Flying Kiwis – September 10
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Super League 2)
While most of the blokes (although not all of them) were busy with an international window, a bunch more women’s seasons got underway. Who cares about the WSL because for the first time in a very long time we don’t have a single New Zealander involved at the present moment. But WSL 2? Yeah that’s where the action’s at. That league kicked off on a Friday night local time with Sheffield United hosting Sunderland. Sunderland won 4-0 and Katie Kitching did this...
That’s how it’s done. New season, same old Katie Kitching. Sheffield United had two kiwis last season (Jacqui Hand and Olivia Page) however both of them have since left. In fact, the Blades were supposed to be relegated – it was only the financially-enforced withdrawal of Blackburn Rovers that saved their status in the division. They started quite well in this game but that promise didn’t last long before Kitching and company went surging past them. Kitch set up a few good chances and then eventually buried the one that came her way. She was very good but so were most of those Sunderland players within a very strong team effort. This was an emphatic opening game victory. Sweet as.
Elsewhere in WSL 2, Grace Neville went straight into the team at right-back for promoted Ipswich Town, having joined from London City Lionesses after they rudely opted not to re-sign her despite some excellent performances late in the season as they won the title (and with it a spot in the top division). Neville was her usual combative self on debut for her new club but they got blown away by Southampton, beaten 4-0 on the road. Tough introduction for a squad that’s balancing last year’s third tier squad with a bunch of new additions – Neville was one of four debutants in the starting team and there were three more who came off the bench. Could take a few weeks to get the hang of things. Teams like Sunderland and Durham should be eyeing up the extra promotion spot this year but Ipswich will first and foremost be hoping simply to avoid relegation.
Then there’s also Crystal Palace who were champs two years ago but fell straight back down to the second tier after a brutal twelve months in the WSL. They signed Indi Riley while they were there, that was nice, but they also kept playing her as a wide defender and occasionally didn’t play her at all. Well, they suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to Charlton in the opening round with Indi Riley stuck on the bench. Palace used a 3-4-1-2 formation so Riley’s best hope is to overtake Scottish international Jamie-Lee Napier at right wing-back. JLN joined from Bristol City ahead of this campaign (no NZers in the Bristol City squad, although former Wellington Phoenix coach Paul Temple is an assistant with that team). Crystal Palace have a new manager this year: Jo Potter, who was formerly in charge at Rangers where she worked with Vic Esson.
Up Next: Sunderland vs Birmingham at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
All of those aforementioned WSL 2 clubs are going to be worth a follow but Durham should be the most fun with two New Zealanders and a former Wellington Phoenix import in their ranks. That’s the same dynamic as last year, except Rylee Foster’s been swapped for Mariana Speckmaier as the ex-Nix import. Mickey Foster and Hannah Blake were both retained for the 2025-26 campaign after impressive stints last time.
The trio were all in the starting line-up for the opening game away against Portsmouth. Speckmaier as striker. Blake on the right wing. Foster... in central defence, curiously. Foz has always been a supremely versatile player though she was predominantly used as a left-back for the Wellington Phoenix and last season played as a defensive midfielder for Durham. Her Football Ferns appearances have mirrored those positions. Now, apparently, she’s a centre-back so Michael Mayne take note.
That didn’t stop her from taking corner kicks and free kicks... in fact, one of her in-swinging corners nearly set up a goal early on. However, where she really shone at CB was in stepping forward and picking passes. Durham won this game 2-0 with both goals were scored in the first half after Foster had pushed the ball from deep positions. First goal, Beth Hepple brought down a long ball from Foz which fell to Grace Ede who put it away confidently after 22 mins. The ground announcer got mixed up and credited it to Hannah Blake. Second goal, Foz dribbled into the midfield and then put her left winger into space. The ball ended up with Blake on the other side and she fizzed a low cross for Speckmaier to tap in for 2-0 after 38 mins. Debut goal for Specky. Assist for Blake.
Here’s another angle, why not...
