Flying Kiwis – February 5
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Chris Wood didn’t exactly get the celebration game he would have hoped for after his triumphant contract extension last week. Nope, instead of the confirmation of another three points, ideally including a Woodsman goal, Nottingham Forest were dealt a humiliating 5-0 defeat by Bournemouth. By far their worst day this season. But Nuno Espirito Santo is a clever manager and he’s got a formidable squad at his disposal so, rather than dwell on one shocking afternoon, Nottingham Forest set about putting things right. Would you believe it, they somehow even emerged from this fortnight with an improved goal difference.
Redemption was achieved in utterly spectacular fashion with a 7-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. Chris Wood scored a hat-trick. There’s no way you didn’t already hear about it. NFFC lost 5-0 last week and one 7-0 this week. Absolutely incredible. They ran Brighton off the park in a ruthless first half with an early own goal followed by a Morgan Gibbs-White strike that had them 2-0 up after 25 minutes. Then it was Chris Wood’s turn to get amongst the action when he nodded home from an Anthony Elanga cross after 32 minutes (they spent ages confirming if he was onside but there was nothing to worry about).
Forest were ripping up the midfield, tearing away on the counter-attack. Brighton couldn’t handle it. The visitors made three changes at half-time and that seemed to give them at least some level of equilibrium... until Chris Wood ran rampant some more. First with a tap-in from a square ball that Elanga sent his way, then from the penalty spot. A header, a tap-in, a penalty... the perfect Chris Wood hat-trick. Oh yeah and they added a couple more at the end after Woodsy had been subbed to a standing ovation. Neco Williams (89’) and Jota Silva (90+1’). Massive win. This team is something else.
Where to even begin? Chris Wood also scored a penalty against Brighton, and keeper Bart Vergruggen, in the return fixture back in September. He’s now a perfect 8/8 from the penalty spot in EPL games and has scored his last 23 pens in a row dating back to April 2016. It’s 30/30 if you want to include penalty shootout takes. Always lovely when that stat gets extended.
Or how about the one for his headers? That was his sixth headed goal of 2024-25 which is the most in the Prem. Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak are both on four. If you really want to know, it’s also the most in any of Europe’s big five leagues (England, Spain, France, Germany & Italy). Wood has 29 headed goals in the EPL overall. He’s still ranked fifth in the competition’s history but is now one step closer to fourth-placed Olivier Giroud – Giroud had 32 of the buggers.
Then there’s the fact that Chris Wood is now third-equal (alongside Isak) in the Golden Boot rankings this season with only the legendary forces of Mohamed Salah (21) and Erling Haaland (18) ahead of him. He has 86 career goals in the Prem which is nudging close to triple-figures, sure, but more immediately important is that he’s now even closer to Mark Viduka’s 92 and the Australasian record. He’d already tied his best season tally of 14 goals (2019-20 and 2023-24) so this is now comfortable his best haul and there’s still ages to go.
And then there’s the fact that this was his third Premier League hat-trick. Mark Viduka only ever got two of them, the only two scored by Australians in the EPL, hence Woodsy’s three bring Aotearoa clear of our neighbours on that count. Wood is the 43rd man to have scored at least three hatties in the Prem, dating back to 1992-93. This was the first of his three to be delivered in front of a home crowd. The last time a Nottingham Forest player scored a hat-trick in a top flight game at home was Nigel Clough in December 1987.
We also can’t overlook the connection he seems to have with Anthony Elanga. Those two are forever on the same page. Elanga set up three of the goals in this enormous win and two of those were the open play goals that Wood scored (MGW won the penalty for him). That takes Elanga up to eight assists for the campaign and four of those have been for Wood. Elanga set up six of Wood’s 14 goals last season too, so in the last year and a half this pair has combined for ten goals – the most of any goal-scorer/assister combo in the Premier League across that time. Can’t ask for much more than that if you’re a striker like Chris Wood.
Arsenal went and thumped Manchester City 5-1 in their own game to keep them ahead of Forest in second place. But that result does mean that Forest are now six points ahead of both Man City and Newcastle. Their Champions League prospects have never looked more promising. 14 games left to hang on to what they’ve got.
Chris Wood: “Let them talk. We’ll just keep going about our business and seeing what we can do. Still a long way to go and we’ve got to keep focussed.”
This has been an unreal run of form. Almost every single week there’s reason for Chris Wood to be leading these Flying Kiwis yarns. He’s scored in more games than not (14 yes vs 10 no) and there’s only been three instances where he’s failed to score in consecutive games. Throw in the new contract. Throw in the results that Forest have been grinding out. We’ve never known days like these. What Woodsy has been doing this season will be talked about for generations.
And they must have really been feeling the kiwi vibes because just look what they did next.
Up Next: A rare weekend off before an FA Cup fourth rounder away to Exeter City on Wednesday 12 February (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
The power of Chris Wood knows no bounds because two weeks after he signed a new contract that was months in negotiation, mere days after scoring his hatty against Brighton, Nottingham Forest signed one of his international teammates. Another one... because remember Marko Stamenic is on the books at NFFC too, albeit currently out on loan with Olympiacos. Tyler Bindon probably didn’t get signed as part of Wood’s contract demands but it probably helped with the scouting that he’s his All Whites teammate and there’s no doubt that Woodsy would have offered up a positive reference.
