Flying Kiwis – January 20
Max Crocombe - Millwall (English Championship)
When Max Crocombe was 17 years old, he was playing for Buckingham Town in the United Counties League. When he was 20 years old, he was playing for Nuneaton Town on loan in the English fifth tier. After he was released by Oxford Town and then didn’t make a league appearance for Carlisle United, he was 24 years old and had made nine career appearances in League Two. He then dropped down to the sixth tier to join an up-and-coming Salford United project but was replaced after they got promoted and so, at 26 and 27 years of age, he found himself in the A-League with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.
At 28 years old, he returned to England and was playing fifth tier footy with Grimsby Town, helping them get promoted. He was a few weeks shy of his 30th birthday when he debuted in League One with Burton Albion. Now he’s 32 years old and starting games for a Millwall team pushing for promotion from the Championship and he’s about to go to a World Cup later in the year. Talk about a lesson in perseverance.
This a career trajectory that few could ever have predicted... go check if there are any 30yo’s in their first season at League One level and ponder if that hypothetical (or not) player is capable of doing the job for one of the leading Championship clubs. Because Crocs is doing that. He kept another clean sheet on the weekend in a 2-0 away win against Watford, his seventh cleanie in 18 appearances – there are only six keepers in the Championship with more shutouts than Crocs and all but one of them have played several games more (remember Crocombe didn’t start any of the first nine matches, stuck having to prove himself from the back-up position like he’s done so many times in that crazy career).
He made three saves against Watford. None were very strenuous. The toughest moment he had was when a defender ran into him as he went to catch a simple ball, causing him to drop it... but he regathered without a fuss. Meanwhile the lads in front of him, battling through a tough game against a sort-of-local rival who were only two points behind them on the ladder as the match kicked off, managed to seal the deal courtesy of second half goals from Femi Azeez (69’) and Josh Coburn (81’). They always seemed to be a step ahead of their opponents, just a matter of whether they could find a breakthrough. They did and now they’re up to fourth.
Max has just gotta make it through January now. There’s no doubt that if Millwall do get promoted then they’ll sign a more renowned goalkeeper to be their number one in the Premier League... the worry is whether they might sign one this month in order to get to the Prem. They’ve been linked with a loan move for Anthony Patterson from Sunderland, a bloke who just had the exact same experience as would be forecasted for Crocombe – leading the Black Cats to the Prem and then immediately getting replaced by a new signing. It’s a cut-throat business. But Crocs has already seen off one EPL loanee challenger for his position this season, he’ll shrug off another if he has to.
Up Next: Two games coming up, first away to Coventry at 8.45am Weds, then home vs Charlton at 1.30am on Sun (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
Chris Wilder: “The deadline for [Bindon] to be recalled has passed, he's with us until the end of the season. He's been good, exactly what you want from a player. Got on with his work when he wasn't playing and was given an opportunity and took it with both hands. Still got a bit to learn, he's had a couple of setbacks along the way, he'll look at the Wrexham game and like everyone else did it wasn't our finest hour from a defensive POV but he's been part of two really positive performances recently. We've got Ben [Mee] back now so he's got a fight on his hands to play well. Delighted with the boy's attitude and exactly how it should be from a pro's POV.”
Great example here from Tyler Bindon as to why we shouldn’t freak out over a down spell for any player, let alone a young player at a new club. Seasons are long and opportunities always arise. That spell that Bindon spent on the outer after Chris Wilder first took over was a new experience in a career that had otherwise just been up and up... and for that reason a very valuable character-building experience (that’ll serve him well when he tries to make an even bigger jump to the Premier League some day). Bindon kept his head down, didn’t cause a fuss, worked hard behind the scenes, and won everybody over when his time came.
Nottingham Forest could have recalled him when the January window opened. Not so long ago, it sounded like Sheffield United were ready to plead with them to do exactly that. But things have changed and now everyone’s happy with the situation as is – there have even been whispers that the Blades would fancy signing him permanently. As the gaffer said, that deadline for NFFC to recall him has now expired so we can lock in Tyler Bindon as a Sheffield United player for the rest of the campaign.
