Flying Kiwis – April 15
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
If you read last week’s edition, you’ll know all about Joe Bell’s borderline addiction to kiwifruit – he claims to eat 20-40 of them per week (with the skins on too!). Well, fresh produce imports must be booming in Norway because Joe Bell has clearly not been going hungry. He’d been quietly efficient during Viking’s first couple of games but on a Thursday night at home against Kristiansund he was a curly-haired beacon of importance.
Viking hit the post after five minutes which seemed to be a good omen... except it wasn’t. Kristiansund soon began to churn out a few attacks, leading to a VAR-influenced penalty after 25 minutes for some clumsy VFK goalkeeping. Penalty scored. 1-0 to Kristiandund and they carried that lead into half-time. Viking needed to fix things, like they did last week in coming from a goal down to win 3-1, so Joe Bell took that responsibility upon his own shoulders. One minute into the second half he scored a brilliant goal driving a low volley through the crowd after a part-cleared corner kick. Roughly ten minutes later, another corner was diverted to him outside the box. This time he took it down on his chest but dragged his shot. Fortunately, Henrik Heggheim was lurking to guide it into the net. A goal and an assist for Bellinho. Soon we’ll all be eating kiwifruit with the skins on.
From there, Simen Kvia-Egeskog finished off another one for VFK after 66 mins and they eased on into a 3-1 victory. All three of their Eliteserien games have been 3-1 results: a loss and now two wins. Joe Bell completed 63/72 passes with four key passes. Did some very good defensive work. Got that goal. Got that assist. The season’s only just begun but this performance is the benchmark he’ll be reaching for all year – he was the best player on the pitch. He also finished the game as captain after Zlatko Tripic was subbed with a minor injury complaint.
Zlatko Tripic: “We were a little annoyed with Joe last year when he did not score any goals, because he has an incredibly good right foot. It's good to have him in the return room. He has to keep doing that.”
To that point, Bell didn’t score any Eliteserien goals in 2024 so this was his first since he returned from Denmark. Goals and assists were the one thing lacking from his efforts last year. He did excellent work sweeping at the base of midfield but this is a guy whose first stint with the club led to 3 goals and 12 assists in 56 midfield appearances so there’s more he can offer. And, in this game against Kristiansund, that’s what he did. They even gave him a goat trophy for it...
Following that game, Viking had their first round Norwegian Cup tie away to Hana. They usually take it easy for those early rounds so no surprises that there were massive changes made to the squad (only one player in the starting line-up had a jersey number lower than 18). And even with all those changes they still cruised to a 6-0 victory. Onwards we go.
Up Next: Tuesday at 3am, HamKam vs Viking (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - União de Leiria (Portuguese Liga 2)
He’s gotten fancier assists but it’s always important to keep the stats ticking over and this one, setting up a Habib Sylla goal after 29 minutes, takes Sarpreet Singh to four goals and three assists for the season. He didn’t actually start this game. He was named on the bench but an injury to Jordan van der Gaag after only fifteen minutes saw him quickly summoned and soon enough he’d helped an UDL goal away against Feirense.
Problem was, Leiria proceeded to spoil that good work from there... starting in the 36th minute when they were reduced to ten men. What happened was that central defender Ze Vitor had dragged down an opponent for an obvious yellow card to stop a promising attack. Ze Vitor then picked up the ball to slow down the restart and when a Feirense dude rushed over to grab it off him that bloke ended up on the ground holding his face. Not sure there was much in it, to be honest, but the ref whipped that yellow card back up before it had even returned to his pocket and that was Ze Vitor’s day over.
UDL continued going to work and hit the post from a header off a corner after an hour. Could have been a different afternoon had that gone in. Instead Feirense levelled up on 82’ and then won it deeeeeep into stoppage time. UD Leiria had sent numbers forward for a Singh corner kick ten mins into eleven added-on. They were doing their best to win this thing. But in the twelfth minute they slipped up with their marking at the near stick and a miss-hit strike bobbled over the line to the 2-1 Feirense win. UDL are still only five points behind third place but they’ve just not been consistent enough to think they can climb into a promotion playoff with five games to go. You never know, though. A few more Sarpreet Singh impressions wouldn’t go astray.