Portsmouth were one of the weaker sides last season whereas Durham finished fourth and seem to have strengthened so this was as expected. Pompey did have a couple good spells on either side of the break to keep it interesting though. Durham subbed off Blake and the two goal-scorers in a triple change with 25 mins remaining and managed things from there. Really strong games for both Blake and Foster. Blake had a chance to score one of her own in the second half plus her defensive workrate was excellent. Foster helped keep a clean sheet at CB and sparked the moves for both goals. 2-0 to Durham. Winning start. These are the things we like to see.
And as if that wasn’t enough of a Wellington Phoenix theme, check out who came to watch. None other than Natalie Lawrence, the coach who signed Mickey Foster to her first professional deal with the Welly Nix a few years back...
Up Next: Sunday at 11pm, Durham vs Charlton (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Club Statement from Nottingham Forest Football Club at 12:15am local time on 9 September 2025:
“Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as Head Coach. The Club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the Club. As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.”
They may have buried the announcement after midnight but the ramifications still run deep. Nuno Espirito Santo has been absolutely brilliant for NFFC, leading them back into European competition after decades away and more than doubling their points tally last season compared to the one before. Nothing about his footballing achievements merits him losing his job. But this wasn’t about football.
Nuno was given a three-year contract extension in June. Two weeks later, the club appointed Edu Gaspar as the new “Global Head of Football”, a brand new role that effectively made him the transfer guru at the club. Nuno and Edu clashed from day one as they disagreed on transfer targets and generally butted heads. That led to a breakdown in the relationship between Nuno and owner/president Evangelos Marinakis which Nuno made public despite being told not to. There were meetings to try and sort everything out. We were told that those were productive. Then Nuno got sacked during the international break anyway. Football politics.
This stuff happens all the time in professional sports but this situation is extra frisky because Chris Wood has been in the form of his life under Nuno Espirito Santo, scoring 33 goals in 55 Premier League games under his guidance. The style of play that Nuno employed suited Wood down to the ground and that brought out the best in him. Plus it can’t have been nice finding out about the sacking while he was on the other side of the world, a few hours before he was due to play for his national team.
And guess who’s been hired to replace Nuno? None other than Ange Postecoglou, the Greek-born Aussie who won the Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur last season. That might actually be pretty cool for Wood on a personal level, getting to work with an Australasian manager in that environment... although the footballing side of things gets tricky when you think about how Nuno loved a deep backline and speedy counter attacks (albeit they have been working to expand that style this season) whereas Big Ange is all about high-lines and high-pressing. It’s going to cause some tactical whiplash and Chris Wood might not be seen as a natural fit within that system. Granted, he is the proven incumbent and his pressing is better than people give him credit for (he was asked to do similar things at Newcastle after all). NFFC’s Europa League entry means they’ll need a deep squad regardless. Just gotta see how this unfolds. Worst case scenario, he can try manoeuvre a transfer next season to wherever Nuno inevitably ends up.
Up Next: Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest at 11.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Jacqui Hand, Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
Jacqui Hand is on a mission with Kolbotn: trying to avoid being relegated three years in a row with three different clubs (Lewes, Sheffield United, Kolbotn – although, as mentioned earlier, Sheff Utd did get a reprieve). It’s like the opposite of Marko Stamenic’s three league and cup doubles in three years but she’s doing her best to avoid it...
Kolbotn weren’t expected to do much against fourth-placed LSK, although they did meet them in the midst of a wee form slump. If that gave them hope then it shrunk in a hurry when they found themselves 2-0 down after only 12 minutes. The first goal came after a Liz Anton clearance was charged down. The second from a more egregious defensive error from a teammate. Horrible way to start.
And yet, in defiance of all reputations, Kolbotn staged a magnificent comeback to be leading 3-2 at half-time. The first was touched home by Aida Berg on the end of a corner kick on 15’. Hand then went close to an equaliser as she chopped past her marker on the edge of the area and fired a shot that the keeper managed to touch onto the post at full stretch. Next it was time for Liv Chance to get into the action... by dragging back an attacker and copping a voluntary yellow card. Fair enough, do what you’ve gotta do.
That sacrificial booking worked out well because shortly afterwards, Hand sent her fullback overlapping on the left and the cross was crunched into the roof of the net by Lea Ellington to make it 2-2 after 34 mins. Two minutes later, Jacqui Hand did what she did and last-placed Kolbotn were leading 3-2.
