Flying Kiwis - October 1
Hannah Blake – Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
Can’t really be surprised at a 2-0 defeat for Rangers away against Hammarby in Sweden. This was the first leg of their Europa Cup qualifying playoff and Hannah Blake started, getting 45 minutes in an attacking midfield role before being subbed at the break. She was responsible for the first clip in that highlights package when she took the ball from a Hammarby defender and then smacked a shot slightly wide with her left – the ref ignoring claims of a touch from the goalkeeper to signal a goal kick. But Hammarby soon took over the game and claimed the lead when Elin Sørum touched one home from close range (30’) and they only amplified the pressure from there.
That’s probably why Blake was replaced when she was, with teenaged midfielder May Cruft possibly seen as a more dynamic option as they tried to keep themselves in the hunt heading back for the home leg. Rangers would surely have settled for a one-goal deficit... alas, a strike from 16yo Swedish phenom Fanny Peterson (87’) at the end gave the home team a second in a killer blow to Rangers and their continental hopes. The second leg at home took place this morning but before worrying about that, they had to quickly dust themselves off for an Old Firm Derby, Rangers hosting Celtic in their biggest test of the SWPL campaign thus far.
They passed it with flying colours by winning 5-2 to go clear atop the ladder with six wins from six whilst dealing their big rivals their first defeat. Celtic actually scored first when Maria McAneny flicked a near-post header home after a dozen minutes. A brace for Jodi McLeary had Rangers leading by half-time (21’, 28’) but again they conceded early in the half as Chloe Arthur (54’) restored parity. None of that involved Hannah Blake who’d been one of the three changes to the starting eleven between the Europa Cup game and this one. However they subbed her on after conceding the equaliser and would you believe it roughly thirty seconds later she’d scored the goal that put Rangers back ahead...
Katie Wilkinson then scored a mint free kick (66’) before Calliste Brookeshire snuck in a fifth at the near post (68’) to make sure of matters. A triumphant 5-2 victory. That’s the second goal that Hannah Blake has scored for Rangers, having netted her first against Motherwell three weeks ago. It was 2-2 while she was on the bench and it was 3-0 while she was on the pitch. We call those winning contributions.
Hannah Blake: “Yeah, I mean a little bit lost for words. My first Old Firm experience so definitely a good one to start us off. I think that across the ninety we showed a lot of different sides to our game as a team, going behind and then having to fight back, and bringing depth off the bench. Obviously getting the getting the win at the end of the day and, you know, five goals. Can't complain with that.
I don't think I was long long on the field [before scoring], so it was one of those ones where you probably have a little bit too much time to think about it. But obviously really stoked to see it hit the back of the net at a critical point in the game, which sort of turned it for us and we were able to get on the front foot a little bit. We were confident that we have good depth, you know, we've got strength that started the game and strength that finished the game. We were always confident that over the ninety minutes we would get the job done.”
Blake was rewarded for that effort with a full ninety in the second leg against Hammarby, lining up in a midfield three as she often seems to do for this team. At Durham they tended to chuck her out wide, for Rangers she’s sometimes used as a CAM, sometimes deeper (it was deeper against Hammarby for the obvious reason that they were up against a stronger team and doing a lot of defending)... in the A-League and for the Football Ferns it’s been a mixture of all of those things. She’s definitely very tidy in the midfield, working hard and reading the game. Good distributor. Blakey’s a versatile player.
Hammarby won 3-0 in Scotland for a 5-0 aggregate victory, no surprises there. Rangers actually played some pretty nice stuff in there, particularly how they circulated the ball through Blake’s midfield, yet they hardly created anything and therefore Hammarby were able to coast, especially after they scored first after 14 minutes (goals went: 14’, 62’, 79’). The second goal scorer was Icelandic forward Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir who up until about a month ago was scoring goals galore for FH as a teammate of Helena Errington. Kinda left them in the lurch amidst their own European run and title race but nevertheless. Full replay of that game over here.
Up Next: Rangers are away to Partick Thistle at 4am on Monday (NZT)
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
FH put in an excellent effort in the first leg of their Europa Cup qualifier despite ultimately losing 1-0 at home against Frankfurt. Those battle-hardened clubs from top leagues are the worst possible opponents for teams representing the (relatively) smaller nations and both Rangers and FH were dished up examples of those. We’ve seen how that went for Rangers but FHingar – who’ve had a tendency to concede soft goals throughout their domestic stuff (while scoring so many that it doesn’t matter) – put in a great shift against the Bundesliga side with their goalkeeper especially impressive during that first leg loss.
The Germans obviously had the bulk of the play but it was only a penalty on the hour mark that separated them. No doubt whatsoever about the decision and Swedish international Rebecka Blomqvist converted from the spot. Helena Errington’s first game after her Football Ferns call-up lasted 71 minutes playing in a midfield three, probably the most significant match she’s played at club level to date. Highlights here.
