Flying Kiwis – January 21
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Nottingham Forest probably didn’t have the January home game against Liverpool circled when the fixture list was originally announced... but after going on a big old winning streak and surging into the Champions League places at the midway point of the season they sure did. Suddenly this was a top-of-the-table clash. Suddenly this was a major moment in the title race.
And for Chris Wood there was an extra piece of motivation because, the striker that he is, he’d have been well aware that he’d never previously scored against Liverpool. After pocketing goals against Chelsea and Ipswich Town earlier this season, that left Liverpool as the only current Premier League club that he’s never gotten one past – well, there is also Nottingham Forest... but he only ever made one very late substitute cameo against them in the Prem prior to joining the club so that doesn’t really count. Plus he did score five goals in eight games against Forest back in his Championship days.
Nottingham Forest beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield earlier in the season, dealing the league leaders their only defeat to date. This time they were at home, in great form, with a full-strength eleven, and a very motivated number nine. Eight minutes into the match, this happened...
The set is complete. Or at least the current set... he never scored against Stoke City in the EPL in two starts for Burnley back in the 2017-18 season making them the only team against whom he’s gotten more than 35 minutes without ever scoring in the Premier League. For the other 28 clubs that Chris Wood has met on three or more occasions, he’s got at least one goal against every single one of them. The full list of The Woodsman’s victims, arranged in descending order of minutes played, reads:
Everton (4 goals), Leicester City (7), Brighton & Hove Albion (4), Wolverhampton Wanderers (8), Crystal Palace (5), Liverpool (1), Chelsea (1), Manchester United (3), Southampton (3), West Ham United (8), Newcastle United (4), Arsenal (1), Tottenham Hotspur (4), Bournemouth 5), Leeds United (1), Aston Villa (3), Manchester City (1), Watford (1), Fulham (2), Brentford (2), Sheffield United (1), Norwich City (3), Huddersfield Town (1), West Bromwich Albion (1), Luton Town (3), Cardiff City (2), Ipswich Town (1), and Burnley (2)
If you’re wondering, Frank Lampard has the record for scoring against the most unique clubs in the Premier League with 39, so Woodsy’s got a way to go... and in an era where the same few clubs seem to get promoted and relegated most seasons that’s not a record worth bothering to track.
But enough gloating, this was only eight minutes into a very important game of football. Fantastic movement from Wood once again, making that initial run which went unseen but staying alive for the next opportunity and then banging it away confidently with his left boot. Precision strikesmanship. Yet there was a long way to go from there and Liverpool are top for a reason. Forest always had a threat on the counter attack but it was Liverpool who had the overwhelming possession... not that that’s something Forest, who make the fewest passes in the division, were too worried about. Murillo was outstanding in defence. Mats Sels had an absolute blinder in goal. Chris Wood spent a lot of the second half dropping deep to aid the defensive effort.
A superb defensive effort it was... apart from one pesky moment when Arne Slot made a double change in the 66th minute and one of those subs, Konstantino Tsimikas, took the corner kick that the other sub, Diogo Jota, headed home for the equaliser. That was all they got though. One lapse each way and a 1-1 draw was the final result. The win streak ends at six for Nottm Forest but this was a point gained against their toughest opponent. Not that Chris Wood was settling for a draw, telling the telly folks about “a sour taste in the mouth”... while also admitting how far his team has come for them to be disappointed by a draw with Liverpool. He’s not wrong, you know.
That wasn’t all. There was also a game on the weekend against Southampton. Title race versus relegation battle. Forest have been owning these types of games all season and this was no exception as they strolled out to a 3-0 half-time lead. Elliot Anderson scored the first with a ripper from just outside the box. Callum Hudson-Odoi did similar after 28 mins, picking his spot after the pressure from Chris Wood led to a turnover in the attacking third. Some conjecture as to whether Woodsy should be credited with his second assist of the season for that... he did get a slight touch to poke the ball away, not much of a touch but a touch is a touch all the same. The Premier League website says it was an assist and they’re the authorities. Sweet as. But not as sweet as the third goal that Forest scored...
Drop, collect, turn, shift, run, header, goal. More of that trademarked efficient movement from The Woodsman leading to the goal that matches his career-best season tally... and there are still 16 games left to play. That early season target of 20 that he set himself has never looked more achievable. We’re going to have to lay this out in bullet point format because the numbers are getting pretty intense:
Chris Wood scored 14 goals last season with Nottm Forest and also in 2019-20 with Burnley so this is the third time he’s reached this mark. It’s also the sixth season in which he’s passed double-figures.