What Bindon’s been doing in League One at his age has made him a valid transfer target regardless of nationality though. There had been numerous Championship clubs linked with him over the past month and none of them could get a deal done. Turns out Bindon’s level is even higher than that – with the third-placed team in the Premier League winning the sweepstakes in the end. This is pretty much the perfect scenario for all parties: Bindon gets a massive move up the food chain, Nottingham Forest add an exciting young talent, and Reading get to keep him on loan for the rest of the season as they try to push for promotion (or at least to keep the wheels from falling off).
NFFC Chief Football Officer, Ross Wilson: “We have been impressed during our tracking of Tyler’s progress at Reading, and we are pleased to secure his signature today. We will be closely following his development as he now returns to Reading for the remainder of this season”.
It’s not clear how much money they paid for him. Reading got £2m for Sam Smith when he left for Wrexham last week, a club in the same division, but with Bindon’s contract running down there’s no way they got near that figure, not even from a Prem club. It’s all profit for Reading regardless. They signed him out of nowhere for a free transfer and he’s been nothing but great for them ever since. Bindon has signed a 3.5 year deal with Forest that’ll see him through until the end of the 2027-28 campaign... which is one year earlier than Stamenic’s deal expires. Chris Wood, of course, just signed a two-year extension that’ll last until 2026-27.
Another link between these two clubs is that Olympiacos signed Nelson Abbey from Reading a year ago. Sister club of Nottm Forest, current loan destination of Mr Stamenic. That was the move that pushed Bindon into Reading’s starting line-up on a permanent basis and he has been spectacular ever since. Granted, Abbey could be seen as a cautionary tale since he’s only made four appearances for Olympiacos, was loaned to Swansea City at the start of the season and only played once there, then was recently redistributed to Rio Ave in Portugal (former club of Nando Pijnaker). Even Stamenic isn’t having the impact at Olympiacos that he’d like, although he has been much more of a presence than Abbey ever was.
With this move, there are currently six New Zealanders on the books of English Premier League clubs:
Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest
Marko Stamenic at Nottingham Forest
Tyler Bindon at Nottingham Forest
Henry Gray at Ipswich Town
Matthew Dibley-Dias at Fulham
Alex Paulsen at Bournemouth
Having said that, don’t get too carried away because “on the books” doesn’t necessarily mean much beyond the accountancy department. Chris Wood is the only one of those six who has actually played an EPL game (he’s played an NZ record 251 of them, with 86 goals) and of the others only Dibley-Dias has even made a matchday squad. Gray’s been around the extended matchday stuff with Ipswich, to be fair, though not to where he was ever amongst the allotted substitutes. The other three – Bindon, Stamenic, and Paulsen – were very loaned out again almost as soon as they signed. It remains true that at least one New Zealander has featured in every single EPL season since 2003-04... but there hasn’t been a fresh debutant since Winston Reid more than 14 years ago (trivia: Chris Wood debuted before Reid did).
So keep a grain of salt handy just in case. The funky thing will be which of this lot manages to debut first. MDD is the only one who could manage it this season. He’s currently back with Fulham after his unhappy loan to Northampton Town but he’s also injured so who knows. In the meantime, know that three of the All Whites’ best players are now employed by the same Premier League club. And if you somehow haven’t caught on that Tyler Bindon is the complete package as a modern centre-back then this highlights reel ought to help you out...
Up Next: He’s still at Reading for now so it’s away to Huddersfield on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Jacqui Hand & Olivia Page - Sheffield United / Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Championship)
It was only last week that Durham found themselves facing the daunting test of playing away against Chelsea in the League Cup knockouts. Seven days later, Durham met another Women’s Super League opponent when Brighton & Hove Albion welcomed them to town for their rescheduled FA Cup clash. It’d be great to say that Durham sprung an upset for the ages but alas that didn’t happen. The Dario Vidosic-coached top division side were too slick, too good, too talented for second tier Durham. But this did happen...
Yeah, that’s the stuff. Hannah Blake with a memorable goal – it was her third of the season across all comps but the first since October. She didn’t start this game, instead getting subbed on after the hour-mark as part of a triple change, with one of the other subs being Kaila Novak who whipped in that tasty cross for Blake’s deceptively controlled finish. Brighton were 3-0 up after 21 minutes so it was never a competitive tie, however this goal did at least give Durham a sniff of a comeback... causing Brighton to largely shut up shop. But the Albion did grab a fourth with the last act of the game. 4-1 was the final score. Mickey Foster played ninety minutes at the base of midfield with a yellow card.
That was cool. That was fun. But it was nothing compared to what we were served up on the weekend when Sheffield United hosted Durham. These two teams met in the League Cup group stages a few months ago and served up something special when Jacqui Hand & Olivia Page (Sheffield United) and Hannah Blake & Mickey Foster (Durham) all started in the same fixture. Four New Zealanders at once? That’s amazing. Yet this was even more amazing because not only did all four start again, and not only was it a league fixture this time, but both goals in a 1-1 draw were also scored by kiwis!
Just to add a little icing on the cake, Michaela Foster’s goal came directly from a corner kick. Inswinging lefty that dipped and swerved and the keeper couldn’t read it, giving Durham the lead slightly before half-time. Durham were the favourites and they went pushing for a second, with Hannah Blake close to converting from six yards only for Liv Page to step across and block her (then the SUFC keeper came to the rescue after Page wasn’t able to clear the rebound). Page is the up-and-comer of this quartet so it was hugely encouraging to see her continue in that starting RCB spot after the Blades made a few transfers. Almost as encouraging as seeing Jacqui Hand pick up the scraps after Page pushed a ball up the line, feed the winger outside her, dash into the middle, and then head in her first goal for the club.