Further to that, you’ll recall that Bindon watched from the sideline last week as the Blades were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One Mansfield Town, beaten 4-3 with Mark McGuinness and the fit-again Ben Mee rotated into the line-up. For the weekend’s Championship meeting with Charlton, it was back to the Japhet Tanganga and Tyler Bindon CB partnership. Good to see, good to see. Although neither of them was able to finish the match...
This was a bonkers game of football. The Blades started pretty well, working the ball into the Charlton area and creating a number of good early chances (also getting frustrated by a penalty shout that was denied by the officials). Tyler Bindon was one of those who went close when he looped a header from a corner the wrong side of the post. They also hit the post and drew multiple saves. Sheff Utd should have probably been up by a couple of goals after half an hour... but they weren’t and then the game swung drastically Djibril Soumare was red carded for stomping into a challenge chasing after his own bad touch. That was bad for the Blades and it got worse on the brink of half-time when Tanganga was also sent off for what was perceived to be a dangerous aerial challenge. They’d have to play the entire second half with only nine men.
Tyler Bindon didn’t get sent off... he got subbed off. Wilder made a two subs immediately after Tanganga’s dismissal, including Ben Mee brought on in place of a striker. He then made another one at half-time with Harrison Burrows taking the place of Bindon. Kinda crazy to sub a centre-back when you’ve just had the other one red carded but in turns out that Bindon had been battling a winter bug the whole time and didn’t have the juice to carry on. The fact that he played ahead of Mee in the first place, knowing now that he was sick, looks like an even bigger vote of confidence in the young kiwi defender than it initially appeared.
Alas, the Blades conceded immediately after the second half kicked off. And although they ground their way through the rest of the game despite the disadvantage... they couldn’t get back to the way they began this game and went on to lose 1-0. Frustrating defeat but, you know... extenuating circumstances.
Chris Wilder: “The amount of effort that the boys put in uh was incredible. Losing Tyler at halftime, he was he was ill and sick. For him to come off and then having to play Ben Mee who's not played a lot of football and then to play [McCallum] as a centre-half against Lee Burn and Dykes was outstanding effort from them.”
The other two NZers in the Championship both had their feet up this weekend. Marko Stamenic was an unused substitute as Swansea City drew 1-1 with Birmingham. Jay Fulton played the CDM role instead and had a pretty strong game, seems like this was a case of rotation with Fulton deserving of more minutes than he’s been getting and Stamenic having been playing a lot lately. Stam didn’t start the previous Championship game either, the 2-1 loss to Millwall, but did start the FA Cup loss to West Brom in between as well as the previous eight league fixtures. There’s a double gameweek ahead so gotta keep everyone as fresh as possible.
Libby Cacace was also an unused sub. Wrexham lost 2-1 to Norwich and he never saw the pitch. George Thomason found some great form while Cacace was injured so the All Whites fullback is going to have to do more than simply score in the FA Cup against Nottm Forest to unseat him. And because they were losing, when Thomason got subbed it was a last-gasp roll of the dice to get another striker on rather than looking towards Cacace, who has only played 67 combined minutes across the six fixtures since his return from injury (one start, two subs, three unused subs). They’re not going to rush him. He’ll claim that starting spot eventually though.
Up Next: Chicken soup for Bindon ahead of Southampton vs SUFC at 8.45am on Thursday and then SUFC vs Ipswich at 4am on Sunday... they’re going to need him because Tanganga’s got a three-match suspension (NZT)
Ally Green - FC København (Danish B-Liga)
When Ally Green first left Sydney FC, it was to play for Valerenga in Norway. After that she had a stint with AGF in Denmark before spending a year alongside Meikayla Moore at Calgary Wild in Canada. Now she’s going back to Scandinavia, signing with FC København in Denmark. Same club that Marko Stamenic won a league and cup double with on the men’s side. Exciting developments.