Up Next: UD Leiria vs Benfica B at 10pm on Friday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
That’s what we’ve been waiting for. Nuno Espirito Santo has constantly been saying things like “day to day” and talking about pain management whenever asked about the hip injury that Chris Wood suffered on All Whites duty. It was never going to be a long-term thing but heavy bruising around the hip joint does make it difficult to run around and play football. Blessedly, after missing three games (the FA Cup shootout win vs Brighton, a win vs Man United, and a loss vs Aston Villa), The Woodsman returned to the line-up for the home game against Everton and even lasted the full contest. Sweet relief.
However, that’s where the fun stuff ended. Chris Wood showed obvious signs of rustiness after a few weeks of limited action (presumably in training as well as the games he’s missed). He only got 12 touches of the ball against the Toffees. That’s low for him but in itself isn’t a problem (he only had 11 in the home win vs Man United in December and he scored in that game). It gets worse when added to the fact that he didn’t attempt a shot, however his hold-up play was still decent and his passing helped unlock a few chances for teammates. But he also didn’t win an aerial duel and that’s where the rust really showed. He’ll be better for the run-out, though this was one of his least effective games all season.
Wood wasn’t an outlier in that because this was a bad team performance from Nottingham Forest. Everton looked far more threatening, especially in the first half, as Forest struggled to get their counter-attacks working. It got a little better after Anthony Elanga replaced Jota Silva (whose constant drifting infield from the right kept causing Wood to drop deeper) and Chris Wood thought he deserved a penalty after 61 mins when he hit the deck under pressure from Jake O'Brien in the six yard box. Not a lot of contact although there was a clear push in his back. VAR chose not to look at it.
Then to make matters worse, what should have been a mildly disappointing nil-all draw turned into a devastating 1-0 defeat after a careless touch from Murillo near halfway allowed Everton to attack with an overload and Abdoulaye Doucouré finished smoothly for the 90+4th minute winner. That’s the first home loss for Forest since November and rare points dropped against a lower-half team. Very uncharacteristic.
Chris Wood: “We know we can do better and that is what we have to take into the next games. We have got the team to do that. We have to be ready to go again. What we have got to this season we have got to on our own merit. We have got to get back to what we do well. It is bitterly disappointing to concede the way we did late on, it’s frustrating, but we have got to build and go again.”
One consolation is that Arsenal’s win against Real Madrid in the Champions League last week means that England are guaranteed five UCL spots for next season thanks to those beautiful coefficients. Albeit even five spots could be cutting it fine after Forest just lost consecutive games. Newcastle United and Manchester City both had big wins this week, as did Aston Villa. Chelsea only drew with Ipswich. Mash it all together and Nottingham Forest remain third with 57 points... but they’re only three points of Villa in seventh. This is Chris Wood’s best chance to play UCL footy and it’s still all in Nottm Forest’s own hands but there seems to be an air of anxiety creeping into the club. Gonna need to nip that in the bud, pronto.
Up Next: Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest on Tuesday at 7am (NZT)
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
Nice work there with the 3-1 win win on the road. Toluca were up against second-to-last-placed Puebla FC so they were probably expecting the victory... and they got it. Took the lead in the 12th minute via an own goal, then Shanice van de Sanden grabbed a brace (49’ & 85’) to ice things. Pueblo did briefly close the gap with a 77th minute penalty to make it 2-1 (even though it sure looked like the foul happened outside the box). Van de Sanden also set up the first goal - the OG came from a failed clearance from her shot which had been going wide – so it was a busy game from her. Also, it may have only been a simple pass out to the wing but Erceg probably gets an assist after picking out SVDS for the third one.