Hard to believe that was her first goal. Hand’s been getting constant starts as the number nine for this team but she’s missed a couple bad ones and her luck’s not been there on other occasions. Plus, to be fair, this is a Sheffield United team that’s been losing most games. That might be changing though. This 65th minute goal earned them a 1-1 draw against a top-four club and moved them four points clear of relegation. Hand only scored once for Lewes last season so translating her goal contributions from Finland to England hasn’t been straightforward. With a bit of good karma, this could one be the start of something because apart from the lack of goals she’s been playing very well – you can tell that purely by the fact she keeps getting picked.
Ash Thompson, SUFC manager: “I am really pleased for [Jacqui]. She works really hard, her overall game has been really positive for a number of weeks. She’s just not had the bit of luck in front of goal that she’s needed. Pleased with a point and also really pleased with the way that we’ve bounced back.”
Here’s another angle of Hand’s header...
Oh and you know what else? As if this game hadn’t delivered enough magnificence already, it was also Olivia Page’s 20th birthday. Happy birthday to Liv, who has started all four games since the turn of the year (including her first three career starts in the Championship).
As for the rest of the Champo contingent, London City Lionesses won their third in a row by beating last-placed Portsmouth 1-0. No sign of Grace Neville in that squad, fingers crossed that’s nothing to worry about with the national team going on tour in a few weeks. Also, Sunderland had a disappointing day losing 1-0 to leaders Birmingham City. The division is so tight that they’d have gone second with a win but instead they fall to sixth. Blame it on the fact that Katie Kitching was missing with illness... though she’ll be feeling better now after being nominated for Championship Player of the Month. Get your votes in.
Up Next: It’s an FA Cup weekend next and the two Championship clubs that matter there are London City Lionesses (away to Arsenal at 3am Monday – Grace Neville vs her junior club if she’s fit enough to partake) and Sunderland (away to Portsmouth at 3am Monday in a very winnable tie) (NZT)
George Stanger – Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
The implications were palpable with this one. First and foremost, this was a massive goal for Ayr United to seal the deal on a 2-0 win away against Hamilton Academical, thanks to goals from Mark McKenzie (80’) and George Stanger (84’) after a proper old scrap up until that stage. A fourth win in a row for Ayr United. Yet another clean sheet. And thanks to Falkirk slipping up against Livingston, Ayr United now move into top spot of the standings. Falkirk regain the lead by winning their game in hand and Livingston are only two points back in third... but this win was a huge boost in Ayr United’s hopes of getting promoted.
On top of that, there’s also the cheeky element of Hamilton Accies being the club at which George Stanger began his professional career. It was with them that he played Scottish Premiership once upon a time. Now in beating them he’s improved his hopes of getting back there.
Of course, that would depend on him signing a new contract with the club and that possibility wasn’t looking likely amongst swirling rumours of interest in Stanger from England’s lower leagues. Gillingham were specifically mentioned as the main candidate for his signature. But, as it happens, Gillingham went and signed a dude on loan from Hull City in that position instead and nothing eventuated from anywhere else which means that Stanger will presumably stick with Ayr United for the promotion drive. Great news for Ayr United. The gamble of keeping him is surely worthwhile considering that the financial ramifications of getting promoted would outweigh the risk of him walking for nothing.
Can’t say Stanger isn’t settled and thriving at Ayr United. He’s played all 23 games for Ayr Utd. He’s scored two goals with one assist and has five yellow cards as well as being a key presence in a defensive unit that has only conceded 18 goals in those 23 games. Put simply, he’s in the form of his life right now and there’s no doubting that it’s been noticed. He’ll probably have to show it at a higher standard to crack a powerful All Whites centre-back rotation but one injury and that could be his ticket. He’s at least put himself into the mixer. Now we wait and see if he signs a new deal with Ayr Utd or not. From his perspective, it might be worth waiting it out because staying for a Premiership campaign and staying for another Championship campaign are very much not the same thing.
Up Next: Scottish Cup fifth round against Hibernian at 8.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli FC (Italian Serie A)
Liberato Cacace before facing Juventus: “We played well in the last game. We must continue with this spirit and believe that we can win this game, by doing what the coach asks and playing with the right mentality, with courage and personality.”
Mentality. Courage. Personality. And also a yellow card accumulation suspension got regular left-back Giuseppe Pezzella which allowed Libby Cacace a rare start in his best position of left wing-back. Against the might of Juventus, no less.
Tell you what though, that self-belief was looking pretty wise four minutes in when Mattia de Sciglio nodded home in a header from a corner kick to give the Azzurri the lead away from home. That was a spanner in the works. It nearly got even better for them when a penalty was awarded after 15 mins... unfortunately the VAR spotted a handball in the build-up and that was fair enough because Youssef Maleh had dived anyway so if it wasn’t ruled out for one reason, it would have been ruled out for the other.
Nevertheless, Empoli continued to nurse that narrow lead until well into the second stanza... when it all went astray. They’d spent a lot of this game stuck with a flat back five so it wasn’t a huge shock when Randal Kolo Muani bounced off a defender and then slipped in a tidy finish for 1-1 on 61’. The fact that he scored again three minutes later would have stung though – not only because of the rapid flip of the result but also because it was a pretty unlucky concession, with RKM diverting a teammate’s shot past the keeper. Empoli had a couple decent moments in search of a leveller. Then that all ended when Maleh was sent off for a second yellow (84’) and a pair of sharp finishes from Dušan Vlahović (90’) and Francisco Conceição (90+2’) made it all look a lot worse than it probably should have been for Empoli. Still, Cacace had a good game. Looks completely comfortable these days no matter where they play him.