Having said that, while the men’s team at FCK are one of the nation’s most dominant teams, the women aren’t on that same scale. They’re not even in the equivalent same division... that’s because they only established the team two years ago. They tried to get entry straight into the top tier, what with their resources and all, but the Danish FC understandably didn’t allow that so instead they bought out a third-tier club’s licence. They were promptly promoted into the second tier and now Green has joined just as they’re about to begin qualifiers for a further promotion.
The way it works in Denmark is that, after everyone’s played each other twice, the top six teams in the A-Liga split off into their own championship rounds (including FC Nordsjælland with Grace Wisnewski and hopefully soon Malia Steinmetz) while the bottom two teams then face off against the four top teams from the second tier to see who’ll rise/remain as A-Liga clubs for next season. FC Midtjylland are one of the bottom two sides that they’ll be playing against – they just made the same jump as FCK are trying to by forming a women’s team in 2024 and boosting it straight up into the top flight after only one year in the second tier.
It’ll be easier than usual for Copenhagen though. They’re expanding the A-Liga from eight teams to ten teams next season... so they only have to get top four (out of the six challengers) to earn that status. Fantastic time for Ally Green to be joining a massive club on the rise. She’s also already experience the promotion/relegation phase after a successful stint with AGF a few years back so she knows exactly what she’s in for.
FCK head coach Kasper Klarskov: “We are getting a player who is ready to contribute from day one. Ally has played at a high level and understands what it takes to perform in big matches. With the qualification games just around the corner, it's important for us to add players who can bring stability and strength. At the same time, Ally fits well into the way we want to play.”
FCK head of women’s Football, Romaney Pinnock: “Ally embodies the mentality we want to build within the team. She brings international experience, professionalism and a strong winning mentality. She will raise standards both on and off the pitch, and this agreement reflects our ambition to take the next step as a club.”
Up Next: It’s a long winter break in these parts... nothing official until Odense vs FCK on 15 March (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
It wasn’t looking happy for Internazionale when a corner kick dropped over the head of Katie Bowen at the back post and was nodded into the net by Cecilia Salvai to put Juventus ahead... but within ten minutes Inter were back level through Karolina Vilhjamsdottir (13’) and then one of Katie Bowen’s CB partners, Marija Milinkovic, put them ahead before the break (35’). And that was the way it stayed. 2-1 to Inter, beating rivals Juve in the first round back since the holiday break. Their poor start to the campaign is long forgotten now. Inter have jumped ahead of Juventus (and also Fiorentina who only drew with Genoa) into second place thanks to this outcome. Wonderful stuff. They’re seven points behind leaders Roma.
Katie Bowen was awesome on the right edge of the back three. Did concede four fouls in a very physical contest but that was the only drawback. She completed 93% of her passes, made five defensive clearances, and blocked three shots. One was soon after Inter had taken the lead, a courageous effort to chest away a shot which led to her getting undercut by her keeper and taking a heavy fall. She also cleared one off the line after a giveaway in the area, the shot was pretty weak so that was all about her good positioning. This was as impactful as Katie Bowen has been all season – our top performing female professional continuing to supply the goods. Forza Inter.
Up Next: Italian Cup quarter-final first leg against Ternana at 6am on Thurs; Como vs Inter in Serie A at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Ben Waine - Port Vale (English League One)
There’s just something about Ben Waine and cup football...
This was in the EFL Trophy round of sixteen, Bolton Wanderers versus Port Vale. Waine was on the bench initially but a knock for Mo Faal after an hour saw him withdrawn and Waine went out onto the left wing. Fast-forward to the 89th minute and who was there to tap in the winner at the back post? Do you even need to ask?
Brilliant, persistent work from George Hall to win that ball on the right edge (and also terrible defending) and Waine was where he needed to be. Hint of offside about it. Maybe more than a hint... but it wasn’t called and the goal stood and Port Vale have progressed to the quarter-finals. Ben Waine was with Plymouth Argyle when they made the final of this competition three years ago (beaten by Bolton in the final, coincidentally) although he wasn’t in the squad for the final at Wembley Stadium. The EFL Trophy is contested by clubs from League One and League Two along with some U21s teams from Premier League and Championship clubs.