This was his fifth headed goal of the season, the most by any Premier League player in 2024-25. With 28 headed EPL goals overall, he’s ranked fifth and is steadily closing in on Olivier Giroud (32). Peter Crouch and Harry Kane share the record of 40 headed goals.
Woodsy has 83 Prem goals in total. That’s already far and away the Oceania record in this competition, next best is Ryan Nelsen with nine, and he’s nudging closer and closer to Mark Viduka’s Australasian record of 92 Premier League goals.
With 14 goals in 22 games this term there’s also the strong possibility that Wood joins Viduka in having scored 20+ goals in a single season. Exactly 50 players have done this since the Premier League was established. Stan Collymore is the only Nottingham Forest player to do so (1994-95).
With his goals against Liverpool and Southampton this week, Wood has now scored in four consecutive Prem games. This is the second time he’s managed that this season. He also did it last season with Forest and once back in the Burnley days. He’s never scored in five in a row so that could be a record for next time.
Woodsy’s 14 goals have come from just 9.66 xG. Only Bryan Mbuemo (Brentford) and Matheus Cunha (Wolves) are batting further above their average than that. Wood is tied fourth in the Golden Boot ranks.
However, that was not the end of the game. There was still a whole other half to play and the Saints made it very frisky. Forest seemed to pick up where they left off in the second spell but then Jan Bednarek scored a freaky deflection on 58’ and all of a sudden it was only 3-1. Forest scored again immediately afterwards through a big centre-back of their own... except that Nikola Milenkovic’s header was disallowed for an offside by Chris Wood. He was clearly offside from the free kick but the idea that he was interfering with play on account of having made a movement towards the ball was rather tenuous. Controversial decision. Although it did give us the hilarious vision of the ref looking at the screen right in front of a bunch of Forest fans all waving cash, cards, and wallets at him as a joke...
Anyway, Wood had one more chance to seal the deal when a cross picked him out six yards from goal except it came at an awkward knee height and he scooped it over the bar. Goal was gaping... but he couldn’t keep the shot down. No doubt it was more difficult than it looked but Wood’s been scoring goals with tricky finishes all season so he’ll be annoyed by that. He was substituted after 83 minutes and then Paul Onuachu scored in stoppage time to get the Saints within striking distance. Luckily, an Ola Aina goal-line clearance near the end ensured that Nottingham Forest still won 3-2. They’ve taken 34/36 points against teams currently in the bottom half of the table. Absolutely incredible winning rate against the clubs they’re expected to beat. Forest are eight games unbeaten and sit level on points with second-placed Arsenal, behind on goal difference. Spectacular.
Which brings us to the expensive matter of the Chris Wood contract extension that we’re still awaiting. Forest did just announce a new deal for Murillo so that’ll hopefully clear the lawyers to work harder on this deal. But there are a couple of hold-ups. One is that Chris Wood is 33 years old and wants a multi-year deal. Forest would prefer to give him a one year deal and reassess in a year’s time in the assumption that he’ll have some natural regression. Chances are he won’t repeat the magic of this year in perpetuity but, come on now, Chris Wood’s game isn’t exactly built on athleticism nor has he been particularly injury prone these last couple years (like he was earlier in his career). Seems silly but that’s how these negotiations tend to go. The other factor is that he’s apparently already the highest paid player in the squad...
The Telegraph: “Wood is believed to be the club’s highest-paid player after his arrival from Newcastle United in June 2023, having arrived in the previous January window on loan. That contract may have included a reduction in the terms in this, his second year. Forest’s position is understood to be that, at 33, Wood has to expect a fall in the second year of any new contract, regardless of what he might have achieved.”
That quoted article explores how Liverpool are haggling over the same issues with Mo Salah’s expected new deal so Wood, once again, finds himself in some esteemed company. One way or another, as soon as they find a happy compromise we can anticipate a Chris Wood contract extension announcement. We’ve had a couple of weeks hearing about new breakthroughs so surely it can’t be much longer.