Good win... though sadly results elsewhere mean that there is no remaining possibility of Toluca getting into the playoff positions heading into the final round. They made a splash with a few signings, including Erceg, for this clausura phase but it took too long to get everyone settled and now they’re five points adrift with only three more points available to them. Ah well. What’ll be interesting is whether Erceg stays with Toluca into next season or if perhaps this was a convenient spell in between other opportunities.
Up Next: Toluca vs America at 11am on Saturday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli FC (Italian Serie A)
One of the more frustrating things about being in a relegation battle is the patience required when you find yourselves up against a title challenger, having to accept that the situation probably isn’t getting any better for that week. Empoli were away against Napoli this latest round. Napoli needed to win to move back within three points of leaders Inter Milan. Empoli could climb out of the relegation zone with a win but a win is something they haven’t managed since 8 December.
There were no dramas about Cacace’s selection, at least. He was picked as the left-sided ten, another stint in that attacking role, making this the tenth consecutive Serie A game in which he’s been in the eleven. He’d done ninety minutes in all but one of those previous matches. Plus, of course, this is a sentimental game for him because Cacace’s whole family are big Napoli fans. This was his fourth appearance (second start) against the ol’ childhood faves. Empoli had won all three previous games, whilst losing the three that Cacace didn’t play in. He’s been a lucky presence against Napoli in the past.
That lucky presences has now been busted. Napoli were extremely dominant and took the lead after 18 minutes through Scott McTominay, converting from a Romelu Lukaku assist. Empoli did have some occasional moments knocking the ball around in the Napoli half or rushing at them on the break... but nothing that seemed capable of breaking down the Napoli defence. Napoli have had some issues when it comes to keeping clean sheets but not like Empoli’s own issues with scoring goals.
There was at least some hypothetical hope while the scoreline remained at 0-1. Then Romelu Lukaku scored one of his own (56’) and set up another for McTominay (61’). Could have been more when that combo combined again only for McTominay to hit the post in search of a hat-trick. Cacace moved back to central defence when Mattia Viti was subbed after 70 mins, as he often does. Then later Cacace himself took an early rest on 82’ as Empoli waved the white flag. 3-0 to Napoli final score. Empoli remain in the bottom three.
Up Next: Might have more fortune at home against Venezia at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Marko Stamenic – Olympiacos (Greek Super League)
Olympiacos are the champions of Greece. A 1-0 win against AEK Athens got the job done with time to spare, Ayoub El Kaabi scoring the decisive goal in the 55th minute. It was a feisty game between two rivals with very few notable chances and tempers boiled over during the full-time celebrations when one of the AEK players decided he had a bone to pick with an Olympiacos dude in amongst one of the huddles – leading to a swarm of pushes and shoves. Both teams got a post-game red card (for Olympiacos it was their backup goalie who hadn’t even played). It got pretty wild there for a bit. Marko Stamenic had to channel his inner Steven Adams and play peacemaker... which must have been sweaty work because he took his jacket off in the middle of it all. The AEK players were soon escorted away and Olympiacos resumed their celebrations.
At least Marko Stamenic got to do something memorable during this game because it was another one of those unused substitute days otherwise. But he should benefit from this scenario, since they still have three games left with the championship all wrapped up. Could see some squad rotation that brings him back into the mix. There’s also a Greek Cup final to prepare for against OFI Crete on 18 May.
Marko Stamenic has now won consecutive league titles in Denmark, Serbia, and Greece. If they win that cup final then he’ll have won consecutive league and cup doubles in each of those nations. That’s absolutely unprecedented for a kiwi player and surely there can’t be too many folks of any nationality who can match that. This was a 48th league title in 100 years for Olympiacos (it’s their centenary season) but they only finished third last time so this was no foregone conclusion like, say, Stamenic’s title with Crvena zvezda was last time.
