Flying Kiwis – November 12
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
There isn’t a story in the Flying Kiwis realms more significant than this one at the moment. Joe Bell’s Viking FK side are now just two wins away from lifting the Norwegian championship – something the club hasn’t done for 34 years. They’ve hung around all season, scoring bundles of goals throughout (although often conceding a few too – with many cases of having to rally back after giving up the opening goal in matches), but a 4-2 loss against Bodø/Glimt back in July ceded control of the race to the defending champs B/G.
But Viking haven’t lost since, in fact they’ve only drawn twice with all the rest of those fixtures being wins. The same was also true of Bodø/Glimt going stride for stride and holding onto first place... until last week when they fell 3-1 to Vålerenga. Funnily enough, that’s the same team and the same scoreline from Viking’s first game of the season back when it looked like they might be primed for a stinker of a campaign rather than their finest mahi in over three decades.
That left three more rounds to be played with Viking one point clear. No margin for error whatsoever... yet their fate was in their own hands. Win all three and they’d be lifting the trophy. Well, the first of those games was against HamKam and Viking produced their most convincing performance for a few weeks, capitalising on their chances to edge it 3-0 and tick off the first of those three games. It was scoreless at the break but then Kristoffer Askildsen put them ahead on 55’ and the home fans went wild as the tension around the stadium was immediately released. Twenty minutes later it got even louder when Joe Bell did this...
And then a Simen Kvia-Egeskog goal inside the last ten minutes put the icing on the cake. Bodø/Glimt won 5-0 against Bryne in their own game, holding serve, however Viking are now just two steps away from an absolutely incredible achievement... and they’re doing it with Joe Bell arguably as their Player of the Season.
Bellinho’s not been supplying a heap of goal contributions (3G/4A this season) but that’s because it’s not his job. He’s there to anchor the midfield, get plenty of touches, control the tempo for his team, and most importantly to not only get the ball to his forwards in motion but also to cover for them defensively so that they can take the necessary risks. Having said that, he is shooting more this season than in previous ones with many of those stemming from his positioning for the second phases after set pieces just like this goal. And every now and then one of those goes flying into the net because the thing about Joe Bell goals is that he only scores bangers. Bell’s scored six league goals across his two stints with Viking (122 Eliteserien games) and they’ve all come from outside the penalty area.
Viking Since Losing to Bodø/Glimt in July:
WWWDWDWWWWW (29/33 points)
Bodø/Glimt Since Beating Viking In July:
WWWDWWWDWWWWLW (35/42 points)
Viking have led most of the way thanks to moving some fixtures forward earlier in the season to make room for their European exploits, whereas B/G have had to play catch-up games more recently – putting them in a situation where they’re pretty much playing twice every week, between Eliteserien and Champions League commitments. It’s incredible that they’ve been able to keep winning week after week on the domestic front with only that one slip-up. It’s even more incredible that Viking have been able to sustain this huge unbeaten streak at the most crucial time in order to capitalise on Bodø/Glimt’s only slip-up. There’s now a pesky international break before Bell returns to Norway with two games left in order to potentially achieve something legendary. At the very least, they’ve already confirmed a top two finish which means they’ve earned themselves some Champions League qualifiers no matter what happens with the title race.
Up Next: Fredrikstad vs Viking at 7.15am on Monday 24 November (NZT)
Jacqui Hand, Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
They were seconds away from confirmed relegation, Kolbotn on the brink of losing all hope, when Jacqui Hand popped up with a desperately important goal to win the game...
Jacqui Hand’s on a personal vendetta because she got relegated with her last two clubs: Lewes and Sheffield United (both English second tier) and absolutely does not want to make that a hat-trick. She might not have a choice because Kolbotn still needs to win their last game and they still need Røa to lose on top of that. And even if both those things happen they’ll still need to survive the relegation playoffs (two legs against the fourth-placed team in the second tier). But without that Hand goal it would have all been academic.
Those two stints in England saw Hand struggle to convert her hard work into goals, only scoring three across 29 matches which is nowhere near what she was doing in Finland beforehand. Well, she’s got six goals (and two assists) in just 11 matches for Kolbotn so it’s been a resurgent campaign from her, especially considering the plight of her club. Might need a couple more to dodge the drop and on current form (she’s scored in three of her past four games) there’s reason to think she might just do that.