It was in the previous round of this competition that Waine-o scored in the 5-0 win against Barnsley upon his return to the team. He then scored the winner in the FA Cup against Bristol Rovers. Add in this one and three of his four goals this season have come in the cup... which aligns nicely with the club that employs him because Port Vale have won more than twice as many cup games (9) as league games (4) this season. Not all were knockout games because the EFL Trophy has a group stage but damn, close enough. They’re still in the EFL Trophy, only dropping points once during their group and that was a draw, and they’re still in the FA Cup... so the only team to beat them in cup competition this season is Arsenal (in the EFL Cup). You know, the team at the top of the Premier League. Yet despite that Port Vale are last in League One, entirely unable to repeat that cup form in the bread and butter games. Strange times.
The Waine Train has been delivering goals in cup competitions the whole way through. He scored 5 goals in 8 Australia Cup games with the Wellington Phoenix (a goal roughly every 131 minutes). 5 goals in 6 games across the various cups with Plymouth Argyle (a goal roughly every 70 minutes). Didn’t do much for Mansfield Town but he did score in an FA Cup win against Curzon Ashton. Now there’s this season’s efforts.
Ben Waine: “You can feel that passion and the positivity that's come into the team [under new coach Jon Brady]. He hasn't had much time with us but I think it would be easy to come in and overload everyone but, to be fair, it's been kept very simple and we keep building on it game by game. People have done well to take on the information but I also think it's been managed quite well. We've built some momentum now and we'll keep that going and building on it and we can learn from the gaffer in games and take it into the league.”
They didn’t keep it going on the weekend though. Lost 3-0 away to Mansfield Town, conceding three times in 12 second half minutes (55’, 59’, 67’) to turn what had been a delicately balanced game (Devante Cole hit the post for PVFC in the first half) into a comfortable defeat. Ben Waine was subbed on after the second goal, playing left wing, but you can imagine there wasn’t much for him to do once the third goal followed quickly after. Another League One defeat for PVFC which leaves them six points adrift in last place but at least Ben Waine seems to have a place within the plans of his new manager. Given how his season’s been going, given how his entire post-A-League career has been going, that’s a pretty big relief.
A little further up the table, Peterborough United were beaten 1-0 by Plymouth Argyle in a feisty contest. Posh got five yellow cards and a red. Plymouth got four yellows. Matt Garbett was one of those who got booked, producing another busy performance from that free-roaming right wing role but he wasn’t able to find his team an equaliser after Bim Pepple’s 23rd minute goal for the visitors, punished a defensive giveaway on the left edge. Garbs did drill a long distance effort on target early on but it was straight at the keeper who gathered after an initial bobble.
Up Next: Port Vale vs Exeter City at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Henry Gray - Harrogate Town (English League Two)
Harrogate Town did not sign Henry Gray on loan so that he could sit on the bench. They’re staring down the barrel of relegation and their previous starter just left on a permanent deal. Therefore the day after he was unveiled, he was walking out for the EFL Trophy knockouts where his team was beaten 2-1 by Stockport.
They blew a 1-0 lead with quarter of an hour remaining but Gray did alright, making a few saves along the way. Not much he could do about the defensive lapses in front of him that led to both goals. The second was especially gutting, scored after a quick free kick that Harrogate weren’t prepared for, five minutes into stoppages. They were right there on the brink of taking it to penalties where Gray could have been the hero. Ah well, never mind. It’s the League Two action that matters...
A few days later Henry Gray served up a belter on his league debut. His EFL debut, in fact. He’s played sixth tier, fifth tier, and now he’s graduated into the Football League realms at the fourth tier. Alas, Harrogate Town did lose 1-0 to Shrewsbury – a bad defeat to a team one place above them when the match began. Didn’t help that they played the last forty minutes with ten men after Jack Evans collected a pinpoint throw from Gray but dribbled it over the sideline and then gently tossed the ball away to prevent a quick restart. A very harsh second yellow card (it’s not like he hurled the ball into the stands or anything) but also a silly thing to do when you’re already on a booking.
