Flying Kiwis – December 23
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
Tyler Bindon’s sudden revival at Sheffield United didn’t stop him from returning to the bench last week after Mark McGuinness recovered his from injury. However, the Blades lost that game 2-0 away to West Brom and the manager has since admitted that he thinks he made a mistake. So when the Blades hosted Birmingham City on the weekend, Chris Wilder made several changes and one of those was the elevation of Tyler Bindon back into the eleven.
This time was different, too. For one thing, TB was picked as the left-sided central defender which is where he usually played for Reading and where he usually plays for the All Whites (he’s right-footed and can do either but this is the position that he’s most practised in as a pro). That was despite having the same CB partner, Japhet Tanganga, in all three of these recent appearances. The other thing about this start is that it was the first time that he actually jumped the queue. Ever since Wilder came in, Bindon’s been CB4 and those two previous starts were the result of multiple injuries making him the next best available option. But starting ahead of a fit McGuiness (who got a taste of Bindon’s recent unused sub experiences) signals that he may have risen up the pecking order. That made this the most promising development Tyler Bindon’s Blades career since Wilder’s return and you’d better believe he made it count...
Less than six minutes into the match and he’d scored his first Championship goal. Leapt about three metres into the air to whallop home a header from a corner kick. Superb stuff. Early advantage to the home side... and then it got a whole lot more advantageous when former Blade Tommy Doyle was given a straight red card for a challenge on Gustavo Hamer near the sideline. Sloppy challenge albeit the whole thing happened very quickly which might have earned him some leeway with a different ref. That was 18 mins deep. Promptly afterwards, Hamer pounced on a poor pass and rounded the keeper to make it 2-0. Then Patrick Bamford diverted one into the net early in the second half.
Wilder had made five changes to the team that lost to West Brom after calling that performance “lacklustre”. This wasn’t about rotation amidst a busy schedule. He asked for a response and was afterwards pleased to declare that he got what he’d demanded. 3-0 win against Birmingham... although in fairness this was a bit of a walk in the park after going two up against ten men after only twenty minutes. Nevertheless, Bindon had an excellent game making six defensive recoveries, five clearances, and winning more duels than he lost. His passing was typically pristine. And of course he got that goal to grab the headlines.
Tyler Bindon: “It was surreal, you know, to score at a club with so much history and prestige was pretty cool. And to do it in front of my family made it even better. I’ve got mum and dad here, they come to everythign that they can, so it’s really cool. We had to take some lessons from that [West Brom] game and move forward because that’s all you can do in football. Now we have to take the stuff we did well in this game and move onto the next one.
I've been on the score sheet a few times [in my career] but hopefully I can keep getting on it you know and keep helping the team in the best way possible but first and foremost getting a clean sheet is best priority first and foremost. I'm very grateful to [Wilder] for giving me the opportunity. Football's a funny game, it has its ups and downs, and just have to ride the wave. Whatever happens happens and just take it day by day.”
He was voted Man of the Match by the fans so whatever assumptions they made about him during those early games when the team was a mess and he was first trying to adjust to this higher level, those seem to be slipping away pretty rapidly now that they’ve seen him in a less dysfunctional situation. This victory – a third in the last five games – means that Sheffield United have moved seven points clear of the relegation zone and can enjoy a slightly more peaceful Christmas than they would have expected after their horrific start to the season.
It also suddenly sounds like his manager is keen to keep him around, mere weeks after all the rumours were that this loan would be terminated in January. Rumours are rumours, they may have been false from the start. But lines like these ought to have Bindon feeling jubilant either way...
Chris Wilder: “Regardless if he'd have scored or not, I thought his performance was outstanding. It's going to give him a boost and a shot of confidence scoring, of course, but his general play and partnership was good between him and Japh [Tanganga]. He was up against some good players at the top of the pitch... [Bindon]'s had a tough start because of what happened in the first month of the season. You've seen there's a player in there and he's had to bide his time but he's got an opportunity now and let's see where it goes.