Notice how Liz Anton was first to celebrate with her? Anton’s been captaining Kolbotn in recent weeks and it gets better because after they fell behind inside of ten minutes away against Bodø/Glimt, it was Liv Chance who set up the equaliser ten mins into the second spell with a beautifully shaped cross for Kanna Matsuhisa...
Bodø/Glimt 1-2 Kolbotn, final score. They face Rosenborg in the final round of fixtures in what should be a really tough game against the third-placed team in Norway. However, it is a home game and Rosenborg have lost two in a row since they it was confirmed that they couldn’t finish any higher or lower than where they currently are. Might catch them with their eyes off the prize, who knows.
As for Røa, they’re away against second-placed Vålerenga who likewise are set in stone where they are... except they haven’t eased off - they beat Rosenborg 3-1 last week. Vålerenga do have a Champions League game against Roma in between so hopefully that’s not too taxing. Still unlikely that Kolbotn survive this... but you never know. And in the very least, their kiwi trio have all been amongst their best performers and shouldn’t have any dramas finding new gigs if the Jacqui Hand Relegation Treble comes to pass.
Up Next: Kolbotn vs Rosenborg at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Callum McCowatt does it again. This was his ninth goal of the season, eighth in the Superliga, and it extended a run where he’s had at least one goal contribution in nine of his past eleven matches for the club. This one followed the usual pattern where McCowatt’s pace and anticipation got him on the end of a transitional attack from Silkeborg and then a confident finish (from a really difficult angle) saw the ball ripple the net. Then came the knee slide.
This was Silkeborg away against Odense and to say that McCowatt’s goal came against the run of play would not be an exaggeration. His own coach later said that it was a steal for his team to be up 1-0 at half-time given the way they were getting dominated. But that’s why having a clinical forward in great goal-scoring touch is so handy – McCowatt is equal second top scorer for the entire league (despite playing for a team that’s been underperforming for the most part). Unfortunately, they couldn’t call upon that clinical edge for the second half because McCowatt picked up an injury somewhere along the way and didn’t return from the sheds. He’s since been ruled out of the All Whites and replaced by Jesse Randall (another in-form kiwi forward, albeit not exactly at the same level).
Without McCowatt, Silkeborg didn’t look like to score a second but they were a little better defensively and despite conceding a 79th minute equaliser they were able to hang on for a useful point heading into the FIFA window. Keeps them eighth on the ladder, one point behind the team they just drew with. It’ll have to do for now.
Up Next: Silkeborg vs AGF at 4am on Monday 24 november (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Eskilstuna United (Swedish Elitettan)
With promotion already secured, Eskilstuna United rotated things around for the game away against Gamla Upsala. Therefore Gabi Rennie only played thirty minutes off the bench... during which she was still unlucky not to get an assist or two. She’s been unstoppable this year. Anyway, her team won 5-1 and at about the same time second placed Uppsala lost so do you know what that means? It means that Eskilstuna Utd are going up as Elitettan champions. They have an unassailable six-point lead with one round remaining. Should get presented their trophy after the final match, in front of their home fans, but in the meantime here’s some behind the scenes celebrations from last week when they booked their ticked to the Damallsvenskan...
Meanwhile, Owen Parker-Price’s Örgryte will have to earn promotion the hard way. They were on course to do something similar to Eskilstuna in the equivalent men’s level in Sweden but they’ve taken a tumble failing to win any of their last five games including defeats against both teams that finished ahead of them. Most recent was a 1-1 draw away against GIF Sundsvall which at least arrested a three-game losing skid. OPP got 81 minutes in that match... he’s started the last eight games for OIS (so... including when they were winning all the time, not just the current drought). It’s not all over for them because after the international break they’ll have a two-legged promotion playoff against IFK Norrköping for their last shot at cracking into the Swedish top flight this year. Norrköping have lost six games in a row (including against Kees Sims and GAIS last month). Come on fellas, make it happen.
Up Next: Eskilstuna vs Mallbacken at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
The crazy thing about the MLS Playoffs format is that Minnesota United could draw two home games and lose their away match against Seattle Sounders, with an aggregate scoreline after three fixtures of 7-5 against them... and still progress to the second round thanks to a pair of penalty shootout victories from those draws. Oh well, the Sounders knew what the story was. They can’t complain when they had their chances to ice this thing out in what was an absolutely thrilling deciding game three.