Sadly, the result slipped away from them in the second half. Kolbotn weren’t able to maintain their threat going forward and LSK began to pick them apart. It was 3-3 after 52 mins. It was 4-3 after 74 mins. Both of those goals involved miscommunications between the KIL keeper and her defenders, with the winning effort going through the legs of Liz Anton as she scrambled to make a goal-line block. 4-3 to LSK was the final score. Kolbotn have now lost five games in a row and are four points adrift with eight matches remaining... fortunately they face Røa next, who were the last team they beat, and if they score three times against that lot then it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be leaving with less than three points.
Up Next: Kolbotn vs Røa at 0:00 on Sunday (NZT)
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Utah Royals: “Utah Royals FC also announces the mutual termination of contract with Macey Fraser allowing the midfielder to pursue other opportunities. Arriving to the Wasatch side from Wellington Phoenix Fraser appeared 9 times across two seasons with the Royals, earning four starts and logging 400 minutes with the club.”
Nine games across two seasons is some egregious stuff. Ankle issues were mostly to blame in the first year (particularly the one suffered at the Olympics with NZ) but she returned fully fit for 2025 and seemed to be in a good spot throughout preseason. She made the starting team in two of the first three games... except they played her out of position on the wing and then quickly dropped her. Fraser spent some time out with a knee injury but she’s been recovered from that for several months without being seen in a Royals squad despite training fully and often travelling to games.
The most annoying part has been how poor the club has been at communicating things. For the latter months of last year she was listed as an excused absence without any clarification. As it happens, she was back in NZ nursing a season-ending ankle issue only they never told us that. This year it was more radio silence until finally one of the local journos managed to get the question to the coach. This, infamously, is what he said...
Jimmy Coenraets, Utah Royals coach: “There's a whole background of why or why not Macey is involved in the game squad. I think that takes about 6 or 7 months of history and it's nothing Macey against us, not us against Macey. Macey's doing well at practice. She's doing her job. There's just other things happening for her right now which make it hard for us to involve her in the game squad. It's not about not wanting or not willing, it's just more like it's really a private matter that right now is keeping her out of the game squad. That's something, as a coach, you have to take into account as well. Players have to want to really participate and feel in a very good spot to be able to participate. And that's just not always the case.”
That quote is a whole lot of nothing. She was fit and available and training well and yet somehow not “wanting” or “in a good spot” to participate? Doesn’t make sense. By the way, this is not the coach who signed her. That was Amy Rodriguez, former USA international and one-time roommate/teammate of Katie Bowen at a previous incarnation of the Utah Royals. Jimmy Coenraets is the Belgian bloke who replaced Rodriguez, whose profile on the Royals website claims that his “coaching philosophy emphasizes player development, both on and off the field. He fosters a positive and productive team environment and is known for his dedication to detail and commitment to winning”.
(That commitment to winning came in handy when the team got its second win of the season last week... in its 18th game. They were wooden spooners in 2024 and are currently last again in 2025).
But we don’t have to worry about those shenanigans any longer because Macey Fraser is free. They’ve released her by mutual consent with more than a year remaining on the three-year deal contract she signed after Utah paid a reported six-figure NZD sum to the Wellington Phoenix for her services. Hopefully she got a juicy payout too. Now we can turn the page on this unhappy chapter and look forward to her joining a club that actually lets her play some football.
Up Next: She’s a free agent now, she can go where she chooses
Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
Garbs got 23 minutes off the bench on debut for Peterborough and that was all the proof they needed. He’s gotten full games in both subsequent matches and already seems to have won over the Posh fans, playing a free-roaming role in a midfield three (exactly what he got in trouble for trying to do at NAC Breda). Unfortunately, Peterborough aren’t very good. They’ve lost six out of seven league games and drawn the other one, partly because they did their transfer business too late and are now having to fit everything together on the move – including Garbett who didn’t join until after the season had already started.
They were decent for a lot of the Huddersfield game on the weekend. Couple of sketchy moments at the back but they took it into half-time at 0-0 and then claimed the lead via a deflected free kick two minutes into the second spell. Then some very brittle defence allowing three led to three soft goals being conceded and the Posh were on their way to another defeat. Granted, they did pull one back at the very end when Garbett chipped over a cross that was flicked on and then finished at the back post. The flick from Gustav Lindgren means that he stole the assist away from Garbs but that’s okay. It was only a consolation goal in a 3-2 loss. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Matt Garbett should get plenty of room to strut his stuff as the team around him settles and begins to grind out some results. Touch wood.
