Flying Kiwis – June 25
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
This was a week for transfers... but there are a few stray games involving kiwi footballers sprinkled in here. Like, for instance, another silky victory for Joe Bell’s Viking FK as they continue to hang out at the very top of the Eliteserien. Following a couple of weeks off, the Vikes hosted Frederikstad with a fresh squad and they were humming. Just six minutes into the contest, a Joe Bell switch got them out of trouble and onto the counter attack, leading to a corner kick. Zlatko Tripic swung that kick onto the head of Anders Baertelsen and bingo. 1-0 bright and early.
Bellinho had the chance to double that after a dozen mins from a similar situation. This time the corner kick delivery was deeper and the Fredrikstad keeper managed to punch it away... but only as far as Bell lurking on the perimeter. However, he struck his volley into the ground and it fizzed slightly wide. Soon after, he was being summoned into action at the other end with a pretty magical goal-line clearance...
This game was on a knife’s edge with both sides looking dangerous. The next goal was going to be crucial, et cetera. That next goal arrived for Viking on the hour when Peter Christiansen converted a smooth transitional attack. A close-range rocket from Vetle Auklend with ten minutes left then put the icing on the cake. Final score: 3-0 to VFK. That extends their winning streak to six league games and they’re also on 16-game undefeated run across all competitions. Bell did what he always does, passing the ball around nicely and digging in defensively. He’s been excellent all season and is a huge part of Viking FK’s success so far.
Having a week off after the international break will have been handy because this was the first of three games in seven days. They did get a favourable draw in the Norwegian Cup though, pitted against lower-tiered Aalesund. If Viking do what’s expected and win then they’ll progress to the semi-finals without having had to play a rival Eliteserien team. Meanwhile, we’re almost exactly a month away from the beginning of their Europa Conference League qualifying campaign. The draw was conducted for that last week and Viking will face the winner of Željezničar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) vs Koper (Slovenia).
Now everybody sing along!
Up Next: Away to Aalesund in the Norwegian Cup quarter-final on Thursday at 4am; then away to Rosenborg in the Elitserien at the same time on Sunday (NZT)
Max Crocombe – Millwall (English Championship)
Now that’s what we’re talking about. Under a bit of pressure for his All Whites number one spot with Alex Paulsen expected to make the move to Europe this year, Max Crocombe has responded emphatically by declining a new offer at League One’s Burton Albion and making the leap to Championship club Millwall. The leap’s bigger than it seems too. Burton Albion needed a miracle to avoid relegation last season whereas Millwall only barely missed out on the promotion playoffs – based on the 2024-25 standings, he’s just jumped 36 places on the EFL ladder. After a career that’s seen him steadily rise up the ranks from non-league footy, this takes Max Crocombe to his highest level yet. Brilliant stuff one year out from the World Cup.
Steve Gallen, Millwall's Director of Football: “I'm pleased we've been able to sign Max. He played a big part in keeping Burton Albion up last year and they were very keen to keep him. Max is New Zealand's number one and they have already booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We hope he will make our goalkeeping department more competitive.”
There’s a decent chunk of context with this move, as you may have guessed from Mr Gallen’s last sentence about competitive depth. If you check out Millwall’s goalkeeping situation from last term, you’ll see that Denmark’s Lukas Jensen played 41 times in the Championship while youngster George Evans made four apps and backup Liam Roberts got two games... as well as starting all the cup games. You may remember Roberts as the goalie who got a red card in the FA Cup fifth round after kicking Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in the face. Roberts has since been released to join Mansfield Town. The other two remain with Millwall.
Jensen was signed from Lincoln City prior to last season so the Lions know what they’re doing with these lower division goalkeeping transfers. And there’s little doubt that Crocombe’s been signed as Jensen’s backup, certainly to begin with. However, the thing about Jensen is that he tore his achilles tendon in April so he’s unlikely to be available until at least November, probably a lot later. Millwall intends to challenge for the playoffs so they need a reliable gloveman to see them through until Jensen’s return and then put pressure on him afterwards. Crocombe may not have played Championship before but he’s got international experience, was available for free, and has been in career-best form these past two seasons.