Despite a very hearty sellout crowd in Minnesota, it was Seattle who boosted their way into a 2-0 lead after only eight minutes. Amazing start from them... with the Loons playing zombie football in response. They snapped to attention on 19’ when Joaquin Pereyra scored a brilliant free kick although a needless red card to Joseph Rosales for headbutting a dude late in the first half could have spoiled the comeback. Could have... but didn’t thanks to goals from Jefferson Diaz (62’) and Anthony Markanich (71’) which sent Minnesota into the lead. The first of those came via a Michael Boxall long throw scenario... although not in the usual way. The throw was cleared but Minny kept it alive with Boxall swerving in a cross with his right boot that was flicked on and then converted at the back post. Same but different. We haven’t seen a long throw assist for a wee while as opposition teams seem have glommed onto the ploy... but the second goal was a header from a corner so at least the wider set piece prowess remains.
Seattle had hit the post while it was still 2-1. They then threw bombs at Boxy and his defence for the last fifteen which led to some Dayne St Clair saves... and also to a Jordan Morris equaliser with three minutes remaining. There was no extra time hence it was straight to penalties where Pereyra hit the post first up for Minny, whose second attempt only just squeezed in for Aussie/Greek Nector Triantis before Seattle missed through Morris to put them back on serve. Michael Boxall stepped up, as he’s done a few times before in shootouts, and converted the fifth attempt for Minnesota...
Seattle responded in kind and it was off to sudden death where twice in a row Minnesota missed kicks only for Seattle to fail to put them away by missing their own. Two times there were Seattle were a kick away from advancing. MNUFC Goalkeeper St Clair then scored his team’s tenth attempt (they made it all the way through the team, considering the red card) and then his opposite number smashed the crossbar to send Minnesota United through after an outrageously entertaining footballing spectacle.
The playoff format now moves to single-game elimination (with extra time and penalties) the rest of the way. Michael Boxall nearly got to line up against Finn Surman in the Conference Semi-Finals... except that the Portland Timbers were thumped 4-0 in game three against San Diego FC. Surman served up yet another superb performance rising to the big occasion but a team’s defence is only as good as its weakest links and he didn’t get a lot of help out there. Surman’s ascension has been one of the biggest – if not the biggest – positives from this Timbers season with fans already worried about losing him in the transfer window (although you’d figure it makes more sense to wait until after the World Cup in North America). But alas there’ll be no deeper playoff run for him in 2025.
Nor for Bill Tuiloma who was an unused sub for all three playoff games as Charlotte FC were eliminated by New York City FC. That’s in keeping with how most of this year (and last year) has unfolded for Billy T... although this trend runs even deeper when it comes to postseason footy because Tuiloma’s now on a 12-game unused substitute streak in the MLS Playoffs dating back to a start for Portland in 2019. His teams have made five playoff appearances in those six seasons so it’s not like he wasn’t qualifying. That even includes the 2021 run to the grand final with Portland. These Americans have gotta stop underestimating him... fortunately Tui’s now a free agent so with luck this nonsense may finally be at an end.
Tyler Boyd did at least get seven minutes off the bench for Nashville SC as they got popped 4-0 in game three against Inter Miami. Lionel Messi scored twice and assisted another. Nashville also played Inter Miami in the last game of the regulars so they’ve just seen them in four consecutive matches during which 38yo Messi scored eight times with two assists. Boyd appeared off the bench in two of those games – the regular season closer and the playoffs clincher. Not sure if those are the first times that Messi has faced a dude born in Tauranga but let’s be honest it seems like it probably would have been.
Therefore it’s all on the shoulders of Michael Boxall and Minnesota United, with the other three NZ x MLS connections having all been eliminated in round one game threes. The Loons will return from the international break as underdogs away against Western Conference top seeds San Diego FC. No easy feat there. But they did just come through that insane Seattle Sounders match-up and the Loons did beat San Diego 3-1 on their own turf back in September so there’s a precedent.