I’ve not made a decision on it. Tyler’s been excellent around the place. We obviously paid money for Mark McGuinness and Japh [Tanganga], big money signings in the summer, and Ben Mee was outstanding partnership with him and Japh. Mark came in against Stoke and played well, then we changed it round to Tyler and Japh for the Norwich game. Maybe I made a mistake and should have gone with them two again but I thought Mark deserved that chance off the back of his first half performance against Stoke. So that’s maybe something we didn’t get right. But what you have to have is the attitude of player to say, alright, I’m disappointed that I’ve not played but if I get an opportunity I’m going to take it. And [Bindon] certainly took it and everything’s on the table.”
Up Next: Wrexham vs Sheffield United at 6.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Would you believe it, that goal from Ryan Thomas on Sunday morning NZT was the first competitive goal that he’s scored since bagging one off the bench for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-1 win against Sparta Rotterdam back on 3 October 2021. More than four years between drinks. Club or country. League or cup. Several assists in that time, of course, but he was never really that much of a goal-scorer and since getting back into action for Zwolle with his refurbished knees he’s settled into a more defensive midfield role.
He still knows where the net is though, don’t worry. What’s more is that this particular goal was scored on his 31st birthday. Would have made for a wonderful celebration... if they hadn’t lost the match.
Ryan Thomas: “Scoring is nice, and on your birthday it's something special, but I would have preferred to win. If we'd gotten three points, we'd have started the second half of the season much better.”
This was a painful defeat. They fell behind after twenty minutes, Thomas equalised soon after half-time, then lost it to a 78th minute goal. 2-1 defeat away against Excelsior which means that Zwolle drop two spots on the ladder. It’s been win, loss, win, loss for Zwolle of late... granted, that kinda form should at least see them remain in the Eredivisie for another season – this game marked the exact halfway point of Zwolle’s fixtures and they’re five points clear of the drop zone. The team in last is NAC Breda where Matt Garbett used to play. If only they’d kept him around, aye?
Up Next: The Eredivisie now takes a wee break before Zwolle return with an away game against FC Twente on 11 January (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley - Crystal Palace (English Super League 2)
There was no upset to be had... but Indi Riley did get 10 minutes and change off the bench as Crystal Palace hosted Arsenal in the League Cup knockouts. Palace were the only second division team to make it this far and once they got lumped with Arsenal they were never likely to go further. However, a 2-0 defeat was better than when Vic Esson’s Rangers place AFC in the Champions League qualifiers last season and lost by six.
IPR brought a burst of energy to the right wing-back spot, doing what she can to demand more opportunities (she was an unused sub in a 3-2 win over Bristol City during the midweek). It was a game in the balance when she was sent on, too – it was only in the third minute of added time that Stina Blackstenius finally added Arsenal’s second. Highlights here.
And also an appearance on Milly Clegg’s podcast over here...
One thing that IPR spoke about in that chat was the difference between WSL and WSL2, where in the second division anybody can beat anybody on any day. That’s how competitive it is (as opposed to the top flight where the teams on the upper rungs are daylight beyond the teams at the bottom). The current exception seems to be Durham whose 3-0 defeat against Birmingham (and it could easily have been more, they were completely outplayed) means that Mickey Foster and Hannah Blake have not won a league game since mid-October. They’re on a five-game winless skid and that doesn’t include being knocked out of both the League and FA Cups in that time as well. The two kiwis both started against Brum, with Blake subbed after 60 mins and Foz getting a full game.
Fortunately, Sunderland did win 2-1 against Ipswich Town, rallying from a goal down with twenty to go. Not so fortunately, they’d already subbed Katie Kitching off when they did the damage. Grace Neville played 86 mins at right-back for Ipswich in that game. Good thing that Crystal Palace are starting to find their way, currently in fifth, because the other three WSL2 clubs with kiwis are all in relegation battles.
Up Next: Couple weeks off over the holidays
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Feels like we’re due another Eli Just highlight sometime soon. He’s now gone five games without a goal or an assist, the longest drought of his Scottish Premiership career thus far. But it doesn’t really matter as long as he’s playing regularly and looking sharp and still having a big influence on how his team performs... and that team is performing superbly.