Up Next: Bournemouth vs Forest at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Championship)
Another Katie Kitching goal? Yeah, that’s about right. This was the second in a 2-0 win away to Southampton that’s lifted the Black Cats up to fourth in the standings. Dashing through and finishing smoothly for her fifth goals of the Women’s Championship season (to go with two assists). She’s a midfielder sitting tied-fifth on the golden boot standings, how about that? And this is only counting her league stuff – Kitch has been pretty effective in the cup games too (including an assist last week).
Eleanor Dale scored Sunderland’s first against Southampton - her seventh of the Champo this term, making her the only Sunderland player with more goals than Kitching at this stage. Dale’s goal came in the 53rd minute though they were unfortunate not to already be ahead by then. Kitch had whipped an effort slightly high. She’d also threaded Dale through in another instance... only for the keeper to get out and deny her. But it was a tidy finish from Dale when she did eventually score and Kitching’s 73rd minute goal was the confirmation. Sunderland are only three points off top. After a slow start, they’re now right up there in the scrap for promotion.
Up Next: Blackburn Rovers vs Sunderland at 6.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Chris Wood may be having to hustle for a contract extension but Kees Sims already has his sorted. One year after joining GAIS, making the jump up from Swedish third tier (with Ljungskile) to the nation’s top level, he’s already earned a new contract that’ll keep him at the club until the end of 2028 (or at least protect his on-sale value if he leaves before then). Sims played eight times in the Allsvenskan in 2024, filling in sporadically for usual number one Mergim Krasniqi. Might have gotten a couple more games if he hadn’t gone away to the Olympics (fair trade, tbh). He did get a red card in one of those appearances but otherwise, especially towards the end of the season, he conducted himself very nicely whenever his turns came around. Now he’s got an elevated contract as reward.
Magnus Sköldmark, GAIS technical director: “We are very pleased that Kees will extend his agreement with GAIS until 2028. He has a very good physique as well as other good qualities that combine to make him an exciting goalkeeper. The position as a goalkeeper is very much about routine and what is gratifying is that he has already shown in 2024 that he is good enough for the Allsvensk level.”
Already good enough for the Allsvensk level and only going to get better. Sims turns 22 in March, making him ten years younger than Krasniqi – whose own contract expires in 2026 after signing an extension midway through last season. You’ve heard it before but no current All Whites goalie is playing at a higher standard than what Sims is doing. The Allsvenskan (easily) clears the A-League or England’s League One. Great areas from GAIS to keep him on the bus.
Kees Sims: “I am very happy about this, I think last year we performed strongly as a team and I think this year will be a continuation of it. I always look forward to trainings, meeting my teammates and competing against them. I feel that I have learned, improved, and developed as a player every day since I arrived last year and the coaching staff here has been an important part of it, so I am happy to continue working with them. I can't wait for us to be back in front of the fans as well, they are always fantastic and make playing for this club a special experience.”
Up Next: The League Cup group stage begins on Feb 16 with GAIS hosting Orebro (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
For some cosmic reason, Anna Leat and Vic Esson’s careers seem to constantly dovetail at club level while they compete for Football Ferns starting status. So while it was a bummer to see Anna Leat leaving the WSL last week, that did mean we were due some prime Vic Esson stuff. And, yeah, sure enough here she was getting the start for the League Cup semi-final against Celtic. Third start in a row for Esson which, surprisingly, is the first time she’s managed that all season. She’d actually had a dip of just one appearance in nine prior to this resurgent streak... although she did start the season by playing 7/10 games. They’ve been alternating Esson and Jenna Fife the whole time they’ve been at the club together so this is nothing new.
Fortunately, Rangers are in one of their Esson phases at the moment... and they’re also in the League Cup final after a 2-1 triumph against their old rivals. The first half wasn’t much to speak of, mostly just a midfield battle outside of a couple of good transitional attacks from Rangers. But then goals from Rio Hardy and Katie Wilkinson within the first six minutes of the second spell changed the whole picture as Rangers surged into the lead. Hardy’s was a nice conversion up close from a cross while Wilkinson’s free kick was a superb goal for a big occasion.
It got a little weird when Rangers manager Jo Hardy was sent off for slowing down the play by not giving the ball back immediately for a throw-in. Felt like a yellow would have sufficed but okay. Celtic didn’t get their goal until the 90+1st minute when Emma Lawton got in front of Esson and onto an angle cross, sticking a boot out to guide the ball into the net as she simultaneously clattered the kiwi keeper. That was Celtic’s only shot on target. No clean sheet for Esson though she still got the win. Rangers will face Hibernian in the final after Hibs won 3-0 against Aberdeen. Rangers will be seeking to win this trophy for the third year in a row.