In another timeline, that might have been his final game for the club. In the last days of the transfer window there suddenly emerged some strong suggestions that Turkish club Besiktas (currently managed by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer) had him on their shortlist of possible left-backs. Swedish fullback Samuel Dahl was their first choice but he chose to go to Benfica instead... leading Besiktas to make contact with Empoli in the hopes of signing Cacace.
Unfortunately for them, the Turkish window may still have a few days to run but the Italian one does not so Empoli politely declined the offer on account of not having the ability to replace a valuable player amidst a relegation battle. And also probably because they didn’t want to sell him anyway. There were a lot of rumours around Cacace going to Germany or elsewhere in Italy prior to the season but nothing happened there and his contract has quietly had another year added to it (taking him through the 2025-26 campaign), presumably via a club option. We might need to revisit the Cacace rumour mill later in the calendar when he reaches the 12-month countdown but he’ll be finishing this season with Empoli where he hasn’t missed a game since October.
Up Next: Empoli vs AC Milan at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Milly Clegg - Halifax Tides (Canadian Northern Super League)
Here’s a fascinating situation. Milly Clegg joined NWSL club Racing Louisville last year in a blockbuster move (by NZ standards) but getting onto the pitch as a teenager in one of the toughest leagues on the planet proved to be difficult. Clegg was injured to begin with. Then she started making benches. But it wasn’t until the last match of the season that she finally got a club debut. Huge milestone for someone who only just turned 19 last November... yet at the same time she’s also probably the first choice striker for the national team so 18 minutes of club footy per year really isn’t ideal.
Therefore she’s gone on loan. Clegg has joined Halifax Tides for the duration of 2025, taking her to the new Northern Super League that’s been founded in Canada. She becomes the second New Zealander to sign in the NSL after Meikayla Moore got involved with Calgary Wild a while back and there’s every chance there could be more. It’s a step into the unknown joining a start-up league but based on some of the signings it should be a decent standard. Clegg will link-up with Canadian internationals Erin McLeod and Christabel Oduro at Halifax. Canadian stars such as Desiree Scott and Quinn have signed with other clubs. The NSL is nothing if not ambitious... and Clegg’s move to Halifax marks another achievement because while there are several other players who’ve joined from NWSL clubs, Clegg is the first to do so on loan with the intention of returning to the NWSL. In her case, she’s contracted to Racing Louisville for 2026.
This is obviously a development moved aimed at getting Clegg the minutes that she wouldn’t have gotten at Racing Lou. Last season saw Racing Lou lean heavily on their veteran forwards, including trading for a couple mid-season, and they presumably just don’t think Clegg is quite ready. Nor would she be well served by spending another year sitting on the bench. Again, the NWSL is notoriously tough for youngsters to find opportunities, especially the international ones (in a league with visa restrictions). There were only 26 players born in 2004 or later who took the pitch last season and only eight of them were foreigners. Clegg, born in November 2005, was the youngest of those foreigners. And this is after they loosened up the rules about players going pro before finishing university.
RL head coach Bev Yanez: “I’m very excited for Milly’s opportunity with Halifax this the upcoming season. She is an exciting young player, and we are looking forward to seeing her grow and develop.”
We’ve had a few NZers playing in the Canadian men’s league in recent years. Moses Dyer, Myer Bevan, Jay Herdman. But this isn’t the same as Herdman going from MLS to CPL. The Canadian women’s national team were Olympic champs in 2021 with plenty of player depth and, unlike the equivalent men’s comp, the NSL will be fully professional. There are only six teams in year one but they’ll play each other five times each for 25 games across the league phase leading into a four-team playoff system (two-legged semis and then a final). Season begins in April. Fixtures will be confirmed in a few weeks.
Up Next: TBD
Ally Green – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
But wait there’s more...
One day after Milly Clegg’s announcement, another Football Fern found her way to the NSL. Ally Green will be teaming up with Meikayla Moore at the Calgary Wild, the kiwi fullback having departed her previous club AGF (Denmark) when the winter break swung around. At the time it seemed like a decent bet she’d end up back in the A-League but nope there was a better paying gig on offer. The more internationals that end up in the NSL, the more exciting this division keeps becoming. Still plenty of time for more kiwis to pop up.
Up Next: Still two more months before the serious stuff begins
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
Didn’t see this one coming, did ya? Erceg has been everpresent in the NWSL for the last couple of seasons but she chose to leave Racing Louisville after missing consecutive playoff series... and rather than seek out a spot on a rival team, she’s instead moving to Mexico. A fascinating move from a kiwi legend. It could be that at 35yo she simply didn’t get another NWSL offer (that would be a mistake on the part of those clubs but we all know Americans don’t always make the smartest decisions). It could also be that she wanted to play somewhere else before her career is over.
The Liga MX Feminil is an odd league. It has two phases in each season: the Apertura and the Clausura (opening tournament and closing tournament). The two phases are identical with each of the 18 teams playing once against everyone else for 17 fixtures and the top eight advance to the playoffs. Monterrey won the most recent edition, including beating eighth-placed Toluca in the quarters. It was 1-1 on aggregate but for that round the tiebreaker is league seeding so Monterrey advanced and eventually won the whole thing.
Then comes the Clausura which has the exact same format. They’re six games into that right now and Toluca have only won once. With 14 goals conceded in six matches they clearly need a bit of Abby Erceg. As for the goal-scoring, well Erceg usually pops up with one or two headers per season, and they’ve also recently added Dutch legend Shanice van de Sanden. This is an ambitious and well-funded team that hasn’t quite turned that into on-field success yet. So, like, might as well sign a 146-cap international with immense leadership mana who has won multiple NWSL championships. Seems like a good idea.