Motherwell won 1-0 against Dundee FC thanks to a headed goal from Callum Slattery in the 82nd minute. Almost got themselves stuck with another nil-all draw, having had three of those in their previous four games... but they didn’t. The Steelmen therefore added three points to the tally and extended their unbeaten streak to 10 Premiership games and their clean sheet streak to six games. Motherwell have not conceded a league goal for 571 minutes, not since Kilmarnock put one past them over a month ago (and that Motherwell still won that match 3-1). That’s enough to have them in third place of the standings... although how long they stay there will depend on them getting through their trickiest test of the season as they next face Rangers and Celtic in consecutive fixtures only three days apart.
Just had three chances to score against Dundee FC. The first was late first half when he collected a ball on the move and was able to hold possession as he charged forward towards the area. He was blatantly fouled by a tug on his sleeve, with the ref allowing advantage as Just chopped back onto his left foot and whizzed one wide from 18 yards, not quite wrapping his foot around it. The second was after 57 mins when a corner kick fell his way slightly inside the box. That shot was saved... as was the one he tried from distance shortly before the goal was finally scored. He didn’t have much to do with the winner but he was involved in countless other chances, usually by drifting into cheeky pockets of space and orchestrating from there. Whether he’s scoring and assisting or not, he’s a joy to watch with this team.
Meanwhile, Kilmarnock are deep in the trenches having lost 1-0 to Falkirk on the weekend. Their horrendous form has left them only three points above last place Livingston, who have a game in hand on them – we’re talking just two points from their past 11 league matches here. Killie are in dire straits. George Stanger was an unused substitute in that game, dropping back out of the team again. He’s only started one of the last six... though this latest instance was different because manager Stuart Kettlewell, who signed Stanger for the club, got sacked last week. Kris Doolan has taken over as interim boss and he went with a back four in the loss against Falkirk whereas most of Stanger’s opportunities have come in a back three.
Up Next: Rangers vs Motherwell on Sunday at 4am; Motherwell vs Celtic on Wednesday at 9am (NZT)
Marko Stamenic - Swansea City (English Championship)
This could have been a kiwi blockbuster. Swansea City vs Wrexham in a Saturday morning clash... except that Libby Cacace is still injured. He’s been back in training for around two week and there’s a chance he returns for their Boxing Day match against Sheffield United (where he’ll hopefully run into a different All Whites teammate in Tyler Bindon). Remains to be seen. At least that meant there were no split loyalties as Marko Stamenic lined up in the midfield for Swansea.
The Swans needed the win more and they got it thanks to a stoppage time winner from Adam Idah. Weird game in which Aussie defender Cameron Burgess scored an own goal after quarter of an hour to put Wrexham ahead but Zan Vipotnik’s heavily deflected effort tied things up with twenty to go and then Idah won it after a shocker from the Wrexham keeper who dropped a simple one at his feet. All of them were freaky goals.
Stamenic played 78 minutes before being subbed off between the equaliser and the winner. He went close to scoring a screamer at one stage, whipping a first-time long shot slightly wide with the curl. The alternate angle on the replay showed it was even closer than it looked off the boot. He also played a quick ball out to winger Ronald within the move that led to the Vipotnik’s goal. He’s really starting to get comfortable in this team now, contributing a lot more to the attack on top of the steadying presence he’s been in those deeper midfield duties from day one. Gotta think a lot of that is also related to Vitor Matos coming in as coach and freeing the team up a little. They’ve won three of their last four as Matos has begun to paint his picture.
Up Next: Coventry vs Swansea at 4am on Sat (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Millwall (English Championship)
In contrast, Millwall have only won one of their last four. Max Crocombe’s boys were beaten 2-0 away against Blackburn Rovers after conceding twice in the first half, once at the start and once the end. Goal #1 came after Crocombe parried a save back out in front of himself for a rebound. Goal #2 was a shambles as he rushed out for a loose ball only for his defender to head it past him thinking Crocs was still on his line. Easiest finish in the world ensued for the striker running through. Crocombe also made three good saves to keep up his recent workload... seems like he’s not getting a whole lot of protection at the moment, though he didn’t help himself much in the Blackburn loss.