Stitch-up for his teammates who conceded ten minutes later when Taylor Perry banged one in from outside the box. Gray got a hand to it and may feel he should have saved it. But there were a whole lot more chances that he did save, making an instant name for himself among the Suphurite faithful. There was one leg-save in particular (it’s in the clip) that was damn near mind-blowing. He made eight saves all up, including five from shots inside the penalty area. Confident in the air and off his line too. Really sharp debut... and even in a losing effort the mahi has been acknowledged.
HTAFC coach Paul Thirwell: “We work really hard to try and bring the best calibre of player that we can and we feel like we brought some really good players in. I thought the big man was excellent up front. Two young lads have come into into the back three and they were excellent. They give us legs, they give us energy. Henry's been a great addition in goal.”
The loss was nasty though. Extends Harrogate’s winless streak to 16 games as they missed out on a chance to take points from a relegation rival (only Nik Tzanev’s Newport County are below them on the ladder - Tanz has been a backup for the last few months). The bottom six clubs only have seven points between them so a couple of good results in a hurry could change things in a hurry... Gray brought good fortunes at Chelmsford and Braintree. He’s got priors with this stuff.
Up Next: Harrogate vs Gillingham at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Super League 2)
Football Writers UK: “Sunderland have claimed a prestigious North-East Football Writers’ Association (NEFWA) double for 2025, with Dan Ballard and Katie Kitching both scooping top honours. Black Cats defender Ballard has been named the NEFWA Player of the Year, while Kitching has been crowned Women’s Player of the Year... The inspirational Kitching has been rewarded for a fantastic 12 months in the Women’s Super League 2. The 27-year-old is Sunderland’s first winner since Tori Williams in 2017, ending Durham Women’s seven-year monopoly on the award. The New Zealand international was Sunderland’s 2024-25 player of the season, praised for her athletic, box-to-box midfield performances. Kitching secured the most votes ahead of Newcastle’s Beth Lumsden and Durham’s Beth Hepple. Her standout campaign included the winning goal in a 2-1 River Wear derby victory over Durham in September.”
Wee bit of regional recognition for Katie Kitching. Very nice, very nice. Women’s Player of the Year for the region – beating out whoever happens to be playing at local rivals like Durham and Newcastle. Given that Alexander Isak won the men’s award last year, that tells us it’s for anyone playing in the region and not just natives so Michaela Foster and Hannah Blake would have also been eligible. Maybe Foz will win it next year. Kitching was awesome last season, fully deserving of the honour. She’ll get to collect her trophy at the ceremony at the start of March.
In the meantime, she’s had a crack at some WSL opposition with Sunderland narrowly defeated by London City Lionesses in the FA Cup. Very different Lionesses team to the one she was used to playing against in WSL2 before they got lots of money and were promoted. That gulf in resource did eventually tell as a flicked header from Wassa Sangaré attacking the near post at corner kick time, five mins into the second half, decided the contest. Sunderland defended well only really looking troubled at set piece time – something that they were very occasionally able to replicate themselves when they could get high enough for Katie Kitching to wrap her foot around a dead ball situation. It ended 1-0.
There were two other New Zealanders who made it to the fourth round this year. Neither of them went any further. Grace Neville’s Ipswich Town did what they could against fellow second tier club Sheffield United though they did it without the Neviller who was rested on the bench. Gotta prioritise the league stuff with a relegation battle on their hands – despite the team’s struggles, Neville has been one of their better performers at right-back. They lost 2-1 so that’s their FA Cup stint done and dusted.
Same deal for Indi Riley and Crystal Palace, who were dealt the unenviable task of playing away to Chelsea. Riley got a dozen minutes off the bench so that was cool. Was hoping she might start given that it was an expected loss in a cup competition but at least she got something. They were already 5-0 down when she was subbed on. They were still 5-0 down when the final whistle blew. Sam Kerr scored twice for Chelsea.