Up Next: Away to AEK Athens on Monday 28 April at 5am... hope there’s extra security (NZT)
Tyler Bindon – Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
It was another busy week for Tyler Bindon and Reading. It was another good week for Tyler Bindon and Reading. They took on Shrewsbury Town in the midweek and although they were leading 1-0 at the break, this could have gone a completely different way in those next five minutes. Bindon had already been booked after 21 minutes when he miss-timed a sliding challenge down near the corner flag... so the Shrewsbury players were pretty keen to see him given another one when he committed a cheeky handball just moments after the 2H kickoff. The ref was nice about it and left it at a free kick (which was crossed into the area where Bindon dutifully headed it away – same as he did from the one he got booked for).
Shrewsbury Town did equalise in the 48th minute through Taylor Perry to put Reading in a tricky spot. Ah but their form shone through against the bottom team when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored a brilliant solo goal on 53’ followed by Chem Campbell popping one home on 72’. Final score 3-1. Bindon had those hiccups with the fouls but he was imperious in the area, especially when it came to winning headers, and brought his typical calmness to the occasion as well. Doing what he always does, in other words. This win was made even better by Bolton simultaneously losing 1-0 to Rotherham... allowing Reading to go ahead of them in sixth place... and into the playoff spots.
And they remain in sixth place after a 0-0 draw away against Northampton Town. Probably should have won that one, especially against a relegation-battling side who copped a red card in the 77th min. Reading had more of the ball, more of the shots... but couldn’t find the breakthrough. However, Bolton and Huddersfield both lost so the Royals now have a three-point buffer in that final playoff spot. Four games remain. Tyler Bindon made ten clearances, an interception, a tackle, and completed his passes at 89%. There was one slippery moment early on when he lost the ball carelessly but that ended with a shot into the side-netting, no damage done.
Another commanding game from TB. Only Oliver Casey (344 for Blackpool) and Carl Piergianni (329 for Stevenage) have made more defensive clearances than Bindon’s 319. Even after missing a couple games recently, Bindon is tenth for total minutes in League One. That’s amongst all players for all clubs... not just the youngsters. He’s long since graduated beyond only being compared to his fellow youngsters. Plus he’s a champion human so here he is delivering Easter gifts to kids at Royal Berkshire Hospital along with a few teammates...
Up Next: Reading vs Lincoln City at 2am on Saturday (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Burton Albion (English League One)
Remember two paragraphs ago how Huddersfield lost? Well, they lost to Burton Albion. Max Crocombe kept his eleventh clean sheet of the campaign. Only eight keepers have more despite all of Burton’s struggles this season. To be fair, Crocombe didn’t have that much to do with this one. It was a comfortable win for Burton Albion, quite possibly their best result of the whole season. Rumarn Burell scored early (9’), followed by Julian Larsson right before the half (45’). Burell then got another on 55’ and it was easy street from there. Crocombe didn’t have to make a single save.
And with that, ladies and gentlemen, Burton Albion have risen out of the bottom four. It’s only on goal difference at this stage but with four matches left they’re trending in the right direction. This is a club that needed 14 games before they finally won one of them. Now they’re nearing safety. What’s more, their initial captain Elliott Watt was loaned to St Johnstone in January and his successor Ryan Sweeney’s is currently injured (he suffered a head knock making a goal-line clearance in the comeback win against Leyton Orient two weeks ago) so Max Crocombe has captained the Brewers for the past two matches.
Up Next: Exeter City vs Burton at midnight when Friday becomes Saturday (NZT)
Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
Right on. There we have Olivia Chance and Elizabeth Anton (Liv and Liz) starting together at Kolbotn for the first time. Chance had already debuted off the bench prior to the international break (after missing the opening round for paperwork reasons) but that was too soon for Liz Anton who’s only just joined from Canberra United, foregoing their A-League finals run for a crack at the Norwegian Toppserien. Hence why she doesn’t get a profile pic in the graphic there. They’d better sort that out.
So, yeah, second game for Chance but first start. Debut for Anton. Kolbotn were away against Stabæk... and they lost 1-0 to a 22nd minute goal from Iris Omarsdottir. This was more competitive than Kolbotn have been to date but that result still means three defeats from three to begin the season. Chance lasted 66 mins before she was replaced, seems she’s ramping up pretty quickly. Anton’s already at mid-season match fitness so she did the full thing within that KIF backline... which did appear to be a little more effective with her in there. The three teams that Kolbotn have lost to are all in the top four after three rounds (with 4 wins and 2 defeats in their non-KIF matches) therefore it may also have been a tricky set of fixtures to begin with.