Up Next: Spartans vs Rangers in the SWPL, Monday at 2am (NZT)
James McGarry - Aberdeen (Scottish Premiership)
Part two of our Scottish section this week takes us back to a midweek game where Rangers hosted Aberdeen and, with the Dons still without their injured left-back Jack MacKenzie (who by the way is now in the final six months of his contract and is getting strong interest from Sheffield Wednesday in England) and that meant it was James McGarry’s turn to get another run. Brutal stuff against a team like Rangers, especially with Aberdeen having lost their rugged form from earlier in the season. But although they lost 3-0, the last two goals weren’t scored until second half-stoppage time. Rangers took the lead in the 13th minute through Hanza Igamane but then mostly huffed and puffed for minimal result until the very end.
McGarry played 72 minutes before being subbed off so he wasn’t even on the pitch when those last two concessions happened. Alexander Jensen replaced him, a Danish fullback (mostly a right-back but obviously he can play on the left as well) who was signed from IF Brommapojkarna in Sweden earlier this month. One of a handful of new additions – probably in part to combat the expected exits when contracts expire in July, one of those expected exits appears to be MacKenzie. Jensen then played ninety minutes at left-back in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win away to lower league Elgin City (McGarry was an unused sub) so it might be that JM’s already getting a sneak preview of next season’s dynamic... but we shall wait and see.
He did pretty well against Rangers though. Made five clearances, one tackle, blocked a shot, got forward in support a few times. Vaclav Cerny was going nuts as the Rangers right winger so this was a tough assignment for McGarry and he largely got away with it (before being subbed off with cramp). McGarry’s been much better during this MacKenzie injury window than he was during the previous MacKenzie injury window in December. Alas, we are now talking about a 12-game winless streak for the Dons in the Premiership so the wider team issues remain.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am, Aberdeen vs St Mirren (NZT)
George Stanger – Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
We’ve been checking in with NZ U20s and U23s international George Stanger throughout this season because big things are happening over in his corner. Stanger’s played nearly every minute for Ayr United this season, absolutely bossing it at the back as the club drives onwards towards possible promotion to the Scottish Premiership. The now 24yo began his career in the top flight with Hamilton Accies but has built his career from the ground upwards, appearing in each of the five top tiers of Scottish footy... and he’s trying to get back to the top where it all started.
Ayr United’s most recent game was an 8-0 cup win away to Broxburn FC but that tie was a complete mismatch so it turned out to be the first game all season that Stanger was allowed to rest for. No worries there. Especially not when, a few days prior, they’d just beaten Dunfermline 2-0 to further enhance their magnificent form. That was a fourth win in five league fixtures for Ayr Utd. It was also a fourth consecutive clean sheet in the division. They’re sitting pretty in second place, a mere two points behind leaders Falkirk (who admittedly do have a game in hand). Good things are happening. George Stanger’s playing as well as he ever has and don’t think folks aren’t noticing...
It was actually only four clean sheets in a row, although they have since kept a fifth with that cup game. But the point still stands: Stanger only has six months left on his contract and English League One clubs are poking their head around the corner. Exeter City and Lincoln City are the two that have been specifically rumoured, though whether that’s based on real information or just fans connecting dots is another matter. League One is the level that Tyler Bindon’s been dominating. It’s also where Max Crocombe, Ben Waine, and Nik Tzanev have been playing. Very curious developments could be afoot if this seed germinates.
Up Next: Ayr United vs Partick Thistle at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Fresh from dealing Roma a stunning defeat a week ago (you may still be giggling over Valentina Giacinti getting sent off for lashing out at Katie Bowen), Inter Milan managed to cram in a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarter-final. Katie Bowen didn’t play that game as they used the occasion to make a few sneaky restings and rotations. The likes of Ivana Andres and Lina Magull didn’t play either. Inter probably should have won but at least there’s a second leg with which to sort that out.
Then they faced Como back in Serie A and, oh look, they won again...