Nevertheless, his spot should be safe for now (unless they do something in the January transfer window). MC has established himself ahead of loanee rival Steven Benda, the coach explicitly confirmed a few weeks ago that Crocs is the first choice between those two. Selections proved that anyway. The question mark came from the return to action of Lukas Jensen from his long-term achilles issue because the Dane had been first choice last season and recently got into it again with the U21s team to build up his match fitness. But he’s suffered a quad injury during his ramp-up and now will miss another couple of months. Millwall face Ipswich and Bristol City over the Xmas/New Year period. They’ve dropped to sixth with these two defeats but could find themselves third again with a couple victories, you never know.
Max Crocombe: “Obviously you want to play every game, that's disappointing at the start. I'm not really one to sulk about it, it was unbelievable just to be part of it and the set-up. I kind of always believe I will play. Even when I'm on the bench, I kind of believe I'll come on at some point, I'll need to come on, I'll need to be ready.”
Up Next: Millwall vs Ipswich Town at 2am on Sat (NZT)
Ben Waine - Port Vale / Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
As cool as it was for Ben Waine to get back into the fold for Port Vale in time to go directly up against Matt Garbett as their teams met in England’s League One... it wasn’t much of a game for either of them. Waine started up top in a front two this time, rather than the left wing, and missed a big chance early on when he headed over at the back post. Otherwise very quiet from him, not getting a lot of touches – to be honest, it felt like what we saw from him as a striker at the start of the season. Garbett played 72 mins in a roaming right midfield spot where he was more involved than Waine but without much to show for it. Both of them had been subbed by the time Harry Leonard struck the winner for Peterborough on 83’.
That makes it three league wins in a row for the Posh, sending them skyrocketing up to 16th place. The midtables are always so jam-packed in those EFL leagues - Peterborough are two points above the relegation zone but also only nine points off the playoff spots. Not so long ago they were drowning at the bottom. Lots of games coming in a hurry over the next few weeks might allowed them to close that gap some more. As for Port Vale, they remain a distant last. No sooner has Ben Waine won back the trust of his manager, than that manager (Darren Moore) is now under severe pressure to retain his job. Perhaps he can have a chat with the same sports psychologist that Waine-o’s been using...
Up Next: Peterborough vs Leyton Orient, Huddersfield vs Port Vale, both at 4am Saturday (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
Nice to see EP getting eight minutes off the bench in a big game, with Feyenoord drawing 1-1 away against PSV Eindhoven. This was third against fourth on the ladder... and they’re still third and fourth after this result (Feyenoord are the team in fourth). Pijnenburg has appeared in six of their ten league games thus far, making one start about a month ago against HERA United where she got ninety minutes in central midfield – usually they use her as a fullback, although she played midfield against PSV as well. We’re not seeing a boost in her minutes this season but that shift towards Pijnenburg’s favoured position definitely feels like another progressive step.
Up Next: Winter break for the next month
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
It’s not the same as being back in Ligue 1 but Ben Old did get to face off against a Ligue 1 club this week. ASSE were beaten 2-1 by Nice in the Coupe de France R32. And, yes, he played left-back again. The good thing is that Saint-Étienne never expected to win this game so they won’t feel the need to poke holes in Ben Old after he was given fits by winger Mohamed-Ali Cho. Both goals came from crosses down Old’s edge and he was picked off by a couple of balls in behind him. Got a yellow card along the way too.
This was only the third game in his lift played LB and he had to put in a shift against a team from one of the best leagues on the planet so cut the bro some slack. That’s two starts in a row plus an extended sub run for Old... fingers crossed he gets at least one more chance during this window, although Les Verts don’t have a game next weekend and the coach has said there’s a possibility that Ebenezer Annan (the normal RB) might be back for the week following.