And... that’s the last we’ll speak of the Women’s FA Cup in 2025-26. The Men’s FA Cup still has some lifelines though: Wrexham (Cacace) are hosting Ipswich in the fourth round, while Port Vale (Waine) are home to Bristol City. Good draws for each of them. West Brom, Burnley, and Fulham are all still in the mix as well, with very slight possibilities that they could offer debuts to the NZers in their academy ranks.
Up Next: Sunderland vs Southampton at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Tyler Boyd - Los Angeles FC (American Major League Soccer)
Okay, it turns out that Tyler Boyd did get claimed off waivers after all... they just waited longer to announce it. He’ll be moving back to California to play for Los Angeles FC, having previously played for LA Galaxy. Interesting move. Lots will depend on where he’s at with his fitness after missing a year to recover from an ACL tear – his type of player can’t really afford to lose that burst of pace. He’s 31 years old too... though TB does have that Ole Academy background so perhaps he’ll adapt his style.
LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington: “Tyler brings valuable experience, attacking quality, and a strong mentality to our group. He has proven throughout his career at club and national team level that he can influence matches in meaningful moments, and we’re excited for him to see those qualities as we push toward our goals this season. We’re thrilled to welcome Tyler and his wife, Rebecca, to LAFC.”
LAFC finished third in the Western Conference last year and earned Concacaf Champions Cup qualification along the way. Son Heung-min will be a teammate of his. He’ll offer some decent bench depth to them, at least to begin with, plus the main benefit of this is that he won’t be able to play against them – Boyd has three goals and two assists from five MLS games against LAFC. No wonder they rated him enough to go dipping into the waivers. Boyd’s contract is for 2026 with an option for 2027... same deal he had at Nashville, they’ve just passed it along to LAFC.
That keeps us at three kiwis in MLS for 2026. Bill Tuiloma has left Charlotte FC (debuting for the Wellington Phoenix on Sunday) but Michael Boxall and Finn Surman are still around. Boxy’s even gotten himself a compatriot as coach after Cameron Knowles was promoted last week. And guess what? It only took a few days before Coach Knowles began trying to build out his kiwi core even further. Having lost a few key players this offseason (Dayne St Clair to Miami, Robin Lod to Chicago, Hassani Dotson to Seattle, Joseph Rosales to Houston), they’ve all of a sudden been linked to a bunch of overseas recruitment options and among the list was a bloke currently playing in Denmark named Callum McCowatt. Yeah, that guy.
This rumour stemmed from the Danish side of things, first claimed by Tipsbladet, which lends some extra credence to the possibility. McCowatt is equal-third top scorer in the Superliga at the winter break but Silkeborg have been pretty rubbish this season to be lingering down around the relegation spots. There’s chat that they might sell Tonni Adamsen, their best striker. Curious times... lots will depend on how this January window goes. But keep in mind that while Tipsbladet may have only mentioned Minnesota United by name, they specifically said that “several foreign clubs” were interested in McCowatt’s services. CM has two years left on his current deal so if anything happens – and there’s every chance that it won’t - then it’d require a decent fee. Always nice to feel wanted, right?
Meanwhile, preseason has started...
“The Loons did the beep fitness test on Wednesday and MNUFC2 player Troy Putt won it. Logan Dorsey was second, with midfielders Wil Trapp, Stroud and Owen Gene in the next tier. Putt, 19, is a promising player within the Loons’ system. He contributed to the New Zealand side in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last year and is signed with MNUFC through the 2026 season.”
Up Next: MLS preseason is underway for all of the above
Dalton Wilkins - Sønderjyske (Danish Superliga)
Hold on a second, wasn’t Dalton Wilkins out on loan? Well he was... but he’s not any longer. Persistent injuries have been such a problem for him in his career and after missing the first month of this season with Sonders, they decided to loan him back to his former club in the division below, Kolding IF, in order to build up his minutes again. But he only made four bench appearances before getting injured again.