1-0 to Inter Milan thanks to Elisa Polli’s 69th minute goal. They had to battle hard for the points but they got them in the end. Katie Bowen returned as part of the usual defensive cohort and helped her side keep a very valuable clean sheet. Yet again. This Internazionale side have only conceded eight goals in 15 Serie A matches, which is almost half the concessions of the next best defence (Juventus – 15 goals in 15 games). Plus with this win they’ve climbed three points closer to the top because leaders Juventus were beaten 3-1 by a retaliating Roma, thus dealing Juve their first defeat of the campaign. Inter are only four points behind them now, with Roma a further three adrift. That gap could be even closer this time next week because guess who Inter Milan play next?
Also gotta say that Kiara Bercelli was back on the bench for Sampdoria as they pulled off a surprise 2-2 draw with AC Milan. They actually should have won because they were 2-0 up with six minutes to go, having scored twice from the only three shots they attempted all game (while keeping 28% of possession) but the pressure was too much in the end. Bercelli was an unused substitute. She’d missed last week’s match entirely after the youngster had gotten an exciting run of starts prior to the holiday break. Seems she may have just had slightly longer leave over that time. Cashed in a couple extra sick days or something. Either that or a minor injury. No dramas. Hopefully we’ll see her on the pitch next week.
Up Next: Juventus vs Inter at 6.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli FC (Italian Serie A)
Liberato Cacace: “In the last few seasons I've lacked a few numbers but this time I'm scoring goals and providing assists, so I have to continue like this to help the team. Yes, it's true, I'm playing more and also in a more advanced role. I feel very good at the moment. In addition to being a full-back and a wing-back, my natural role, I also like this position where I can play further forward. As a winger I can go one-on-one with the opponent and attack the penalty area to score goals.”
He’s starting most games, he’s covering multiple positions, he’s getting goal contributions, he’s loving life. The only problem for Libby Cacace is that Empoli keep bloody losing. At least this week it was a far more expected defeat as they were dropped 3-1 by Inter Milan away from home.
Cacace lined up as the left winger, as is becoming the norm, though he still had to do more defending than anything else in this match. There was a moment early on where he did well to get his body in front of a runner to allow the keeper to get out and grab a bouncing pass over the top. He also helped set a tone with his physicality – something that Inter’s fans/media complained about afterwards (which is how you know the approach was working).
Empoli would have been stoked after keeping things scoreless in the first half... but Lautaro Martinez scored a wonderful long strike on 55’ and it was always going to be tricky once Empoli conceded first. As it proved. Empoli were defensively keen but they just didn’t have enough creativity. Inter scored a second through Denzel Dumfries on 79’. Cacace was subbed as part of a double attacking change. Empoli did score straight afterwards through Sebastiano Esposito... but then Marcus Thuram closed the door with a late goal for Inter Milan. 3-1 final score. Empoli have not won any of their past six fixtures and this was the start of a really brutal stretch of the schedule. They’re now only one point above the relegation zone.
Up Next: Empoli vs Bologna at 8.45am on Sunday (NZT)
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
Yeah so not the best way to get back into WSL action. Leicester City just sold backup keeper Lize Kop to Tottenham and then Kop debuted for Spurs against them with a clean sheet victory. It was a clean sheet because Leicester City’s finishing wasn’t good enough. It was a victory because Janina Leitzig, the keeper they chose ahead of Kop, scored an early own goal – deflecting a driven cross between her own legs. Spurs only had two shots all game and they were both from long range and they were also both in the last twenty minutes of the game. Beth England did hit the post with one of those shots but somehow the Foxes managed to lose a game where they only allowed 0.05 xG.
CJ Bott got dribbled past in the lead-up to the goal, one of a couple of times that she got beaten like that. Uncharacteristic. She also got a yellow card and was pretty messy with her passing. Chalk that up to some new year rust, maybe. CJB’s booking was for dragging down Australian speedster Hayley Raso after Bott’s own bad touch coughed up possession. She wasn’t about to let Raso go sprinting clear...
Other than that, Bott made a bunch of clearances and tackles so the defensive mahi was alright. And if Janice Cayman hadn’t missed an open goal then LCFC would have emerged with a draw. Leicester City still only have one win after eleven games. The only team below them in the standings is Indi Riley’s Crystal Palace, who lost 5-0 to Arsenal this week. Riley wasn’t in the squad, same as how she didn’t play the FA Cup game last week. Must be injured.