If you want to get speculative about things, it would appear that Erceg has only signed for the 2025 Clausura stage. Could be that she’s testing the waters with an intention to stick around. Could also be that she’s filling in the time until a certain Auckland-based A-League team gets going. Would not have considered that possibility a few months ago but this chain of events gives that probability a huge boost.
Up Next: Thursday at 1pm, Toluca vs Atlas... and if that’s too soon then Toluca vs Santos Laguna at 7am on Monday would make for a fine debut (NZT)
Maya Hahn & Suya Haering - Turbine Potsdam (German Bundesliga)
Things have been happening since the Bundesliga took its winter break: Maya Hahn has been selected in a Football Ferns squad. Despite switching allegiances to Germany after her U17 World Cup, covid meant she never got to play a competitive game for the German U20s. The FIFA rules allow her to unswitch in that specific situation... so that’s what she’s done. Another young creative player for the Ferns mixer. More on that in the squad roundup.
Another happening of significance has also occurred in this space: for the first time ever, both Maya Hahn and Suya Haering were in the same starting line-up for Turbine Potsdam. Hahn’s been playing throughout, featuring in all 13 league matches with nine of those from the start. But Haering, who was at the U20 WC for NZ just last year, is much more of a rookie. She made her club debut off the bench in a 6-0 defeat to Hoffenheim in October, a nice cameo for a younger player like Haering at least allowing them to salvage something from a disappointing game. That one you could sorta see coming. However, for her second appearance to be a starting berth against the might of Bayern Munich in the last game before the break... that was a thrilling surprise.
Since then they’ve had six weeks to plot and ponder... yet when they returned for a match against Werder Bremen it was Suya Haering once again who was the starting left-back. Plus this time Maya Hahn started too, picked as part of a midfield three (she’s also spent time on the wings in other games). They even both got full games. Not the first time that we’ve see two kiwis starting together in one of Europe’s top leagues but it’s been a long while since the last one. Can’t say for sure but it was probably when Meikayla Moore and Amber Hearn were teammates at FC Koln in 2017-18.
Now, the thing about Turbine Potsdam is that they suck. They’ve been completely overmatched in this division with only one point from those 13 games. They’ve conceded 38 goals and scored just two. There’s quite a bit of variance between the best and worst teams in Germany this year so they’re somehow only four points away from safety but it’s hard to see them managing that. Most likely they complete a relegation, promotion, relegation trilogy across the past three seasons. A real pity for a club that, at the start of the century, used to be perennial title challengers.
With that in mind, obviously they lost to Werder Bremen. They did manage to stay level at 1-1 until the 72nd minute though. Bianca Schmidt’s goal on 42’ doubled their entire season tally – and it was a goal that came from Maya Hahn peeling wide to the right and sending a pass up the line. Viktoria Schwalm then squared it for Schmidt and there ya go. Sadly, the last twenty minutes got away from them and they ended up losing 4-1. Highlights over here.
Spot the New Zealand flag...
Also, if you happen to speak German then here’s a yarn with Maya Hahn from the winter break...
Up Next: Away to leaders Eintracht Frankfurt, getting that nasty fixture out of the way with at 6.30am on Monday (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Burton Albion (English League One)
You see that? It was save upon save from Max Crocombe as Burton Albion somehow held on for a 0-0 draw against Barnsley. This was an Australasian goalkeeper duel with Joe Gauci wearing the gloves for Barnsley. The former Adelaide United keeper is on loan there from Aston Villa. Opportune time to point out that Gauci lived on Waikehe Island for a couple of years of his childhood. However, it was Crocombe who stood out, making nine saves within a very hard-earned clean sheet. Barnsley had 69% of possession and 19 shots in total while Burton Albion barely mustered anything in response but thanks to Max Crocombe they still emerged with a point.
Burton Albion manager Gary Bowyer: “They have some really good players and some good physicality, so to come here and keep a clean sheet, we are delighted. It’s my first (clean sheet) since I’ve been here. We challenged the players at half time. We felt we could do more and better and they responded well. Max [Crocombe] was terrific for us with the number of stops he had to make.”
That point makes it five games undefeated for Burton Albion. In their first 25 matches, the Brewers only managed two victories. Then they peeled off three straight prior to this draw. How about that? The third of those wins was a crazy match midweek against Tyler Bindon’s Reading FC in which Burton were 2-0 up after half an hour, coughed up that lead in the second half, then won it anyway when Rumarn Burrell grabbed a 90+2nd minute winner. Probably woulda preferred the nil-all in that one so that Bindon could also thrive but that’s how it goes.
Good to then see Crocs get his moment because, as the gaffer alluded to in that above quote, Burton Albs hadn’t kept a clean sheet since 15 December before the Barnsley draw. Six weeks ago, Burton Albion were looking absolutely doomed but the appointment of Gary Bowyer as manager in mid-December seems to be working wonders. They lost their first two matches under him but since then it’s just been one defeat from eight, taking 13 points from those games. Such was their peril, this has only lifted them from 24th to 21st on the ladder which still leaves in the relegation zone and five points adrift of safety. But if they carry on the way they’ve been going then that gap won’t be so daunting.
Up Next: Burton vs Blackpool on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – Northampton Town (English League One)
Don’t forget this guy, either. That Nik Tzanev save is the reason why Burton Albion are five points from safety instead of three points from safety. Thanks to Tanz, Northampton Town were able to hold on and beat Huddersfield Town 3-2 (despite conceding twice in the last twenty minutes). That’s a big win against a team in the playoff positions. It’s also a performance from Tzanev that continues the excellent run of form that has earned him starting goalkeeper status at the club. As mentioned last week, Lee Burge is back from injury but he’s not getting a look-in while Tanz is showing up like this.