Things don’t look too good for Ben Waine at Port Vale though. The team is struggling almost as much as Peterborough are, in fact Peterborough is the only club below them on the standings. That pair are the only two clubs in League One yet to win a game. Waine’s made seven appearances spread out across three competitions and is still awaiting his first goal. The workrate has been great but his rhythm and confidence aren’t quite there... and he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room after the club signed Devante Cole on deadline day to add to an already bloated frontline.
Sometimes they pick two strikers, sometimes they go with a front three. Between Cole, Waine, Jayden Stockley, Mo Faal, Ronan Curtis, Ruari Paton, and Dejaune Brown there are effectively seven guys challenging for 2.5 places in this forward line. Plus subs. That explains why Waine didn’t even make the bench for the 3-2 defeat against Leyton Orient in which Devante Cole scored on debut. Cole and Fall started. Paton and Brown came off the bench. Curtis was an unused sub. Waine and Stockley weren’t involved. Considering that Stockley was injured, you could interpret that as Waine being at the bottom of the pile... although he had played ninety minutes midweek in the EFL Trophy which none of the others had done.
This is rather annoying because these lower-EFL guys all skipped the All Whites tour to prioritise their club situations only to keep on losing. Nik Tzanev suffered the same fate when Newport County were beaten 3-2 at home against Bristol Rovers in League Two. They’ve now lost five games in a row after what had initially been a really bright start. The second goal against Bristol City came from Tzanev losing possession trying to play out from the back... though to be fair his centre-back probably shouldn’t have given it back to him with two pressers closing him down. He also couldn’t get a punch on the cross for the third. Easily his worst performance in a Newport jersey and the first time he’s conceded more than twice for them. As for Matt Dibley-Dias... there’s bad news about him later in this article.
Up Next: Peterborough vs Wycombe at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Eskilstuna United (Swedish Elitettan)
Gabi Rennie recently went three league games in a row without a goal or an assist. For most wingers, that’s nothing to worry about. For Rennie, that’s the longest drought of her entire season. It didn’t matter because Eskilstuna United won all three of those games, same as they won against Elfsborg before that when Rennie last scored, and same as they won when they faced Elfsborg in the reverse fixture this week. They beat them 1-0 with the only goal assisted by none other than Gabi Rennie. Back doing what she does best after a very brief dip (during which she was still creating plenty of chances, they just weren’t ending up in the net).
That’s some typically tenacious work there from GR. She’d had a couple chances to score earlier in the game, firing over the top from a cut-back and being unable to guide a header into the net, but she just kept on going. Too tough for the defender there, followed by a magnificent cross to give Elizabeth Mclaughlin Rappole a tap-in finish right before the break. That takes Rennie up to three goals and nine assists in 16 matches this season – working out to a goal contribution roughly every 117 minutes.
The other thing that win does is it sends Eskilstuna United to the top of the Elitettan standings. Umeå are level on points, trailing by a single goal difference integer but with a game in hand. They’re still undefeated. However... Umeå also somehow only managed to draw their last two games despite both fixtures being against teams in the relegation zone. IK Uppsala are two points behind the leaders. Top two clubs get promotion while the third-placed team earns a playoff against third-to-last in the Damallsvenskan.
Up Next: There’s a Svenska Cupen qualifier at home to Djurgården at 5am Thursday, followed by a trip to face Sunnanaa at 11pm Sunday (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Dijon FCO (French Première Ligue)
It was a 2-0 defeat for Dijon in the opening game of the new season. They were beaten by Paris FC, who finished two points above them last term. Dijon did have a couple of chances that might have changed the course of this fixture but so it goes. Kate Taylor played ninety minutes in central defence to begin her second season in France... although she did concede the penalty for the first goal. Having said that, she didn’t appear to do anything wrong. The attacker slipped and the referee misinterpreted the situation. Either that or she stepped on KT’s foot, in which case that still shouldn’t really have been a foul against Taylor. She’s copped a few weird refereeing calls against her in the Première Ligue.