Up Next: Kolbotn vs Jonefoss at 4am on Thursday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Younes Namli returned to the starting line-up for the first time since November as PEC Zwolle faced FC Twente on Monday morning NZT. That meant Namli resumed as captain, taking the armband back from Ryan Thomas who’d worn it in the previous four games. Understandable. Meanwhile, Ryan Thomas went ninety minutes for the third game in a row as Zwolle drew 1-1... funny how RT’s return to fitness has coincided with an unbeaten streak for Zwolle.
This wasn’t a very memorable game, although Zwolle will be frustrated at not being able to hang onto the lead after Damian van der Haar’s 62nd min opener (following up after a parried long shot). A header from a corner on 78’ hauled them back even and the draw was a fair result. Thomas made six interceptions in this one, adding a bit more defensive coverage to his game as the muscle memory continues its revival.
Draws are nothing special but the points do add up. Thommo’s first start of the season was against leaders Ajax and they only lost 1-0 on that occasion. Since then, Zwolle have managed three draws and a win with Thomas playing at least 75 mins in all of them. Thanks to those points, they’re currently seven points clear of the relegation playoff and 12 points clear of automatic relegation with five games left. They’re also only four points from climbing all the way up into the top half of the standings. The pressure is never entirely off until any mathematical possibility of relegation has been extinguished but things are looking good.
Up Next: Feyenoord vs PEC Zwolle at 7am on Saturday (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Boxy, speaking with The Athletic: “I’ve always kind of struggled with long-term goals when, especially in team sports, so much is out of your control. I kind of planted that seed out there: the goal is to make the 2026 World Cup. I think having that there, it’s all the little things you do day-to-day that will get you there. Picking up the little habits, bouncing off nutrition and dietary things off my wife has helped as well. Nothing too crazy, it’s nothing too complicated. Alcohol is pretty much cut out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to do the LeBron ‘million dollars a year on my body’ kind of thing, but just picking up a few habits here and there, so far, seems to be working... I think the World Cup will be a month or two short of my 38th birthday, so I’ll leave no stone unturned trying to make sure that I’m there,” he said. “I don’t want to be added to the squad as, like, a kind of cheerleader or leadership role. I want to make sure that I’m competing for a starting spot and earning it, rather than having it based on goodwill or my career. It’s something I want to make sure that I’ve earned.”
Michael Boxall was part of an unchanged eleven for Minnesota as they travelled north of the border to face Toronto FC, continuing to re-earn his All Whites selection day by day. Perhaps they should have beaten a winless Toronto side but away from home, early in the season when it’s still freezing (not that Minnesota is much different), a 0-0 draw will suffice.
This was another clean sheet and an extension of the unbeaten streak: it’s now seven games without defeat for the Loons. Toronto pretty much set up to repel Minnesota and without their counter attacks and Minny ran short of ideas. But they defended equally stoutly with captain Boxall making seven clearances, an interception, completing 39/42 passes, and even getting called offside on one occasion (loitering after going up for a set piece). Boring game but a decent point to add to the tally. Minnesota United are second in the Western Conference after eight rounds.
More Boxy: “I still haven’t truly accepted that I’m, like, an older kind of leader, but I think I’m trying to look at it through the eyes of like how other people may see me, and try to be a bit more influential in those ways. I’ll speak up when it needs when it needs to be done, but I think just making sure my level of consistency and intensity is there every day, I want that to become infectious. I’d rather like lead with actions than have to give some kind of speech. During my 15 years or so of playing, you notice that good leaders and bad leaders, they all say the same things. They say the same words. The difference is their actions. That’s how I try and influence a group.”