Crocs has no reason to feel daunted. He wasn’t starting GK in the opening game of either of his seasons with Burton Albion yet both times he overtook his challenger within a month to wear the gloves the rest of the way (winning Player of the Season at the club’s awards in that first year). The same was true of his Grimsby Town tenure where he joined as backup to long-time favourite James McKeown, a bloke who’d played over 400 times for that club... and Crocombe usurped him and then led the team to promotion. With a few good months for the Lions, Jensen might not find it so easy to walk straight back in.
Jake Kean, Burton Albion Head of Goalkeeping: “I’m delighted for Max. Over the last two seasons he’s been brilliant and played a huge part in keeping the club in League One. He deserves this move to the Championship not only based on his performances but his professionalism. He’s always first in and last out - striving for that one percent more that not only makes himself better but the team as well. It’s been a privilege to work with someone so dedicated. I know he’ll take this opportunity with both hands and go and be a big part of the squad at Millwall as he was here. I wish him nothing but the best for next season and for the World Cup in 2026, where he’ll no doubt feature.”
With that, the kiwi presence in English Championship has been restored. It’s a level at which Tommy Smith and Chris Wood both played in excess of 200 games... but more recently we’ve had to settle for Winston Reid’s short stint with Brentford, Ben Waine’s numerous five-minute substitute cameos with Plymouth, and Stefan Marinovic’s infamous one-and-done appearance for Bristol City (which wasn’t quite as bad as the punchline that it’s gone down in history as... although there’s no denying that he failed his audition). With guys like Tyler Bindon, Marko Stamenic, and Alex Paulsen all on loan watch from Premier League clubs, it’s possible that Crocombe won’t be the only New Zealander who ends up in the Championship this season either.
Up Next: Meet the lads then crack on with preseason
Maya Hahn - Viktoria Berlin (German Bundesliga 2)
Before the previous season was even done, it had already been confirmed that Maya Hahn (and about a dozen others) would be leaving Turbine Potsdam after their inevitable relegation from the German top flight. It’d been a brutal season in which they took just one point from their 22 games. Hahn’s last action for the club she spent three years with was to get red carded in their penultimate match (albeit harshly). Potsdam were once one of the strongest clubs in Germany, even winning the Champions League in 2004-05... but financial troubles and constant rebuilding ever since has turned that past success turn into ancient history. When half your team gaps it immediately after relegation, the signs aren’t great.
Maya Hahn hasn’t signed with another Bundesliga team though. Instead she’ll be playing against Potsdam in the second tier having joined Viktoria Berlin. Same division... but very different vibes. A few years ago, Viktoria Berlin followed the Angel City FC format by getting together a bunch of renowned female investors (including former footballers and businessfolk) to go along with some community investment (in the usual German model) with the aim of creating a self-reliant women’s football team that could inspire and empower and all the usual things.
The PR side of it has been great. The footballing side of it has naturally taken a little longer to ferment. They won their Regionalliga (third tier) conference in 2022-23 but lost their promotion playoff against Hamburger SV, beaten 6-1 over two legs. In 2023-24, they won 19 of 22 games yet finished second behind Union Berlin who won every game, therefore missing out on the playoffs. But last season saw them take 60 points from 22 games (20 wins, 2 defeats) with a +95 goal difference and that comfortably won them the Nordost conference... and this time they didn’t need to bother with playoffs. Thanks to Bundesliga expansion, all four of the regional champs got promoted directly. Third time lucky for Viktoria Berlin.