Elsewhere, Reading bounced back from that late defeat to Burton Albion by beating Bolton Wanderers 1-0, Harvey Knibbs scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 88th minute. Bit of drama there. Tyler Bindon was typically great at the back in what could have been his last game for the club (spoiler alert: it wasn’t... although he is now on the clock). Also, Ben Waine got six minutes off the bench for Mansfield Town in a 2-1 loss away to Shrewsbury. They were leading at the break but had already coughed that up by the time Waine-o was summoned. Pretty bad defeat there against a team in the relegation zone.
Up Next: Mansfield Town vs Northampton Town at 8.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Dijon FCO (French Première Ligue)
Madness with the yellow card... but all’s well that ends well and this game ended with another win for Dijon FCO. They beat Guingamp 3-0 thanks to goals from Wang Yanwen (9’), Klaudia Jedlinska (22’), and Nadia Krezyman (45’)... getting the hard work out of the way in the first half. Guingamp only had three shots all game and none of them were on target. Comprehensive defensive work from Taylor and the crew. KT was subbed off for the last quarter of an hour having had another very solid performance in central defence. Dijon sit fourth in the standings and their only defeats have come against the three clubs above them (Lyon, Paris FC & Paris Saint-Germain). By the way, that was Taylor’s first yellow card in the Première Ligue.
Up Next: Paris FC vs Dijon in the quarter-final of the Coupe de France at 2.30am on Monday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Another week, another Inter Milan clean sheet, another ground-out victory, another strong Katie Bowen performance. Bit of controversy with her not being included in the latest Football Ferns squad but that seems to be more a matter of rest and rotation because you cannot deny what she’s been up to these past two seasons with Internazionale. Especially this season as they challenge for the Serie A title.
Fiorentina have tended to be one of the challenging clubs in this division but Inter have usurped them this year. That was reinforced with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Michela Cambiaghi (6’) and Lina Magull (71’). Doing just enough to beat a quality opponent. Ninety minutes for Bowen with a few clearances, a blocked shot, an interception, 91% passing accuracy, and a couple of crosses. Good way for Inter to bounce back after losing to Juventus last time. Juve drew 1-1 with Napoli in their latest so this closes the gap between Juve in first and Inter in second to five points. There’s one more round before the league splits into top and bottom half.
It wasn’t only that Juve defeat that they had to rally back from. Inter also played the second leg of their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Sassuolo during the week... and were beaten 2-1 after extra time. Bowen played the whole thing, making it a very busy week. With a 1-1 draw in the first leg that means Inter have been eliminated. The devastating thing is that they were leading up until the 90+4th minute when Sassuolo forced it into extras... then an own goal from Marija Milinkovic knocked them out.
Meanwhile, Roma won 4-0 against Sampdoria in a cruise of an afternoon. That keeps them in third place going stride for stride with Inter... but more importantly there was another cameo for Kiara Bercelli, getting eight minutes off the bench for Sampdoria after the goals had all been scored. Didn’t really do anything but it was still a sixth appearance of the league season for the 19yo forward.
Up Next: Lazio vs Inter at 12.30am on Monday (NZT)
James McGarry – Athens Kallithea (Greek Super League)
This one had been rumoured as of last week’s Flying Kiwis chat and it didn’t take much longer before it was confirmed. The same stuff applies. McGarry’s had a difficult season with Aberdeen, spent mostly on the sideline with an unconvincing stint of games in December and then a much better run more recently... but that was too little too late because the Dons already signed his replacement during the January window. Nothing else for it but to leave. As expected, he’ll be joining Athens Kallithea in Greece for the remainder of the season.
Jimmy Thelin, Aberdeen coach: “With Jack [MacKenzie] returning from injury and Alexander [Jensen] joining us, opportunities for James will be limited and he is at an important stage of his career where he needs regular minutes on the pitch. He’s going to a competitive league where there is a lot to play for so we’ll monitor his progress and believe this will be a really valuable loan for the player.”
McGarry has made 28 appearances for Aberdeen with one goal to his name, with 20 of those games coming in the Scottish Premiership (the Dons website claimed 26 apps but they’re wrong – possibly not counting the two Europa League qualifiers he appeared in last season). That might not be a final tally though. McGarry still has another year under contract with Aberdeen and top choice left-back Jack MacKenzie’s contract ends after this season. So while minutes were going to be skint for the rest of this term... if MacKenzie leaves then there’s still scope for McGarry to return to his backup role again. Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. There was some talk that this could be a loan-to-buy but that doesn’t seem to be the case so all options are on the table.
In the meantime, he’s already debuted for his new club. James McGarry got half an hour off the bench at left-back in a 1-0 defeat at home against Aris. An expected outcome. Aris are mid-table whereas Kallithea are second-to-last and already guaranteed to be part of the relegation rounds. There they’ll play ten more games (home and away vs the rest of the bottom six), with five more matchdays before they get to that stage. So McGarry’s played one game and will get a maximum of 15 more, with Kallithea needing to rise at least one spot on the ladder to avoid the drop. It’s do-able. They’ve drawn a lot of games and even this defeat only came due to a first-half defensive error. But even if they don’t survive, well, McGarry’s only there on loan.
