to Motspur Park following a bout of injuries during the first half of the season.”
Not a lot to say there and the Northampton Town statement wasn’t any more forthcoming. Dibley-Dias caught covid right at the start of his Cobblers loan and then seems to have continually picked up niggling injuries along the way as he tried to bulk up for League One senior footy, culminating in a hamstring injury that’s ended his tenure there. Northampton Town never gave the impression of being particularly invested in his career. He’s certainly got some big supporters at Fulham but they wanted to see him get first-team footy and with only three appearances in six months that wasn’t happening at NTFC. He’s already been back at Fulham recovering so this annulment was long since on the cards.
Best for all involved. Get fit and then potentially see about another loan somewhere else... or just stay and try make a Premier League bench again. Fulham are going great this season so there’s no imminent relegation worry which might just give them that extra space for development. Having said that, we do probably need to acknowledge the fact that he’s 21 years old now and has only played five games of senior football (including the EFL Trophy, where Fulham’s U21s faced lower league clubs). He’s been brilliant in PL2 action for Fulham’s academy side but expectations probably do need to be tempered out of fairness to the dude.
Starting with the obvious one which is that he’s not getting close to an All Whites call-up, with the depth we have in midfield, until he’s at least playing regular senior stuff. Stamenic, Rufer, Bell, Garbett, and Howieson are all ahead of him. As would Ryan Thomas be, if he can sustain his own fitness for long enough to return to contention (best not to think about that). MDD, right now, is in a category alongside Fin Roa Conchie, Owen Parker-Price, Matt Sheridan, and maybe even Finn McKenlay. But he has the potential to go soaring beyond them and into that top group if his fortunes improve.
Up Next: First, he’s gotta get fit again
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Quarter of an hour of Ryan Thomas footy at the end of a 1-0 defeat against NEC Nijmegen. That’s his fourth appearance of the 2024-25 Eredivisie and the first time this season that he’s gotten on the pitch in consecutive matches. He’s getting there. Slowly but steadily. Just gotta pray for no more setbacks.
Meanwhile there was no sign of Matt Garbett as NAC Breda lost 4-2 against Heerenveen in their first game back since the training camp that he wasn’t invited on. Garbs wasn’t even on the bench so we can safely say there’s been no budging in his transfer-listed status. We patiently await wherever he ends up before the January window closes. However, there was a start for Emma Pijnenburg with Feyenoord’s women’s team. It was only a winter friendly but still a good chance to get some minutes in while the team was on tour. They won 16-0 against Qatar FC. Pijnenburg had a great run of games last season but has been limited to just three bench apps so far this term. Those three games have all been relatively recent though, perhaps she’s building up some momentum.
Up Next: PEC Zwolle vs PSV Eindhoven at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
Nice milestone there. Esson’s in her third season with Rangers and through each of them she’s alternated back and forth with Scottish international Jenna Fife, otherwise she’d have gotten to this milestone sooner. But Rangers have been really successful during this stint so there have been plenty of games for the pair to rotate. Esson’s made 30 SWPL appearances. She’s played five times in Champions League qualifiers. The rest all come from Scottish Cup and League Cup matches – with Rangers having won both of those trophies last season, as well as also winning the League Cup the year before. Earlier in the season it looked like Esson may have finally gotten a firm grip on the number one status. More recently, it’s felt like it’s swung much more strongly in Fife’s favour. Realistically, they’re just going to keep on rotating in spells.
So what did Esson do for her 50th game? She kept a clean sheet, naturally. Didn’t have to try very hard for it because Rangers were away to Queen’s Park and, well, they won 14-0. Not quite as hefty as the 24-1 victory that she was part of last month in the Scottish Cup but you can add it to a list that also includes Esson keeping goal in an 11-0 win vs Aberdeen and a 9-0 win vs Montrose. For her part, Fife has gotten starts in a 10-2 win vs Montrose, a 10-0 win vs Dundee Utd, and a 9-0 win vs Queen’s Park. Jeepers.
This is the part where you get reminded that Rangers missed out on the SWPL title last season because of goal difference so now they’re moving heaven and earth to ensure that their GD is never a problem ever again. They’ve scored 91 goals in 18 games so... yup. But there’s something far more important than goal difference and that’s actual points. Consecutive 3-0 losses against Glasgow City (Fife) and Hibernian (Esson) to end 2024 have left Rangers five points behind Glasgow City in the standings. They’ve got some catching up to do.
Up Next: SWPL Cup semi-final against Celtic on Monday at 5.10am (NZT)
James McGarry - Aberdeen (Scottish Premiership)
In all honesty, after James McGarry failed to make much of a positive impact in his little run of games during December, it woudn’t have been a shocker if he’d disappeared again like he’d done at the start of the season. Sitting on the bench, never getting called upon. Instead he dished a couple of bright runarounds as a substitute last week and then this week, at home against Hearts, what do you know, first choice left-back Jack McKenzie was injured so McGarry was back for his fourth start of the campaign.