Up Next: Sunday at 12.30pm, Minnesota Utd vs FC Dallas (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Careful with the headphones on that video, the sound enters the portals of hell roughly two minutes in. Technical issues aside, it’s crazy how smoothly Finn Surman has settled into all facets of the MLS. No doubt helps that he had a six-month advance on that process last year but from where he was even just two months ago compared to where he is now is amazing. There’s no wobbliness. Surman’s carrying himself, shoulders high and chin up, like the international calibre defender that he is. He gives thoughtful answers to the press and he’s made more defensive clearances than any other player in the competition this season.
The latest Portland game was less of a defensive showcase than other recent games have been. They were away against Sporting Kansas City and this one was a slug-fest with Portland twice taking first half leads and twice conceding equalisers... before a couple more goals within ten mins of the second spell getting going sent them onwards with a 4-2 victory. Kevin Kelsy scored two of them so he’s the bloke everyone wants to talk about this week, fair enough. This was a quality win on the road. The Timbers are fourth in the West, just one point behind Minnesota United.
Up Next: Portland vs LAFC at 2.15am on Sunday (NZT)
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
The Royals left it way too late to sub on Macey Fraser, only giving her a dozen minutes plus stoppages to try and find an equaliser against Portland Thorns. They didn’t find one and lost 1-0. Granted, Fraser almost didn’t play at all due to illness and it was only on the morning of the game that they cleared her to participate so maybe a dozen minutes was about right in this particular case. Anyway, it was another stint as a hybrid right winger slash inside forward, same as we’ve seen all season. Fraser didn’t get a lot of touches and was a bit messy when she did get the ball, mostly because she was taking risks trying to spark an equaliser.
Portland scored after 14 minutes and led the entire rest of the way although Utah did have a good second half. Probably deserved something out of that game except they couldn’t find a goal. What that means is the Utah Royals are last after four games as one of only two teams still yet to register a win. North Carolina is the other. Fraser has appeared in all four with two starts and two sub apps. That already matches her tallies from last season.
Meanwhile, Ali Riley’s Angel City are undefeated after four matches and Riley is busy on the recovery trail. She reckons that she just this week finally did her first pain-free running session since November 2023... sparking hope that perhaps she might play this season after all. Now that’s a happy bit of news.
Up Next: Utah vs Chicago Stars at 1.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Monty Patterson - Atlético Ottawa (Canadian Premier League)
Heeeeeere’s Monty. Off the bench for his second appearance and he scored the goal that put the icing on the cake of a 4-1 win away against Vancouver FC. They were already 3-0 up at half-time so it’s a tad annoying they didn’t chuck Monty on until the 78th minute (after they’d conceded). But he scored all the same and goals are a striker’s currency. That’s how you earn more minutes. Forge are the only team to win both their opening two matches so this hefty win puts Ottawa in a good place following their opening day draw. Jay Herdman’s Cavalry FC had a bye this weekend.
Up Next: Atletico vs York United at 5am on Sunday (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
They bloody did it. Stellenbosch travelled all the way from South Africa to North Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, and beat Zamalek SC 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Sihle Nduli (79’). After the nil-all draw in the home leg that was all they needed. Stellenbosch have ousted the defending Confederation Cup champs and will themselves be taking their place in the semi-finals instead.
Andre De Jong started and played 68 minutes so the goal was scored after he left the pitch... but he did his bit in laying the foundations. Only had the one shot off target, fizzing one high on the break early on, but he didn’t give the ball away cheaply and worked hard with his defensive mahi. Zamalek kinda stunningly dropped their best player, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, for this game after accusing him of signing a pre-contract with rivals Al Ahly and that clearly helped matters as the home side failed to turn dangerous possession into dangerous chances. Stellies survived all that. Stellies scored a goal of their own. Stellies advance to the semi-finals where they will face Simba Sports Club of Tanzania.