Up Next: San Diego vs Minnesota... but not until Tuesday 25 November (NZT)
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
Alert the children, there will be no Abby Erceg championship this year. Toluca seemed to be rounding the corner into playoffs in fine form but they met their match over two legs against Chivas Guadalajara. This was fourth (Toluca) versus fifth from the league standings. First leg went okay for Toluca with a 2-2 draw away from home, in which they were trailing at half-time after their fullback missed the offside trap memo but equalised through a banger from Faustine Robert. Chivas then retook the lead from the penalty spot after Abby Erceg was called for a very gentle foul in the box... but then Robert scored again in the 87th minute for a draw that they seemed pretty stoked with.
But they lost the home leg 2-0. Had a bunch of chances throughout, including a few good moments early on when they could have really claimed control. Then leaked one after half an hour to a very good diverting header and weren’t able to put anything away in response. The second goal was a sloppy one to concede but that was in the final ten minutes as they were getting desperate. It happens. Disappointing way for them to drop out but the good news is that was only the Apertura and there’s a whole other Clausura season (same length and format) coming up in a few months.
Up Next: Clausura season begins in January
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Another week and another draw for Motherwell. They were held 1-1 away to Aberdeen for a sixth draw from 11 fixtures this Premiership season - they’ve only lost twice but they’re stuck mid-table because of all those draws. But on the plus side, check out who scored the goal...
Sneak quick corner routine... not even sure Eli realised what was happening until the pass was already almost at his feet. Either that or they’ve been working on the disguise as much as the set-up. Gotta find whatever advantages you can at this level and there’s a good example of what that looks like. Quick feet and even quicker thinking.
By the way, Just was rested for a midweek game vs Dundee United and didn’t score in the League Cup semi-final so this wasn’t goals in consecutive Motherwell games... but it was goals in consecutive Premiership appearances for EJ following his last-gasp winner against Livingston a fortnight ago. He began the season with a few assists and now he’s adding the goals to that as well – two goals and three assists from eight appearances is pretty outstanding for a guy playing as a winger/attacking midfielder, especially when he’s new to not only the team but also the league/country.
Elijah Just: “My goal just happened in the moment, it was smart play by Callum Slattery and I was lucky enough to get enough on it to send it under the keeper. My injury is behind me so now I’m looking forward to staying fit for a long run of games. I just want to help the team play well and the way we’re playing suits me well. So as long as I’m doing my job to help the team then I’m doing my job.”
Elsewhere in Scotland, George Stanger played ninety minutes at Celtic Park to add a new career milestone to his growing list. He faced Celtic for the first time earlier in the season when Killie lost 2-1 at home but this time he got the full away end experience in a 4-0 defeat. He’d previously been on the bench for Hamilton Accies away against Celtic way back in January 2021. Eli Just was injured for Motherwell’s initial away trip vs Celtic six weeks ago so he’ll have to wait until March to get a first-hand taste of that classic Scottish dish.
And all the way down in League Two we saw Oli Colloty bag his first goal for Elgin City, where he’s currently out on loan (from League One’s Peterhead FC). He went there searching for game time and while that has improved, he’s only started one of his five games there thus far. But this was a well-taken goal to clinch a 3-1 win away against Edinburgh City so that might instigate a breakthrough...
Up Next: Wouldn’t you know it, Kilmarnock vs Motherwell is happening straight after the international window on Sunday 23 Nov at 4am (NZT)
Maya Hahn - Viktoria Berlin (German Bundesliga 2)
Maya Hahn is probably one of the few kiwi footballers who can rival Joe Bell in their goals to bangers ratio. Joe Bell only scores bangers... Maya Hahn mostly scores bangers and this one sure fits in that category. More importantly, it sent her team on the way towards a 2-0 victory away against Eintracht Frankfurt Reserves. Hahn’s goal came in the fourth minute, Maja Wasiak’s goal came in the 85th minute. One to start and one to finish. That’s all it took.
After promoted Viktoria Berlin began the season with five draws and a loss, they’ve now won three in a row scoring 12 goals and conceding none of them. Safe to say they’ve found their feet at this level. They’re up to seventh now but with a game in hand, and the goal difference, that could send them all the way up to third. Hahn has established herself as one of their key players in the midfield, playing the fifth most minutes in the squad.