So while Hahn has moved from one 2.Liga club to another, it’s pretty obvious that she’s left a slumping squad to join a team on the rise. Having said that, it does look like Suya Haering will remain with Turbine Potsdam having broken into the first team last season so here’s hoping they both get promoted to the Bundesliga. There are 14 teams in the 2.Liga this season but three of them are reserve teams (Bayern, Wolfsburg, and Frankfurt) so they’re ineligible for promotion which makes the task slightly easier. Hahn didn’t have a great time in the Bundesliga, moving in and out of the starting team and often being used out of position... but she scored four goals in 24 matches in the 2.Liga on the way to promotion the season prior. This is a division that she knows very well.
Unfortunately, this development does mean we’re currently staring at the end of a wonderful streak wherein at least one kiwi has gotten minutes in the Frauen Bundesliga for the past 17 years in a row. Hahn and Haering kept that alive last season but they’re both now in the second tier. Perhaps the transfer window can help us out. It’s not too late.
Up Next: Should be preseason pretty soon
Moses Dyer - Galway United (League of Ireland Premier Division)
It’d been a sec since Moses Dyer’s last goal. Heading into Galway’s game against Sligo Rovers, he’d gone six games without finding the back of the net. He did serve up two assists plus he won a penalty during that span so it’s not like he’d disappeared or anything... but he was definitely overdue. Was. Past tense. Sit back and enjoy Mighty Moses delivering his tenth strike of the campaign with a powering header to level the scores shortly after half-time...
Great stuff. Dyer’s now only one shy of Max Mata’s best haul in the League Of Ireland. Mata’s goals of course came playing for Galway’s opponents, Sligo Rovers, who have kept up their kiwi presence since Mata and Nando Pijnaker left by signing Oskar van Hattum from the Wellington Phoenix. OVH has struggled with injuries so he’s not really made a mark yet. But he did make his return to the pitch last match and got another 25 mins off the bench in this one.
But he didn’t overlap with Dyer because Moses Dyer was red carded after 52 minutes following a shoving match with the opposition captain. John Mahon was already about to be booked for a foul in which Dyer basically got pole-axed. Dyer took exception, getting up and shoving him, before folks from both teams swooped in and dragged them apart. But MD still had a head of steam so once they let him loose he wandered over to where Mahon was pulling up his socks and had another go. Mahon leaned his head in and they were both sent off...
You can see the full incident in the match highlights. Seems we won’t be getting any more Dyer goals for a couple of weeks. Sligo Rovers went on to win 2-1 after Francely Lomboto sneakily scored with a backheel after hitting the post, before Galway hit the crossbar in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Very valuable win for Sligo Rovers who move four points clear of last place. Galway are lingering in the mid-table although a run of wins could raise them up into European contention.
Up Next: Probably best to focus on Bohemians vs Sligo Rovers at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Jacqui Hand, Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
If you thought having two New Zealanders at the same club in Norway was cool, try three. Liv Chance was the first to join Kolbotn prior to the season’s beginning as she made her return to pro football after having a baby. Liz Anton joined her a few games into the season, leaving Canberra United slightly early for her first taste of club footy beyond Australasia. But that wasn’t enough to boost up an otherwise young and domestic group of players hence roughly halfway through the season poor old Kolbotn are sitting dead last. Only seven points from 13 matches. They’ve got a kiwi in defence. They’ve got a kiwi in midfield. Obviously they need a kiwi in attack as well... introducing Jacqui Hand.
Vetle Vangstuen, Sporting Director: “Jacqui comes to the club and gives us some offensive qualities that we have missed going forward in the pitch. There is something here X factor that will suit us well, and that we will help to develop further! She is also a wonderful girl with good values and attitudes, which makes us very happy to have her in place!”
Hand’s previous two clubs were Sheffield United and Lewes over in the English second tier but prior to that she had an excellent stint with Aland United in Finland so the Scandinavian stuff isn’t new to her. Nor are the two international teammates she’ll be playing alongside. Hand and Anton were even in the same U20s wave... in fact, they went to two U20 World Cups together (2016 and 2018). JH’s job will be to supply a few goals for a team that’s been averaging less than one per game.