Up Next: Le Mans vs ASSE at 8am on Sunday 4 January (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Boeung Ket (Cambodian Premier League)
Welcome to the Cambodian Premier League, Bevan Myer! (Also known as Myer Bevan)...
This move was teased last week after rumours emerged on the Cambodian end. Turns out those accounts had the good oil after all because Bevan was announced days later and then quickly made his debut off the bench in a 1-0 defeat against Moses Dyer’s Phnom Penh Crown.
It was a close game between two top four teams but in the end a Yem Devit shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after 66 minutes was the difference. This despite PPC playing the last twenty minutes down a man after Orn Canpolin got a second yellow. Dyer played the full thing but only had one major chance, unable to get enough contact on a square cross which allowed his shot to be blocked. Bevan was subbed on for the last 25 mins and almost levelled things up when he rose over Dyer to put a header on target... which was tipped over the bar.
That result keeps PPC within four points of leaders Svay Rieng (whom Bevan’s lot face next) with a game in hand. Boeung Ket are still fourth and on track to make the top half cut-off in a couple months. Based on how superb Dyer has been in this competition, you’d imagine that Myer Bevan should do alright too. The fact that he was one of the first blokes subbed on just days after he signed suggests it shouldn’t be long before they get him into the starters. Should be fun.
By the way, those two aren’t the only kiwis in the Cambodian league. There’s also 21yo Ashnarvy Mustapha, formerly of Christchurch United, who’s been over there playing as a local thanks to his split heritage. He’s made four appearances for Kompong Dewa... although has missed the last five games so might be injured.
Up Next: Boeung Ket vs Svay Rieng at 0:00 on Sunday (NZT)
Jago Godden - Bedford Town (English National League North)
Jago Godden has scored four goals in five games since moving to Bedford Town, including three in four league games. Hasn’t yet been on the winning side in any of those league games but he did help his team avoid defeat against Marine FC on the weekend thanks to a cross that floated over everyone and into the net. He was stationed out at the time but he started the game in midfield. You can see the goal below (skip to 01:05:44)...
Bedford Town are four points above the drop zone. Up the other end of the table, Zac Jones’ Fylde lost 1-0 against Kidderminster which drops them from first to second. There’s only one automatic promotion spot so they’re going to want to get that top spot back pretty soon. Long way to go in a 46-game season... they’re not even halfway yet.
Up Next: Leamington vs Bedford at 4am on Saturday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Every week we get an update on The Woodsman’s injury from his coach Sean Dyche (whom Wood still hasn’t featured for since their Burnley days together) and it usually sounds exactly like every other update with words like “progress” and “patience” being used copiously. This week’s a little different, this week we finally got to hear from the man himself after he popped up a community event...
Chris Wood: “It's one of those - it's been a frustrating one because there's been no timeframe put on it. It's one to take week by week and stage by stage. Every stage I'm getting closer and better but it's also a stage I'm getting through and back to return to play. It hasn't progressed as quick as we wanted to. There's no end goal or date but it's getting closer. I want to be out there helping the team and the club because we want to be pushing up the table. The team under the new manager has been doing well, got some important wins and the team is in a good place. Now we're ready to kick on and do more. He knows me very well and I know him and how he works. Hopefully when I can get onto the training pitch with him and the coaching staff, who I know well, it'll be fruitful for all of us.”
That’s not particularly encouraging, is it? Not discouraging either... just more of the same. But at least the dog training is going well...
Up Next: More progress and more patience
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Bit late for Christmas but if anyone wants a commemorative Viking FK Eliteserien Champions jersey with pictures of all the players involved including, fittingly, one of Joe Bell right next to the badge (and also repeated on the left sleeve and probably once or twice more on the back as well) then they’re now on sale. Collector’s item for sure...
Up Next: Next season begins in March
The Niche Cache is funded by all our beautiful readers so if you rate the yarns then get stuck in on Patreon, Substack, or Buy Me A Coffee to support our kiwi sporting coverage
Also helps to whack an ad, share the reads around social media, and tell your mates about us