And, rejoice dear comrades, because this was a good performance. From McGarry individually and from the Dons as a team. He was full of energy up and down that left flank with a point to prove. Even had a couple of shots, both off target (the first made the above highlights package – it was a banger from distance that smashed into the side-netting)... although his main impact was felt defensively where he made eight clearances, six tackles, two interceptions, and blocked a shot. The blocked shot was a crucial one, wearing a blast right in the midriff as the Dons scrambled clear from a corner kick. Hearts definitely took over as the game ensued which is what most people expected given the form of each club. That takeover almost conspired to spoil all of this good work when Hearts won a penalty in stoppage time... but backup Dons keeper Ross Doohan saved it and the points were shared after a 0-0 draw.
Aberdeen have made a couple of winter transfers, one of which was the centre-back who conceded the pen... though Kristers Tobers otherwise played well on debut. The other debutant was left winger Jeppe Okkels who seemed to combine pretty neatly with JM on that left edge. Glad to see Jimmy McGarry still very much in the mix after they targeted other areas for improvement. McKenzie is nearing the end of his contract so McGarry’s also auditioning for a bigger role next season if they aren’t able to extend their main man – it’s a quick turnaround for a midweek trip to face Rangers so doubtful if McKenzie recovers for that. Despite the coach claiming afterwards that the draw against Hearts felt like a victory, the Dons haven’t actually won any of their past 11 fixtures. But this was a first clean sheet for 13 games so that’s something.
Up Next: Rangers vs Aberdeen on Thursday at 9am (NZT)
Stipe Ukich - NK Istra 1961 (Croatian First League)
It hasn’t taken long for Stipe Ukich to get up and running in Croatia. He’d only been there a few days when he got half an hour off the bench in a winter break friendly against Maribor (Slovenia). He was wearing the #25 jersey and it appeared they chucked him out on the right wing. Maribor won the match 2-1 but the goal that Istra scored came while Ukich was on the pitch.
Stike Ukich: “Yeah I’m very excited to be part of NK Istra. The team is a bunch of great guys who have made me feel welcome, which is good. Especially coming from the other side of the world which is a hard move. I expect a lot of good things from this season. Hopefully I can get some minutes because this is my first time playing professionally.”
Up Next: Counting down to the First League return against Dinamo Zagreb on Sunday 26 Jan (NZT)
Michael Fitzgerald – Albirex Niigata (Japanese J-League)
New one year contract for Michael Fitzgerald. He was a regular for Albirex Niigata last year, as he has been since they were promoted back to the top flight in 2022, but at age 36 there may have been some questions about whether he could maintain his prominence. Nah, no dramas. What they’ve done is they’ve kept 36yo kiwi Fitzgerald and released 27yo Aussie Thomas Deng... so Fitzy is staying but he’ll be getting a new centre-back partner. Coincidentally, it seems that partner will be Melbourne Victory stalwart Jason Geria who it was recently announced will be joining the club. How about that? The ANZAC defensive duo remains but of course the New Zealander takes priority.
Fitzgerald, who has Japanese citizenship (having had to renounce his All Whites eligibility many years ago for that purpose), has played 148 times in J1 and 117 times in J2 across his career. Plus a whole heaps of cup appearances along the way. One of the great out-of-sight-out-of-mind careers in recent Aotearoa football... unless you’ve been reading Flying Kiwis, that is.
MF: “I am very pleased to be able to wear the Albirex Niigata uniform for the 2025 season. I will turn the regret I felt as an individual and that we felt as a team last season into strength and express my passion for this club every time I play. Thank you for your best support next season!”
Up Next: New season begins in about a month
Oliver Colloty - Peterhead FC (Scottish League Two)
Remember when Oli Colloty signed with Peterhead FC a few months ago? Yeah well the transfer window is open now which means his contract can finally be registered and he’s allowed to actually play...
45 minutes off the bench in a 1-0 win away to Edinburgh City on debut. Colloty replaced the goalscorer Kieran Sharks at half-time after their opponents had been reduced to ten men just before the break. He nearly scored too. Hit the post with a header. Fortunately, it didn’t matter because his team has the best defensive record in the division and another clean sheet victory moves them up to second in the standings.
Peterhead would have been dragged back level with Edinburgh City if they’d lost. Instead they move six points clear of them. They’re only five points behind leaders East Fife with a game in hand. First place goes up automatically and the next three teams enter the promotion playoffs along with the second-to-last team from the division above, all competing for the last spot in League One. Should be a good standard for Colloty to ease on into the professional stuff.
Up Next: Peterhead vs Stranraer on Weds at 8.45am (NZT)
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