Anyway, Lorena Azzaro scored the spot kick (25’) and then added a second later in the match (52’) to complete Paris FC’s 2-0 win. That lot have third-round Champions League qualifiers coming up in a few days so they’re also a little more battle-hardened than Dijon at the moment. It’ll be difficult for Dijon replicate their incredible fourth-placed finish from last time, particularly after a few ins and outs in the transfer market, but we’ll get a better idea of where they’re at when they play against some non-UCL clubs.
Up Next: Dijon vs Montpellier at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
A bit more on the Ben Old situation at ASSE, courtesy of Peuple Vert...
“This 2025-2026 season was to mark the revival of Kiwi. The summer preparation also offered great promises. Against Carouge then Troyes, Old distinguished himself by scoring two goals and regaining the edge that was his strength in Australia. Logically, he started on the first day of Ligue 1 against Laval, where he even scored. However, despite this goal, his performance in the game was mixed. Since that evening in August, the situation has changed radically: only 8 minutes played in 3 matches and a worrying sidelining during the Grenoble match where he wasn't even in the group. The reason? Fierce competition within the Saint-Etienne attack. Davitashvili, Stassin, Boakye, Cardona and even Duffus today seems to have the confidence of the coach ahead of Old, who is at best the sixth option. Enough to considerably reduce his playing time prospects.”
Nothing new about those yarns but it’s helpful to hear it from the local perspective. That’s why there was talk about him being loaned out. So far nothing has happened although there are still a few countries where the windows remain open. But the likelihood seems to be that he’ll stick around in France and try and prove himself. That Peuple Vert article even threw up an unexpected solution: apparently there’s a vacancy at left-back which Old could target, having played a few minutes there as a late substitute against Boulougne a couple of weeks ago when Ebenezer Annan got injured. In an attacking sense he’d do great there... defensively it would be a much steeper learning curve though you never know. If they want to toughen him up then some rugged left-back minutes might do as much as a loan overseas.
Up Next: Clermont Foot vs ASSE at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Suya Haering - Carl Zeiss Jena (German Bundesliga)
It took her about a year to make her senior debut for Turbine Potsdam so it was great to see Suya Haering tick that one off at the first opportunity for her new club Carl Zeiss Jena. Subbed on with twenty minutes remaining against Hoffenheim. They lost 4-1 but the goals were all scored before Haering got involved. It’s probably going to be a long and difficult season for CZJ, though whatever else happens we’ve at least extended the streak of having at least one New Zealander play in Frauen Bundesliga in each of the past 18 seasons. That spans 23 different players with Haering now one of eight who’ve appeared for multiple clubs in this league.
In the division below, Maya Hahn has started all four games for Viktoria Berlin this term (one in the cup and three in 2.Liga), playing at least 78 minutes in each of them with two full games. In other words, she’s fast established herself as a key player for this club. They won their cup game to progress but have so far had two draws and a loss in the league – with the latest being a 1-1 draw vs Mainz which they earned via a stoppage time equaliser.
Making the trip over the border to Austria, something crazy happened this week: Jana Niedermayr got substituted. She played every single minute of all 23 games for Union Kleinmünchen/Blau-Weiß Linz in 2024-25 and kept that up for the first three games of the new term... until they subbed her after 68 minutes of a 3-0 loss against SCR Altach (it was 2-0 at the time). Looked like they were playing in a back three for much of the game and it didn’t work, leaving way to much space for that defensive line to protect. Niedermayr’s sub allowed them alter the shape even though it was too late to salvage the result by then. Kleinmünchen have lost all four games and are yet to score a goal.
It’s a similar scenario for Thun Berner-Oberland in the Swiss Super League, though at least they’ve only played two games thus far (and did score a goal in one of them). Lara Colpi has started both after turning her loan move from last season into a permanent transfer.