His recall from loan isn’t because he’s injured. Like, he’s there visible in a training photo so obviously he’s back in at least some capacity already. Nah the recall is because of someone else’s injury. Sonders signed Rúnar Thór Sigurgeirsson to play left-back right around the time that they loaned Wilkins out but that guy suffered a serious injury a month later, so as soon as the registration window re-opened, they brought back Wilkins to restore some depth. He’ll have their winter training camp with a few friendlies to stake a claim heading into the second half of the campaign (and with a World Cup in six months).
Up Next: The Superliga season resumes in mid-February
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
For the fourth consecutive game, Ben Old started at left-back for ASSE and logged a full ninety minutes. For the second consecutive game, ASSE kept a clean sheet with Oldy in that backline. For the first time across those four starts, ASSE won with Ben Old at left-back. They beat Clermont Foot 1-0 thanks to a 55th minute goal from Augustine Boakye. Old got a yellow card. He was also sprinting into acres of space in the box when the goal was scored but the bro at striker chose to do a backheel in the other direction. No sweat, they got what they needed, though it does show how Old’s still getting involved in the attack.
ASSE are back up to third thanks to these three points, a little over halfway through the term. They’ve got some work to do to catch up with leaders Troyes but second place gets automatic promotion too. Oh yeah and the best part of all this? Ebenezer Annan was fit enough for the bench yet Old still got picked ahead of him. Maybe he’ll retain that spot next week, maybe he won’t... but he’s clearly out there earning the trust of his coach.
Up Next: Reims vs ASSE at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
No biggie over here. Just a 3-1 win for PEC Zwolle against AZ Alkmaar, arguably their most impressive win of the season and a result which prompted AZ to fire their coach. Full game for captain Ryan Thomas in there as Zwolle shot out to a 2-0 lead within 26 minutes and then survived a tricky period after AZ pulled a goal back with fifteen to go, including a disallowed equaliser and a shot off the post, before scoring a clincher at the very end. Zwolle may not be a particularly consistent team but they do have this knack for finding a win every three or four weeks to keep things steady in the standings.
Up Next: NEC vs Zwolle at 6.45am on Sunday (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Scottish Cup action, where Motherwell hosted Ross County who are lingering down near the bottom of the second tier. Given the respective form of the two sides, this was one that the Steelmen were always expected to win and therefore they were able to help themselves to just a little bit of rotation. Six changes from the previous league game, including Eli Just finding himself on the bench. However, when they still hadn’t found a breakthrough ten minutes into the second half, the manager figured he’d best act quickly and so on came Elijah Just and Lucas Fadinger in a double sub.
Immediately the heat went up and before much longer it was 1-0 to Motherwell after Just instigated a short corner routine that he was hoping would come back to him in a pocket of space in the area, except Fadinger chose to shoot instead. That shot took a diverting touch from Tawanda Maswanhise on the way into the net and there ya go, the Zimbabwean striker had his 15th goal of the season in all comps. That was all Motherwell required. They shimmied into the fifth round thanks to that 1-0 result. Shorter stint for Just this week but it was clear that his team only got into stride once he got involved in activities. He had a 1v1 saved after the goal had been scored (fair enough since he was about a metre offside) and also set up another big chance for Maswanhise who dragged it wide. More good mahi from the in-form kiwi footballer right now.
Motherwell face Kilmarnock next... which would be a reunion of two former NZ U20 World Cup teammates if it weren’t for the fact that George Stanger can’t seem to buy a chance since Killie sacked their manager. Even in a 2-1 cup defeat against Dundee, he still didn’t get a sniff. They were 1-0 up after 11 minutes and were still ahead as they ticked into the final quarter of the match. And what happened from there? Two goals conceded and two red cards. An equaliser on 69’, a second yellow for Jack Thomson on 80’, a winner on 90+1’, and then a Lewis Mayo straight red on 90+3’ (for stopping a runaway counter-attack). Make that 16 games without a win in all comps for Killie.