Up Next: The away leg against Simba is on Monday morning but first there’s a Wednesday morning PSL game against AmaZulu at 5.30am (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Eskilstuna United (Swedish Elitettan)
@eskilstunaunited Endast två dagar till nästa match, avspark 14:00 på lördag! Hör vad nyförvärvet Gabi Rennie har att säga om första tiden i Eskilstuna samt hennes tankar inför helgens träningsmatch mot hennes tidigare lag, Åland United💙 #foryou #svenskfotboll #viärunited ♬ I Need a Dollar (Instrumental Version) - Beats Nation
The beginning of a new season is always exciting as everyone begins with the same blank slate. For Gabi Rennie, even more so after she took an excellent campaign with Aland United in Finland and turned that into a move to Swedish club Eskilstuna United. However, she’s had a rocky start to that new season after Eskilstuna were thumped 4-1 by IK Uppsala in week one.
Rennie went straight into the starting eleven playing wide on the right and she got a full game, looking very active in a role that’s a direct continuation from what she was doing in the Finnish league (they actually played against Aland United in preseason as Gabi mentions in the vid there, dunno what happened). Rennie’s been given the number seven jersey so that much seems bright. Just gotta do something about the stink result. Uppsala finished one spot away from a promotion playoff last year whereas Eskilstuna, despite a strong history that includes finishing second in the 2014 Damallsvenskan, were only ninth in the second tier last year. Based on that evidence, this went about as expected.
Up Next: Eskilstuna vs Sunnanaa at midnight on Monday/Tuesday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Man, they threw that one away. Silkeborg were 1-0 up against Viborg with twenty minutes remaining only to concede twice and lose. Pontus Rodin’s 25th min goal even featured a bit of Callum McCowatt, who collected the loose ball that Rodin himself had poked free around halfway and slipped it to a teammate to start the attack... which ended with Rodin’s acrobatic header. McCowatt has started three games in a row since the relegation rounds began – he’d only made three starts in all of the 22 previous league games – and he did have a few chances of his own in this one. Four shots, three of them blocked and one of them sent wide, all from around the edge of the penalty area angling in from his right wing.
But, yeah, SIF conceded from a direct free kick after 73 mins and then from another direct free kick after 83 mins (McCowatt was subbed off in between the two goals). They were good from open play but a pair of superb dead ball strikes from Isak Jensen morphed this fixture into a 2-1 Viborg win. With that, Viborg have gone ahead of Silkeborg in the standings by a single point... these two clubs face off again in the final round of the season. Neither is in any trouble as far as relegation goes but only the top spot from this group gets access to the European playoffs (then again, Silkeborg could sneak in the side window there by winning the Danish Cup like they did last season – they’re into the semis which are to be played next month).
Up Next: Double gameweek with Silkeborg vs AaB at 5am on Thursday, then Vejle BK vs Silkeborg at 0:00 on Tuesday (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova (Italian Serie C)
Haven’t spoken much about Niko Kirwan this season... he’s third tier in Italy and with the depth of kiwi footballers these days, only so many folks are gonna fit in the roundup each week. But we’ll make room for him this time because there are things that need saying.
This latest game wasn’t even a good one for Kirwan: he was an unused substitute in a 1-0 win against Triestina. That’s a rarity because while Kirwan doesn’t always necessarily start (although he’s been starting a lot more than he doesn’t over the past few months and he captains them when he does), he usually still gets a decent run towards the end if he’s named on the bench. This was the first time since October that he’s been an unused sub.
However, the important thing is that Padova won. They’d been undefeated up until early March when suddenly they lost three out of five. Only one team per conference gets automatic promotion from Serie A... and long-time readers will recall Kirwan having some nastily close calls in the playoffs (as well as one season with Reggiana where he succeeded in the promotion playoffs). That wonky of form put Padova into serious trouble as Vicenza leapt ahead of them. But Vicenza lost 2-1 to Vitus Verona on Monday morning thanks to a 90+6th minute concession and with that Padova are two points clear with two games remaining. They’ve got Union Clodiense (last place) on Saturday then Lumezzane (14th) the following week. Win both and the job is complete. Let’s go, Niko.
Up Next: Padova vs Union Clodiense at 6am on Saturday (NZT)
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