Up Next: Wolfsburg vs Carl Zeiss Jena at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
There was a bit of a shock result in Denmark when FCN were beaten 1-0 at home by AGF, giving them their first loss of the season (at the fourth attempt). Perhaps some Champions League hangover played a part in that. The goal they conceded was a deflected cross that bamboozled their goalie although at the same time you couldn’t say they deserved much more after a lacklustre attacking display. Grace Wisnewski played the full match in midfield and got a yellow card. Focus now shifts back towards the continent as FCN hosts KuPS (Finland) in the home leg of their Europa Cup qualifying tie. Same deal with Katie Bowen’s Inter Milan who’ve been drawn against Scottish champs Hibernian.
Up Next: FCN vs KuPS in the Europa Cup at 4am Thursday; then FCN vs Brøndby in the A-Liga at 5am on Monday (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
It took until November for Emma Pijnenburg to get on the pitch last season so a two-minute cameo at the end of a 3-1 win against promoted side NAC Breda is a decent way to begin her third campaign in Holland. She replaced right-back Tess Van Bentem for the final stages, immediately following her team’s third goal to make it safe.
Up Next: Feyenoord vs Ajax at 10.15pm on Sunday (NZT)
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
This time it was 60 minutes for Abby Erceg in a 2-1 win for Toluca away against Pumas - they were 2-0 up when she was subbed as part of a double change. This comes after she played 45 minutes last week. Erceg has only played in 4/10 games for Toluca during the Apertura so fingers crossed she’s close to full fitness now, having been carefully managed to this point. This Pumas victory keeps Toluca in fourth, two mere points off top.
Up Next: Toluca vs Monterrey at midday on Saturday (NZT)
Betsy Hassett - Stjarnan (Icelandic Besta Deildin)
Betsy Hassett hasn’t got a single goal or assist this season despite appearing in every game for Stjarnan... but that’s not a problem because she’s been playing as a left-back. Doing a very good job of it too. The Stars had an excellent 4-1 win against Þór/KA most recently and the fourth goal stemmed from Hassett dribbling out of pressure in her defensive third and then sparking a counter attack by centring the ball to a midfielder in space. That win lifts Stjarnan up to fifth with two games left in which to try stay there before the league splits into its championship and relegation rounds (top six and bottom four). Hassett has only missed about a hundred minutes of league football through 16 games. This in her first season back after giving birth.
Up Next: Stjarnan vs Fram at 6am Saturday (NZT)
Jay Herdman - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
Ah nice, that’s a Jay Herdman assist. Already set one up in his second appearance on loan with Vancouver FC... having only supplied one of those in the 13 games that he played for his parent club Cavalry FC. Most of those were substitute appearances but then so was this one. Herdman started on debut for Vancouver a month ago only to miss the next three games. He was back this week and helped supply a small bit of consolation in a 5-2 defeat against Valour FC.
Vancouver have lost five games in a row and can’t make the playoffs so hopefully he gets a good run over their final six matches... same deal with Oskar Van Hattum at Valour FC. Yes, the same team that just beat Vancouver. And what do you know, OVH was given about a minute off the bench to mark his debut in the CPL. Both of these two guys have had tough years and neither will be playing postseason footy. But with some luck they’ll be able to finish things on some kind of high.
Up Next: Pacific vs Vancouver at 11am on Sunday (NZT)
Matt Dibley-Dias - Chesterfield (English League Two)
Danny Webb: “Yeah not very good. He’s going to need an operation on his knee which could potentially keep him out for probably 2-3 months minimum. So not good. Not good for the lad, not good for us because he was playing ever so well. But he’s been in and out since the summer with a couple of injuries and it’s disappointing this one will keep him out for a long time.”
That sucks. As the fella says, Dibs had been dealing with ankle issues since preseason but he was looking good recently with a couple of starts... until he suffered that knee complaint last week. He walked off and say on the bench when he was subbed, rather than going straight down the tunnel, but obviously further checks have proven that the injury needs surgical attention and alas that’s another setback for a young bloke who has had far too many of those already. He was injured in training during his first All Whites call-up. His loan move with Northampton Town last year ended up being cut short due to recurring injuries. Now this.
The positive aspect is that at least he was able to appear in five games for Chesterfield including starts in the most recent two. You only have to listen to the assistant coach there to recognise that he’s already impressed them with his abilities so, unlike Northampton Town where they never seemed convinced, he should be able to pick up where he left off once he’s healthy enough to return later in the season.
Up Next: The road to recovery... again
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