Up Next: Monday at 4am, Leicester City vs Liverpool (NZT)
Jacqui Hand & Olivia Page - Sheffield United (England Championship)
The FA Cup game that Indi Riley didn’t play was their rescheduled tie against Sheffield United. Riley wasn’t involved but Crystal Palace still won 6-1 for a very comprehensive victory. Something very curious happened in that game though: Olivia Page was picked to start in a back three while Jacqui Hand started in the front three. This wasn’t the first time that both kiwis had started for Sheffield United, it’d happened previously in a couple of League Cup group games (including a beauty against Durham where Mickey Foster and Hannah Blake also both started for the opposition)... but this was different because it felt more like a first choice set-up. The 6-1 defeat against an out-of-form team from the division above wasn’t too encouraging – though don’t be fooled by a few outlets claiming that the last goal was an Olivia Page own goal. It was an own goal but it wasn’t Page who scored it, as you can see from the highlights.
So it was that when Sheffield United took the pitch to face Newcastle United in the Championship a couple of days afterwards, they did so with that same defensive trio of Olivia Page, Satara Murray, and Isabella Hobson once again. And Jacqui Hand up front. First league start for Olivia Page, that’s the good stuff.
This was absolutely a game that Newcastle expected to win and it took some mad scrambles from the Blades goalie not to concede early on... yet soon enough it was Sheffield United creating the big chances. Maria Faruggia hit the crossbar. She also drew a magical save from a long half-volley. There was a header over the top from a corner. The Blades were looking sharp, they just needed to finish something off. As it happens they never did manage that feat but it’s okay because they didn’t need to. In the 71st minute of the match, Page sent a long ball up the right line seeking out Jacqui Hand. Hand didn’t get there but she did press the defender into a backwards pass. That pass then inexplicably skipped past the goalie and inside the post. The ol’ thirty-metre own goal from out on the sideline...
Alas, they couldn’t hang on. Somehow a looping back-post header from one of Newcastle’s many corner kicks dropped in under the crossbar in stoppage time to ensure a share of the points. 1-1 final score. Bummer of a way to concede, even more of a bummer of a time to concede. But they’d have taken a point at the start of the game. This gives them a little more room above Portsmouth in trying to avoid relegation. Both Page and Hand got ninety minutes while Hand also got a yellow card and did some postgame media...
Elsewhere in the division, London City Lionesses had a 1-0 win over Bristol City that lifts them up to second. Grace Neville was subbed on in the 82nd minute. Already done Katie Kitching’s goal earlier. That just leaves Durham... who were beaten 2-1 by Charlton. Michaela Foster started, playing in midfield, getting 78 minutes with a yellow card. Sadly, she did turn the ball over leading to the second goal. Hannah Blake was subbed on when Foster was subbed off (as part of a double change). Charlton hadn’t won a game for ages so this was a slip-up for Durham who dip from third to fifth as a consequence.
Up Next: Charlton vs Sheffield United at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Jay Herdman - Cavalry FC (Canadian Premier League)
After being unable to grab an MLS contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps, it made sense for Jay Herdman to hang around with Cavarly FC. He’d gotten a headstart on that move when he joined Cavalry on loan for the last few months of 2024, quickly becoming a first eleven player and helping the team win the Canadian Premier League. Thanks to that championship they’ve also qualified for some Concacaf Champions Cup footy – a competition that Cavalry competed in for the first time last year, with Myer Bevan scoring their first continental goal in his final act before returning to Aotearoa. So now he’s joined on permanent terms.
Herdman was a well-regarded youth prospect so he’ll probably have his sights set a little higher in the longer run. He was one of NZ’s best at the last U20 World Cup. He was starting games at the Olympics last year. With six goals and three assists in 20 games for the Whitecaps 2 side in 2024 he was unlucky not to get the chance to build on his lone MLS bench appearance. He did only get one goal and one assist during his Cavalry FC loan but proved himself a valuable part of a winning team and that was more than enough to win everyone over. Now he gets a full season in Canada playing senior football. Compile some more highlights for the showreel. Play some Champions Cup. See how close he can get to an All Whites call-up. Sounds like a plan.
Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon: “Jay was an important addition to our run-in last season and made an instant impact. He is a player that is very shifty and able to find or create space, as well as possesses a terrific competitive edge that suits our DNA.”