Up Next: Away to SV Meppen at 11pm on Sunday (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Millwall (English Championship)
Millwall coach Alex Neil: “I think in the main he’s done well. Obviously, we want to limit how active Max is. We want to make sure his kicking’s good and different things like that, and his talking’s good. I think he had a good game. Had a little scare in the first half, where he takes a little bit too long on the ball, and the lad shuts him down. He made a good save. Probably a little bit fortunate that it ends up going out the other side of the goal from there. Over the piece, I’ve no complaints. I think Max has done well.”
There you go, some praise from the gaffer. Always nice. Especially since there’s a chance that Steven Benda could return to fitness after the international break while Lukas Jensen, the actual number one who has been out with an achilles injury since April, is back into light training now so he could be a factor again in a month or two. Pressure’s on Crocombe to deliver and so far he seems to be doing enough. Crocs is a more inaccurate kicker than Benda and does a lot less sweeping outside his area. But he’s got a much better save percentage, is stronger in the air, and seems to command his defence more confidently. The only goal he conceded in the 1-1 draw against Preston North End was down to a terrible pass from a defender.
Crocombe was the only NZer who played EFL Championship footy this week. Marko Stamenic returned to Swansea City following his personal leave after his father’s passing. Wasn’t considered for the weekend’s match though... which became a 4-1 home defeat against Ipswich Town that cost Alan Sheehan his job. Stamenic’s solid performances and the fact that they paid a transfer fee for him should mean that a new manager won’t bring the sudden downturn that we saw with Tyler Bindon at Sheffield United. Or, potentially, with Sarpreet Singh at TSC Bačka Topola because it was upsettingly curious to see that Singh was left on the bench for the duration of TSC’s 1-1 draw away to IMT Belgrad – the first game after Darije Kalezic was fired. This despite the fact that Singh had scored in consecutive games (still has, since he didn’t play this one). Old mate Kalezic’s comments to Dutch media about his sacking were pretty interesting...
Darije Kalezic: “Actually, to be honest, it’s not really a disappointment. Many factors play a role here that you cannot imagine. The way that these things happen in football is a matter of culture. Personally, I would have preferred to finish my job, as a competitor that would certainly have been my preference. But I come back home relieved, my family is waiting for me with open arms.”
He would have preferred not to be fired... but he’s not actually bothered lol. By the way, TSC have not won any of the three games that Sarpreet Singh has missed (all of which were as an unused sub). Too early to say if this will be a trend though.
It’s also too early to say who the next Swansea City manager will be (one of the frontrunners is Michael Carrick – seeing Stamenic get coached by a legend in his position would be fascinating... not that it went very well for Ben Waine and Wayne Rooney at Plymouth). But apparently it’s not too soon to start speculating that Tyler Bindon’s loan move will be cut short in January because that’s what a few of the whispers around Blades fan media are suggesting. The Blades switched to a back four this week which saw Bindon drop off the bench. He still hasn’t featured since Chris Wilder took over. It’s been over two months. Probably not worth seeing out the season there just to be a depth player in a relegation battle.
And then we’ve got Libby Cacace... who was just getting going again for Wrexham when he missed another game with another muscle injury which has understandably seen him withdrawn from the All Whites squad. Sounds like he should be fine as long as he rests up during the break.
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham manager: “Libby's calf unfortunately tightened up after Wednesday. I don't think it's too serious, but it looks like keeping him out of the international games.”
There’s nothing much to say about the WSL2 on the ladies’ side. Everybody lost... except for Durham who drew 1-1 with Newcastle. That result doesn’t get them climbing the table although it’s more than they should have gotten based on the game itself. Only had 36% of possession and lost the xG count by 0.64 to 2.36. Michaela Foster got a full game. Hannah Blake started and did 66 mins. The goal they scored came off the end of a Foster long throw. Durham did seem to have a second goal when Blake touched back a Mariana Speckmaier cross for Poppy Pritchard but it was ruled that the ball went out of play before HB caught up with it.
Elsewhere, Katie Kitching was very good for Sunderland, at the heart of several good chances, but they blew a 2-1 lead by conceding twice in stoppage time against Portsmouth (90+4’ and 90+8’... ouch). Indi Riley went back to being an unused sub for Crystal Palace in a 2-1 home loss against Sheffield United. And worst of all was Grace Neville whose Ipswich Town lost 7-0 against Bristol City. Neville got a full game but probably wishes she hadn’t.