There is a sneaky risk to this move, though. Hand’s time with Aland United was awesome and included a cup title... but since moving to England she’s experienced consecutive relegations. The Sheff Utd one actually got overturned after Blackburn Rovers withdrew, potentially opening the door for a Hand return. She’s understandably chosen otherwise... however, in doing so she’s walked into what could be a third consecutive relegation with a third different club (sort of like a reverse Marko Stamenic effect). But a few goals would fix that in a hurry. It’s also the case that this season ends in November so if it sucks then she could always pop back up with another club in England or wherever in January. Same goes for Chance and Anton... though ideally they flip the script together and lead Kolbotn on a triumphant march up the table.
Up Next: The Toppserien is in its winter break right now, so the next game isn’t until the end of July
George Stanger - Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
George Stanger began his career in the Scottish Premiership as a youngster with Hamilton Academical. Now, after several years in which he’s managed to play in each of the top four divisions of Scotland, he’s returning there having signed a two-year contract with Kilmarnock.
This follows a very successful time with Ayr United in the Championship which led to significant transfer speculation last January from both Scottish and English clubs. In the end, Stanger chose to stick with Ayr Utd for the rest of the season (and until the end of his contract) in order to try and win promotion to the top flight... but he got injured for the playoffs and AU fell shot of that target. They did offer him fresh terms to remain at the club but that was never very likely given the outside interest. It was time for the next step... and it’s Killie that’s won the sweepstakes.
Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell: “George is a player I’ve been really impressed with and I’m confident he will fit right in with our squad. He brings a presence to the defence when he plays, he is also at a good age combined with plenty of first team experience which is the perfect combination. We look forward to working with George this week ahead of the new season.”
Stanger hasn’t played for the All Whites but he did impress for the NZ U20s in the same cycle as guys like Joe Bell, Libby Cacace, Callum McCowatt, Sarpreet Singh, et cetera. It was Stanger’s combination at the back with Nando Pijnaker that kept Erling Haaland quiet as the NZers beat Norway 2-0 during the group stage. He also went to the 2021 Olympics, where he appeared once off the bench, though he’s never been called up for the senior squad. However, his form over the past couple of years has begun to put him into that conversation and a nice progressive move like this will only amplify his case (particularly after the World Cup when Tommy Smith and perhaps even Michael Boxall may choose to hang ‘em up... although don’t bank on it with Boxy, who is quite possibly in career-best form right now).
It’s worth adding that Stanger’s not actually tied to Aotearoa since he’s only had those youth exploits. Gianni Stensness was also part of both of those tournament squads and he’s now an Australian international. Fortunately, Stanger was asked about that upon signing and he’s now on the record saying that he hopes being a Premiership player will get him into the mix with New Zealand...
George Stanger: “I’m delighted to be here. It’s been in the pipeline for the past week or so and I’m happy to get it done. I feel like it’s a really good step for me in my career and I’m looking forward to get going and showing what I can do at this level. I’ve spoken to the manager plenty the last couple of weeks and I’ll be honest, he’s a big part of why I came here. I know that he’s got a good reputation for how he can help players develop and that’s a key thing for me. I want to be here, I want to win games for the club, absolutely, but I want to make sure that I get better. I think there’s a good opportunity for me to do that here and I think the manager will definitely help with that.”
Coincidentally, Kilmarnock play at a ground called Rugby Park... and Stanger’s father Tony was a Scottish rugby international (who met George’s kiwi mother while he was playing in Australia). Not that much rugby gets played there though. It’s had a couple of Scotland internationals over the years but the name itself is a holdover from the late-1800s. It’s been Kilmarnock’s home ground for more than a century (with a few renovations along the way).
Stanger is the fifth signing of the season by Kilmarnock, who lost quite a few players at the turn of the season – including Welsh centre-back Joe Wright. This followed a pretty rough campaign. They’d finished fourth in 2023-24 which earned them some UEFA action... but that didn’t go very far as they were knocked out of Europa qualification by Cercle Brugge, thus dropping into Conference League qualifiers where they managed to progress past Tromsø before being knocked out by FC Copenhagen in the playoff rounds. They then got eliminated at the first hurdle in both domestic cups and ended up in the relegation rounds of the Premiership, finishing in ninth place. Stuart Kettlewell was appointed as manager three weeks ago. It’s probably too much to expect Stanger to walk right in as a first eleven player but you never know what’ll happen in an unsettled situation like this. The League Cup group stage will offer him an early window to impress his new club.