Stanger hasn’t played since 14 December and was out of the team for a few weeks prior to that appearance too – meaning he’s only played in 6/16 of the winless streak. The interim boss wasn’t picking him. Now new permanent man Neil McCann isn’t picking him either, two games into his tenure. The Killie Chronicle is reporting that he’s “attracting interest” which is a weird way to talk about a dude who only joined the club six months ago and has started 11 league games over the first half of the season... gotta think that sounds like a loan move may be in the plans. And given how Kilmarnock are second to last in the Premiership and unlikely to want to help out relegation rivals Livingston, that probably means a stint back in the Championship (which, admittedly, is where he’s going to be next season if Kilmarnock don’t get things sorted in a hurry). He did also have some reported interest from lower league English clubs prior to joining Killie, so you never know.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Kilmarnock at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Finn Linder - Halifax Wanderers (Canadian Premier League)
New scenery for Finn Linder who once upon a time was rising steadily up the Vancouver Whitecaps academy ranks alongside Jay Herdman. They were both in the 2023 U20 World Cup squad (Linder was born and raised in Canada with dual eligibility). They both bossed it in MLS Next Pro, occasionally making first team matchday squads but neither of them have quite made the cut... Herdman was let loose the year before last and landed in the Canadian Premier League, now Linder’s followed him to the CPL. This after he didn’t make a single appearance in all of 2025 for the Whitecaps Next Pro team, never got an explanation there but he must have been injured.
The head coach of Halifax Tides is an Italian bloke called Vanni Sartini who spent several years as a coach within the Whitecaps system so there was an easy connection leading to this move. He’s signed a one year contract with club options for a further two years beyond that.
Wanderers head coach and general manager Vanni Sartini: “Finn is a great player and young man who possesses all the qualities of a modern centre-back, and I'm excited to have him join the Wanderers. He has incredible pace for a player of his height and can defend centrally and wide. When we have the ball, he's very good at dribbling forward and contributing to the buildup.”
Up Next: Still a couple months away from the new season, time for a couple more signings yet
Andre De Jong - Orlando Pirates (South African Premiership)
Up Next: Possible Pirates debut for ADJ away against Sekhukhune at 2.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Trapani 1905 (Italian Serie C)
Hey that’s cool, it’s a Niko Kirwan sighting. His first goal for new club Trapani, getting things started in what ended up being a 4-0 win against Sorrento. The good news is that Kirwan is back to being a first choice starter this season after having to do tag-team duties at right-back for Padova last term (before they got promoted and released him, choosing instead to go younger at his position in a league where there are financial incentives for giving minutes to local prospects). The bad news is that Kirwan is unlikely to find himself in his usual promotion playoff run since Trapani came into this season with a 15-point deduction. They’d be sixth in their conference otherwise. They’re 15th in reality. But Kirwan has started 18/22 games and that’s what we’re here for.
Up Next: Monday at 2.30am is Casertana vs Trapani (NZT)
Moses Dyer - Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodian Premier League)
That’s slick, brother. Very slick. Thus the count rises to 16 goals (with 3 assists) in 19 matches since Moses Dyer moved to Cambodia. However, while this latest one – carrying on a penalty precision that he’s shown during his time in Canada and which dates back to at least the 2016 Oceania Nations Cup when he converted his attempt in the grand final shootout against Papua New Guinea – did put PPC 1-0 up against title rivals Svay Rieng... the day was not a happy one for the Crown. Andres Nieto doubled the lead almost straight away but a Kwame Peprah hatty for Svay allowed them to rally back and win 3-2.
First defeat of the season for Phnom Penh. They fall five points behind Svay Rieng and are no longer in range with their game in hand. Last time these two teams met, Dyer scored a match-winning penalty deep, deep, deep into injury time in a 3-2 victory. Second time they met, PPC blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2. Can’t say these fixtures lack drama. Elsewhere, Boeung Ket lost 1-0 to MOI Kompong Dewa to miss out on the chance to gain ground on PPC. In fact, they drop to fourth with that result. Myer Bevan very obviously not on the scoresheet there.
Up Next: Midnight on Monday, PPC vs Kirivong Sok Sen Chey (NZT)
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