Up Next: Portsmouth vs Millwall at 4am on Sunday 23 November (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
They lost 2-1 to Malmö in the final game... but it didn’t even matter. GAIS had already confirmed third place and Europa Conference League qualification. Couple good saves in there for Kees Sims – who nearly made an unbelievable stop for the first goal but the ball, diving one way as a shot came back off the post and then somehow getting back up and diving the other way to get two hands to what looked like a tap-in... except the ball still crept inside the post. Oh well, no dramas there.
Kees Sims in 2024: 8 games | 1.53 goals/90 | 66.7% saves | 0 clean sheets
Kees Sims in 2025: 8 games | 1.20 goals/90 | 74.3% saves | 2 clean sheets
Tidy year on year improvements there even just by those basic stats (admittedly he was also playing for a better GAIS team... though they still finished sixth last season). Also no red cards this time around.
Up Next: An All Whites debut, maybe?
Rebecca Lake - Vancouver Rise (Canadian Northern Super League)
Meikayla Moore and Ally Green’s team didn’t make it to the NSL playoffs. Milly Clegg’s team didn’t make it to the NSL playoffs. But Rebecca Lake’s did and what’s more they won their two-legged semi-final, progressing past Ottawa Rapid on penalties after each team won 2-1 in their home legs. Lake started both games. Full match in the first leg, which they won, and 77 minutes in the away leg, which they lost but then claimed the shootout (after extra time). Lake was sacrificed as they chased a late equaliser that Holly Ward would eventually provide in the 84th minute. They were six mins away from elimination and now they’re ninety mins away from a championship.
Up Next: Grand final is against Toronto at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
Whatever Luke Williams has been saying to these Peterborough lads since he got hired to replace Darren Ferguson as manager, he ought to put it down on paper and sell the publishing rights. A team that had won just 3/13 games to start the season, scoring only 10 goals in those matches, looked a whole lot better in winning 1-0 against Cardiff City last week in the FA Cup and then raised the bar even higher with a stunning 5-0 win against sixth-placed AFC Wimbledon this time around.
Matt Garbett didn’t play the FA Cup game which left folks wondering where he’d fit into the side. He returned to answer those questions against the Dons, slotting into a central attacking midfield role with a licence to drift as wide as he felt necessary. After Harry Leonard had given them a lead after ten minutes, it was Garbett’s cross into the area which led to Leonard getting fouled for a penalty which he converted himself. Garbs then got an assist that actually counted as an assist when his low cross was air-swung at by a defender, allowing Kyrell Lisbie to make it 3-0 after 36 minutes...
MG would be replaced with quarter of an hour to go with the Posh scoring twice more in the latter stages. Five goals scored and a clean sheet. Hugely successful outing. Gets them out of last place on goal difference, suddenly with the form to suggest they can keep on rising. Only drama there is that they will have to play their match against Mansfield Town next week while Garbett is away with the All Whites – having failed to get enough other international call-ups to trigger a postponement.
Up Next: Mansfield Town away for Peterborough, Colombia and Ecuador for Garbs
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Ryan Thomas: “Actually, I wasn't completely honest with the medical staff back then. I was a bit overloaded and should have taken it easy. But I didn't want to miss that game with NAC. That put me back. We did a scan to check if nothing was broken. I hardly trained this week and on Saturday I played with pills... I have already had more minutes in three months than in the eighteen months before. My knees feel good and that's the most important thing. The national coach knows that. If I go with the national team, it shouldn't be a disadvantage for my career at PEC.”
That’s how Ryan Thomas explained his withdrawal from the All Whites squad when speaking to Dutch media. Sounds like his coach may have put a bit of pressure on him too... but let’s be honest if he’s needing painkillers to play then he doesn’t need to be adding international games to his schedule at this particular moment. No worries there, it’s no different than Libby Cacace or Chris Wood sitting out for similarly minor complaints – as the man himself there said, the important thing is that it’s got nothing to do with his knees. Merely a hip issue caused by pushing through after the last international window.