Up Next: He’s already in training and preseason games begin this weekend
James McGarry – Aberdeen FC (Scottish Premiership)
Just a few hours before George Stanger’s Premiership move was announced, the only New Zealander to play in last season’s Scottish Premiership departed his club. James McGarry spent two years with Aberdeen after joining as an A-League champion with Central Coast Mariners. During that time, he made 28 appearances across the various competitions – including becoming the first New Zealander to play in the UEFA Conference League proper with a start against Eintracht Frankfurt in December 2023 – but recurring injuries spoiled his first season and he was out of favour in the second term. Enough to where they flipped him out to Athens Kallithea in Greece for a six-month loan.
At that point it was clear that there was no way back for McGarry at the Dons... the only question is whether they’d release him early or seek out another loan for the last year of his contract. With McGarry’s preference being a return to the A-League, a release was grated that’s allowed him to join the Brisbane Roar on a three-year contract.
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: “A culmination of frustrating injuries and the form of Jack (MacKenzie) made life a little difficult for James, but I have never had any complaints about his attitude or professionalism. Sometimes things just don’t quite go the way everyone plans when a player makes a move, and I think that is the case here. He has a lot of experience in the A-League, and with a fresh start, I am sure he’ll do well there. He leaves with our thanks and best wishes for his future career.”
It’s easy to look at his stint there and conclude that he just wasn’t good enough. There were definitely games where he struggled but there were others where he looked pretty decent. He just never got the chance to play consistently enough to settle. His manager offered some perspective with that quote... further perspective is that his initial arrival was delayed until after his partner gave birth to their first child, then McGarry had to promptly leave them before they could travel and join him a month or so later. Because he was late arriving, he missed out on preseason and then battled through muscle injuries all season. Probably not unrelated. These things are often as much about luck and timing as they are about talent. Here’s hoping McGarry tears it up back in the A-League.
Up Next: The Wellington Phoenix knocked Brisbane Roar out of the Aussie Cup so gotta wait until the new ALM season in a few more months
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Super League 2)
No surprises here: Katie Kitching has re-signed with Sunderland for next season. She was Player of the Season with the Black Cats last term, providing ten goal contributions in WSL2 and plenty more in the various cup competitions as well, so this was never in doubt. Especially not with the excitement of an extra promotion spot (maybe two with the added playoff) available next season thanks to WSL expansion. Kitch was one of five players to sign new deals with Sunderland while nine more were already under contract. Should be a good core of the squad ready to give it a nudge when the footy resumes in a couple of months.
Other clubs haven’t been as proactive in getting their retained/released lists out ahead of the official changing of the seasons on 30 June, which is when last term’s contracts expire. We do know that Indi Riley signed a two-year deal with Crystal Palace so she should be sticking around after their relegation – interestingly, Palace just signed Jo Potter as their new manager after she spent the last two years coaching Vic Esson at Rangers. No news yet from Durham (Mickey Foster and Hannah Blake) or Sheffield United (Jacqui Hand and Olivia Page), although we already know that Jacqui Hand is leaving because she’s signed with another club. Grace Neville wasn’t included in the releases for London City Lionesses after promotion so that seems like good news even if they haven’t actually confirmed her retention either. CJ Bott is a free agent at Leicester City but for all we know they’ve already agreed a new deal. We should find out before next week.