Up Next: First round of the Concacaf Champions Cup sees Cavalry hist Pumas UNAM of Mexico on 7 February at 4pm, with the away leg one week later (NZT)
Joe Champness – Havadar SC (Persian Gulf Pro League)
In roads less travelled news, Joe Champness hasn’t wasted any time after leaving Auckland FC – the club’s first ever outgoing transfer. He’s randomly popped up in Iran where he’s signed with Havadar SC in the Persian Gulf Pro League. That’s the top tier of Iranian footy, although the team that he’s signed for is currently last with only one win from 16 games. Australian defender Matthew Millar has also signed there with the pair filling out an otherwise locally flavoured squad as they try and somehow avoid what feels like a doomed relegation.
Champness never played for Auckland FC outside of a few sparse preseason runarounds. Sounds like he left on bad terms too. He’s had a strange career, from emerging A-League prospect to a year’s sabbatical trying to make music in Los Angeles to an A-League return (controversially with a different team) to committing for Aotearoa internationally and signing in Turkey. Then from getting released from his Turkish club and winning a big payout at the FIFA disputes tribunal to taking another break from footy before returning with a second tier Turkish club... which he left after less than six months having allegedly gone AWOL while injured. Then he signed with Auckland FC. Then he left Auckland FC. Now he’s in Iran. It’s been a journey, alright.
But while JOWIC never got on the pitch for AFC... he’s already done so with Havadar. He was named in the starting eleven on debut away to Kheybar and lasted 58 minutes in a 2-0 defeat. Champness wore the #26 jersey and played on the left wing. Kheybar didn’t score their second goal until the last few minutes but the highlights do paint a picture of a very one-sided contest. Havadar have taken one point from their last six league games, held scoreless in all but one of them (with two 5-0 defeats included), and they’re eight points adrift of safety with a little under half the season still remaining. They’re going to need something very serious out of Champness (and Millar, who didn’t play vs Kheybar) if this is going to work.
Millar, by the way, was implicated in the Macarthur FC spot-fixing scandal that took down the career of Clayton Lewis last year, though he never got charged with anything so he was simply released and went to play in Tajikistan for a wee while prior to getting this gig.
Up Next: Havadar vs Zob Ahan at 1.30am on Tuesday (NZT)
Henry Gray - Braintree Town (English National League)
And we’re underway. Gray’s second loan move away from Ipswich Town has taken him a step higher up the levels to Braintree Town in the English National League (fifth tier). They were rivals of his when he played in the sixth tier for Chelmsford City last year but they’re his allies this time around. And although Gray joined them in a relegation battle, his first two appearances have been a 2-2 draw away to Aldershot and a 1-0 win against Solihull Moors. Four points to earn some breathing room. Up to nineteenth (out of 24) in the standings. He made one excellent save in particular during the second half of the Solihull win. That’s what we like to see.
Meanwhile, down a division, Josh Redfearn bagged another goal for Welling United. He got the first in a 3-2 home defeat against Hampton & Richmond, Welling blowing a 2-1 half-time lead to fall to defeat. Ah well. They’ve since lost another one, beaten 1-0 by Boreham Wood so not ideal there. But at least Redfearn keeps banging them in.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am for Ebbsfleet United vs Braintree Town (NZT)
Ronan Wynne - Atlanta United (American Major League Soccer)
Yes, preseason has begun in earnest over in the MLS. For Atlanta United and that means the start of what they hope will be a championship season – AU were champs in their inaugural season of 2018 and have had winning records in five of eight years overall so they’re normally right up there. Last season they lost more than they won but still snuck into the play-in where they beat Montreal on penalties then knocked Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami out in round one... before losing to Orlando City in the conference semis. They’re a strong team with high ambitions.
For Ronan Wynne though, it’s all about earning a contract. He’s been drafted by the franchise but that doesn’t guarantee him anything just yet. Still gotta earn that signature. Chances are he’ll at least end up in the MLS Next pro side, however if there’s a chance of cracking the MLS unit then this is where that chance will stem from. Both Wynne and Atlanta’s other draft pick, William Kulvick, have been pictured plenty during the first few days of preseason, along with a handful of other trialists. Interestingly, one of AU’s offseason moves was to trade for 34yo Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich – who was not only a brief teammate of Chris Wood’s at Leeds United (until the Woodsman left for Burnley), he also used to play alongside Ryan Thomas at PEC Zwolle.
Up Next: Plenty of preseason games on the way, beginning next week
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