The game that Thomas was so desperate to play was a 2-2 draw against NAC Breda just four days after he’d started for New Zealand against Norway. That exacerbated the problem and he ended up missing the next two matches. One of those was a 2-2 draw with NEC Nijmegen. The other was a horrendous 8-2 defeat away against Heracles. No wonder everyone got a bit antsy about Thomas’s status when that’s how they tracked without him, that loss extending their winless streak to nine games. Hence why Thomas popped a few panadols to partake against Sparta Rotterdam over the weekend... where his calming, reliable presence helped Zwolle snap that drought with a 1-0 victory.
Phew. Now he’s got a couple of much-needed rest weeks. He wasn’t kidding about the minutes loading either, actually if anything he was underselling the point. Counting only league games - ignoring cup matches, friendlies, and internationals - Thomas has played 1635 minutes for PEC Zwolle during the calendar year of 2025. That’s about thirty minutes shy of his league minutes for the previous three and a half years combined.
Up Next: Groningen vs PEC Zwolle at 4.45am on Monday 24 Nov (NZT)
Moses Dyer - Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodian Premier League)
Say what you will about the state of the league he’s playing in but Moses Dyer is scoring goals. Plenty of them - this one made it six games in a row hitting the back of the net. That came in a 1-1 draw away against Visakha which keeps PPC undefeated in the Cambodian Premier League, though sitting third because of a couple too many of these draws. Early days. Crown have already beaten one of the teams ahead of them and they face the other in December so they should find themselves in the title race once things settle down.
Up Next: Nagaworld vs PPC at 0:00 on Thursday 20 November (NZT)
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League North)
It’s not often there’s room to dip all the way down to the English sixth tier but occasionally we’ve gotta make room to let the people know that Zac Jones has played every second for AFC Fylde since joining the club, keeping five clean sheets in 17 matches for the league leaders. It’s a very long season with a long way yet to go but the kiwi keeper has smoothly carried across the form he showed in Wales and looks set to be challenging for promotion if everything carries on the way its been going. That’s what we wanna see.
Over in the adjacent Southern division, Jamie Searle started the first four matches for Eastbourne... but they lost as many games in the month of August as AFC Fylde have lost all season thus far and Searle got benched. Doesn’t look like we’re ever going to see him add to his lone All Whites cap, oh well. The 24yo has been over in England for six years where he’s spent time with five different clubs starting with the Premier League academy of Aston Villa and steadily moving down to where he’s now in the sixth tier... and still barely playing. He’s made senior seven league appearances in those six years.
Meanwhile, Tommy Smith is up in the fifth tier where he’s played in 11/18 games for Braintree Town (not including cup stuff) as they find themselves lingering in the relegation zone. It’s only injuries that have kept him from playing all of them. Henry Gray dropped by for one appearance on a short-term loan before Ipswich Town recalled him due to an injury to one of their first teamers. Matt Gould is also in the same division with Yeovil Town but he’s more of a goalkeeping coach these days, even if he still usually sits on the bench as a registered player.
Up Next: AFC Fylde away to Spennymoor Town in the FA Trophy second round at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Monty Patterson - Atlético Ottawa (Canadian Premier League)
Around about this time last year, give or take about a month, Monty Patterson scored for Birkenhead United in the NZ National League grand final (also winning season MVP)... but Birko ended up losing 2-1 to Auckland City in extra time. He hasn’t been nearly as prominent since signing in Ottawa but he did manage to correct that previous disappointment as he became a Canadian Premier League champion. Ottawa won 2-1 against Cavalry (the team that loaned out Jay Herdman a few months back – Herdman was with them as they won the 2024 championship).
The final was played in obscene conditions during a literal blizzard. Snow everywhere, crazy stuff. At least by the time that Patterson was subbed on with five minutes remaining in regular time the snowfall had stopped and they were able to sweep the pitch before extra time. Patterson had a shot blocked during extra time, prior to David Rodriguez scoring the winner in the 107th minute... however it was Rodriguez’s first goal that’s gotten all the focus – an insane bicycle kick in the snow to equalise late in the first half. In a grand final, no less. Patterson didn’t have the season he’d have liked getting stuck on the bench behind some in-form strikers for a winning team. He made 17 CPL appearances with one goal and one assist but that only added up to 207 minutes. All were as a substitute. Did make one start in the Canadian Championship as well. But, hey, if you’re going to be stuck as a sub then it might as well be on the way to lifting a trophy.
Up Next: Season done, we’ll see what happens in 2026
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