Up Next: Atromitos vs Kallithea on Tuesday at 5am (NZT)
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
Yeah we won’t spend too much time on this game. Last week’s win against Liverpool faded fast with a 4-1 defeat against Everton. It was 1-1 at the break after Shannon O’Brien’s 16th minute goal had cancelled out Kelly Gago’s fifth min opener for Everton... but Katja Snoeijs scored within three minutes of the second half kickoff and then Honoka Hayashi (57’) and Gago again (69’) made it kinda embarrassing for the Foxes, who struggled to keep the ball at any stage. CJ Bott did do ninety minutes and she did add a couple more tackles to her season tally. During the second half she seemed like one of the few LCFC players really trying to force her team back into things, setting up good chances for both Yuka Momiki and Janice Cayman, both of which were saved. She also had a whack with one herself when a loose one dropped her way inside the area, though she put it gently wide striking first time with her left boot.
To put it bluntly, Leicester City are in a relegation battle. They’ve let too many opportunities slip by and now they’ve only got nine matches left to stay ahead of Crystal Palace, whom they have a three-point headstart on. Pesky thing there is that these are the two WSL teams with NZers. Indi Riley hasn’t played for Palace since the holiday break though. She wasn’t part of the squad that drew 1-1 with Brighton this past round (courtesy of an 88th minute My Cato equaliser). Still assuming that’s an injury though it’d be really nice if Crystal Palace could maybe confirm that at some point. Of course, it was the injured IPR who was picked in the latest Football Ferns squad and not the fit CJB... but that’s a whole other can of worms.
In other news, CJ Bott’s caught a stray bullet in the media this week. Liverpool manager Matt Beard has been ripping into the way that one of his star players, Olivia Smith, has been getting hacked at in games. This is something he’s been on about for several weeks and it was CJB’s turn in the firing line this time...
Matt Beard: “If I look at the tackle at Leicester, I mean, you've seen the scar on the top of the thigh down to the knee - it's a red card. just like the red card for the tackle on Taylor [Hinds]. It’s the little things off the ball and the after that we have been looking at. If you look at that tackle from CJ Bott, the referee had a great view of it. We’ve sent clips into Rebecca Welch, they’ve sort of justified every decision.”
No doubting that Smith, a Canadian international (and an absolute baller) got kicked to pieces in that game, staying down several times with knocks and getting fouled on four separate occasions. But pretty sure the tackle that Beard is alluding to, a raking set of sprigs to the thigh, was actually the fault of Nelly Las who was booked for the indiscretion. That was roughly 68 minutes into the match. CJ Bott’s reputation as a hard tackler perhaps didn’t do her any favours there, though if Beardy checks the stats he’ll see that Bott won all five of the tackles she attempted in that match.
Up Next: FA Cup fifth round away to Manchester City at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
For the first six games of the season, Emma Pijnenburg couldn’t get on the park. She’d had a great run last term stepping in as an emergency right-back just as the team went on a winning streak and that kept her around the rest of the way. She scored a goal. She signed a new contract. Beautiful stuff. But by the time this campaign got underway they’d found a more permanent option at RB and Pijnenburg was stuck on the bench. It took a couple of huge wins for Feyenoord to finally clear the benches deep enough to give EP a run... but give her and inch and she’ll take a mile. Soon she started appearing in closer contests and this week she was a half-time introduction in a 3-0 win over ADO Den Haag, marking the first time she’s appeared in consecutive games this season. We’re trending upwards here, people.
Emma Pijnenburg’s 2024-25 Eredivisie by Minutes Played:
N/A, Sub, Sub, Sub, Sub, Sub, 20, Sub, 27, Sub, 45, Sub, 25, 45
(The N/A overlapped with her being away at the U20 World Cup)
They were already 2-0 up against Den Haag when Pijnenburg was chucked on... by no means game over with a long way still to go. Actually, they nearly let their opponents back into it when Pijnenburg lost the ball on halfway and ADO countered to score... only for an offside flag to save the day. It was only in stoppage time that they got the decisive third goal.
Another interesting angle here is that, while EP was almost exclusively used as a makeshift fullback last season, this time around she’s starting to get some minutes in her favoured midfield role – although not in this match. This match saw her chucked on at left-back just to add another string to the bow. Useful versatility that should serve her well in a few weeks when she links up with the national team in search of a debut cap. Feyenoord have won eight of their last ten matches and sit fourth on the ladder.
Up Next: Ajax vs Feyenoord at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Oscar Faulds - Union Titus Pétange (Luxembourg National Division)
Here we have another one of those magnificent National League to Overseas Pro moves. At the start of the window there was Stipe Ukich’s switch from Auckland City to NK Istra in Croatia (haven’t seen him in either of the two matchday squads since that league resumed, although he did play in their winter break friendlies - gotta remember he’s just turned 18 so he may have to bide his time). At the end of the window there was Oscar Faulds going from Napier City Rovers to Union Titus Pétange in Luxembourg.
Faulds has had a unique career. Half-Kiwi and half-Swedish – take note of the tattoo on his left arm – he mostly grew up in Sweden and played for a few lower league sides there before introducing himself to his father’s homeland last year by linking up with Napier City Rovers. At the time he spoke about maybe even having a crack at the Olympic squad (he turned 23 last month). He ran out of time for that possibility, but it did confirm his Aotearoa ambitions and he then proceeded to score copious goals for NCR throughout the Central League. After that he popped back to Scandinavia for some trials, only to have moves collapse at the last minute in both Sweden and Denmark, leaving him no choice but to return to Napier City for the National League... where he was as good as ever with six goals and four assists. No sulking, just pure production.