Up Next: Offseason things
Owen Parker-Price, Dom Woolridge, Harry Moss-Edge & Sean Bright – Torslanda IK (Swedish Ettan Södra)
Righto, better update all the stats from last week when OPP supplied a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss against Skövde AIK. This time his goal opened the scoring against second-placed Ljungskile, who managed to level things up after half an hour but nothing further. 1-1 was the final score. Decent result for Torslanda as they seek a bit more consistency. OPP played the full thing and also got a yellow card while Harry Moss-Edge and Sean Bright also got ninety minutes. Dom Woolridge started on the bench but was subbed on after only quarter of an hour.
As for OPP, that takes the 26yo midfielder to five goals and six assists in only 14 league appearances this year. He’s played every minute for Torslanda so far and continues to look like a player well capable of doing his thing at a higher level. He’s obviously very committed to the Torlsanda project alongside his ex-Ole Academy brethren but nobody gets away with this quantity of production in professional European football without the scouts taking notice.
Up Next: Norrby vs Torslanda at 5am on Friday (NZT)
Jamie Searle - Eastbourne Borough (English National League South)
The best thing about Jamie Searle’s move to sixth-tier English club Eastbourne Borough is that they emphatically referred to him in the announcement as “Borough’s new number one”. The one-cap All Whites goalkeeper has had a rotten time of late, getting stuck on the bench with no indication of any hope for game-time.
Initially he left Aotearoa to join Premier League club Aston Villa’s academy and has since steadily moved down the divisions from Swansea to Barnsley to Forest Green Rovers. It was with FGR over the past couple seasons that he had to watch from the bench as numerous short-term loan keepers were signed rather than giving him a chance. Scandalous stuff. But that chance should finally arrive now, having joined a team that finished third in the NL South last season. They were only two points shy of winning the title but then lost in the promotion playoffs.
Jamie Searle: “It’s a good opportunity for me. The club’s got big ambitions in terms of wanting to get promoted, wanting to win the league and I like to be part of a club who have those kinds of aspirations. I spoke the gaffer a few days ago and explained what he wanted from a goalkeeper and as a team and it really stood out for me, so I’m excited to get going.”
Up Next: Preseason stuff begins soon
Elijah Just - SKN St. Pölten (Austrian Erste Liga)
NÖN-PLUS: “Also still pending: Elijah Just's continued commitment. SKN has until June 30th to exercise the purchase option. The move is said to be for €180,000. However, the New Zealander would prefer a move away from St. Pölten. "We're still considering it. We still have a little time," [Sporting Director] Freitag explains.”
That’s where we’re at with Eli Just. He joined SKN on loan with an option to buy and we’re all waiting to see if they take that option or not. Based on that report, EJ would prefer that they didn’t after his excellent goal-filled campaign no doubt piqued some outside interest... but it’s not really in his hands right now. He still has one year left on his AC Horsens contract so they’re the ones who’ll benefit from any transfer fee.
Where it gets funky is that SKN were part of a multi-club investment collective called FC32, along with Cobh Ramblers FC (Ireland) and Spezia (Italy), but as of a couple of months ago that seems to have suddenly collapsed. The idea of FC32 (funded by American money but with an Australian bossman) is to take a more empowering approach to multi-club ownership whereby the clubs remain autonomous but FC32 injects some cash to help with debt, costs, and especially youth development, while creating a cross-national network of players. To that note, there were some whispers a couple months ago about SKN passing Elijah Just along to Spezia in Serie B. But that was before FC32 abruptly withdrew its support for St. Pölten... potentially leaving them too broke to pursue the Elijah Just transfer. Strange happenings. With only a few days left until the deadline on that option, there should be further news soon.
Meanwhile, if you want more of the kiwi transfer goss, the scuttlebutt if you will, then best check out our Substack newsletter every Monday and Thursday which has a Transfer Tracker section exactly for those purposes. Here’s the most recent - think of it like a companion piece to these Flying Kiwis yarns. This was a big week of transfers but the next few shape to be even bigger with the likes of Liberato Cacace, Eli Just, Matthew Garbett, Sarpreet Singh, and others with their futures still to be determined. Half the damn Football Ferns squad are coming off contract in a few days.
Up Next: A little bit more patience should do it
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