Now he’s been rewarded for his perseverance with a European gig. Luxembourg is definitely not the beaten path for kiwi footballers so this’ll be a funky one to track. He’s joined a top-flight club sitting 10/16 teams at the exact halfway point of 15 matches played. Faulds arrives at a time when strikers Paolo Buzzi (end of loan, back to CS Sanem) and Kai Merk (to rivals F91 Dudelange) have both just departed so they were in need of a goal-scorer... and they’ve found one. He’s already hit the net in a couple of winter friendlies. The real stuff resumes next week.
Up Next: Mondercange vs Union Titus at 4am on Monday (NZT)
James Bulkeley - North Texas SC (American MLS Next Pro)
The transfer hits keep coming. James Bulkeley is a name that not everybody will be aware of, having largely come through the Australian system... until the opportunities there failed to eventuate so he moved to the UAE where he first played for Fleetwood United, then made the step up to Gulf United last September. He played regularly for both of those sides and around that same time the Napier-born defender also committed to the current NZ U20s wave, impressing through qualifying and likely to be part of the squad that goes to the World Cup later this year. But the UAE stuff is over now. Bulkeley’s off to America where he’s joined North Texas SC, feeder/academy club of FC Dallas, in MLS Next Pro on a one-year contract with a club option for a second year.
North Texas SC head coach John Gall: “James is a composed and determined centre-back that will bring excellent international experience to the group. At his young age, we are looking forward to working with him. He has great leadership characteristics that will be pivotal to our continued success.”
As it happens, North Texas SC won the MLS Next Pro competition last year. They finished top of the Western Conference with the best regular season record of anyone and then carried that through four straight playoffs victories to lift the trophy. Because of that success, they’ll probably have a lot of player turnover with the key dudes from the 2024 campaign earning bigger and better things – including several who’ve been promoted to FC Dallas in the MLS. Hence Bulkeley’s been hired for the next incarnation. Another fascinating move for a fella who definitely isn’t afraid to try the unconventional.
There hasn’t been much of a kiwi presence in MLS Next Pro since it was begun a few years ago. Trevor Zwetsloot spent some time there with the New England Revolution academy side. Jay Herdman and Finn Linder have played heaps there for Vancouver Whitecaps 2, with Linder still in line to return in 2025. Also, Bill Tuiloma picked up seven appearances (with two goals and an assist) last year with the Charlotte FC feeder side in order to keep up his match fitness while out of favour with the MLS lot. That might well be the case again this year with Tuiloma seemingly on course to continue with CFC as a back-up central defender. Atlanta United also have a team in Next Pro so this is a probably landing spot for Ronan Wynne if he doesn’t earn an MLS contract at the first chance of asking.
Up Next: Deep into preseason things
Zac Jones – Haverfordwest County (Welsh/Cymru Premier)
Yeah yeah, standard stuff. A 0-0 draw against Penybont makes for another clean sheet for Jonesy and another very useful point for Haverfordwest. Penybont are second on the table. Haverfordwest are seven points back in third. They’re probably not going to catch the top pair but this reinforces their hopes of being the best of the rest, matching the club record third-placed finish in 2003-04, and then they’ll have a shot at breaking into the Europa Conference League via the Welsh playoffs.
Incredibly, Haverfordwest have only conceded 13 goals in 24 matches for what’s easily the best defence in the competition. Jones has kept 13 cleanies, one for every goal he’s let past him. Best mark in the country. We haven’t seen the penalty saving heroics of the continental qualifying run a few years ago but this has been the most consistent, sustained form of Zac Jones’ career. Let it be known.
Up Next: Away to Caernarfon Town at 3.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Henry Gray - Braintree Town (English National League)
While we’re at it with the kiwi goalkeepers...
This comes after a 1-1 against Hartlepool that made it four games undefeated since Henry Gray turned up. All is tracking nicely. Ipswich Town did sign a new goalkeeper on deadline day, with 28yo West Brom gloveman Alex Palmer popping up on a £2m deal and a three-year contract. That doesn’t sound amazing for Gray’s prospects but it’s really nothing to do with him. More to do with Ante Muric proving inconsistent and Christian Walton getting injured as they scrap to stay in the Premier League. Palmer was the Championship golden glove last season. Don’t sweat it. Gray’s just gotta keep putting up numbers while out on loan.
Up Next: Altrincham vs Braintree at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Oliver Colloty - Peterhead FC (Scottish League Two)
Good to see. Oliver Colloty had a rough time of it trialling all over the place over the past 18 months to no avail but his trials ended a few months back when he signed on with Scottish fourth tier club Peterhead FC. Not that he could play straight away. Had to wait until January when his registration could finally to go through... and since then he’s popped up with several extended cameos off the bench as Peterhead scrap away for automatic promotion. They’re second right now. Only the champions go up automatically but the next three enter playoffs (with the second-to-last team from the division above) so they’re in a good spot to launch from. Good enough that Colloty has chosen to extend his stay through next season. He had initially only signed on for six months. Now that’s an 18-month stay.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am, away to Bonnyrigg Rose (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 1)
Look who’s getting back into limited training...
When he had that knee surgery, the prognosis was four to six months out of the game. That was in late October so we’ve ticked off three of those months and he’s already back on the grass. Probably still a fair distance away from full-contact stuff but there remains a slight chance he could feature for the All Whites in the March qualifiers and he should definitely be able to return to playing for ASSE before the Ligue 1 season ends. As things stand, Saint-Étienne would need a playoff to remain in the top flight and are only three points above automatic relegation so they could really use all hands on deck.
Up Next: The road to recovery winds onwards
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