Unfortunately it’s tough business trying to balance games of that magnitude with the latter stages of a domestic title race... and FH suffered for that with a 3-2 loss away to Grindavik/Njarovik a few days later. They were 3-0 down after 50 minutes, conceding just before half-time and then twice straight after it. Pulled one back and then Errington was substituted (after 68 minutes) prior to them getting another. Couldn’t find a third though (remember they lost their top scorer Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir to Hammarby a month ago). Their rivals Breiðablik are also balancing Europa Cup games at the moment, getting beaten 7-2 on aggregate against Czarni Sosnowiec (Poland), but were able to grind out a 2-1 win away to IBV in between those games to move three points clear atop the table with three rounds remaining. The season ends with Breiðablik vs FH on 24 October NZT.
Believe it or not, FH scored first in the second leg back in Germany. Nia Christopher, their Bermudian international, with the sharp header from a drilled cross at the byline. That goal tied things up on aggregate and they kept it that way into half-time amidst plenty of pressure... before Frankfurt scored four unanswered as their superior quality ultimately shone through. Took them 56 seconds after the second half kick-off to restore their advantage and they rolled with it from there. Aussie international Hayley Raso scored the fourth goal.
Helena Errington played 60 minutes (subbed at 3-1). Final scored was 4-1 on the day and 5-1 on aggregate... but tell ya what they made them work for it. That’s the end of the European journey for FH this year however they’ve already earned entry into next year’s Champions League qualifiers – ironically thanks to IBV losing to Breiðablik. The focus now shifts towards trying to win that Besta Deild championship.
Up Next: FH vs IBV at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Fenerbahçe (Turkish Süper Ligi)
But wait there’s one more. Fenerbahçe were always the most likely of the three relevant clubs to progress in the Europa Cup. Not only did they get by far the best draw but they’re also just the best team of the trio. The Turkish champs were pitted against Minsk of Belarus and they popped them 4-1 in the away leg... rallying back after conceding first. Their fourth goal was a chip of the keeper from almost halfway. Full game for Katie Bowen in there. KB was then rested for the second leg as Fenerbahçe won 1-0 for the 5-1 aggregate success.
It’s been a great start to the season for Fenerbahçe. They were only a penalty shootout away from getting to the second round of Champions League qualifying (against OH Leuven of Belgium) and they’ve started their Süper Ligi campaign with four wins from four without conceding a goal. Now they’ve qualified for the Europa Cup too. So far so good. Bowen’s been rested for two of those games and has otherwise played every minute at centre-back. They’ll find out who they face in the Europa Cup round of sixteen in the next couple of days with the first leg to take place at the end of this month and the second leg a fortnight later.
Up Next: Nothing ‘til after the international break so no stress
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
It was Seattle Sounders 3-1 Minnesota United on Sunday... another deflating defeat for captain Boxy’s crew. Not even worth getting into it, same tale every week for the Loons, but the highlights are here if you’re a masochist. One of the goals was scored by Hassani Dotson who played more than 150 games for Minnesota before leaving at the start of this year. They were two down at half-time, then made an alteration or two and were able to get back into it via an Anthony Markanich goal (57’). But they couldn’t find an equaliser with their limited attacking options and then leaked a third on the break inside the last ten.
What that means is that Minnesota United have 29 points from 27 games and sit 14th in the Western Conference. They have seven games left in which to jump at least five spots to eighth or ninth for a play-in or top seven for playoff qualification. Seventh place is Colorado on 36 points so it’s not impossible but hard to see it happening when they’ve now lost five MLS games in a row and have only won 1/16 dating back to early May. And actually for all the talk about their lack of attacking reinforcements during the transfer window (shout out Callum McCowatt)... they’ve scored in each of those five defeats. It’s the fact they’ve conceded 17 goals in those games that’s killing them. Boxy did miss one of those with suspension but has played the other four. And while poor ownership and transfer business initially took the heat off coach Cam Knowles, the more this team tumbles the less he’s inoculated from the ramifications. It ain’t good.
Portland Timbers have lost three in a row themselves, with their previous win coming against Minnesota (a 5-4 victory with Boxall and Surman as respective captains). The latest was a 3-1 loss to San Jose Earthquakes in the game that they’d arranged for Finn Surman to stay behind and play before linking up with the All Whites for the second leg of the current window... only for Surman to hurt his knee in training and be ruled out for 4-6 weeks. Michael Boxall has been called up to replace him for the national team – abandoning the initial plan to give the 38yo defender a rare bit of rest. Oh well, he missed a game for accumulation last week so that’ll have to be his rest instead. The Timbers have also slid out of the playoff positions though they’re better positioned to turn it around, both in terms of form and ladder position.
Odd thing about the Timbers is that when they sacked Phil Neville as coach, they promptly went and took 10 points from the next four games under interim boss Jack Cassidy... but since the Leagues Cup ended and Marti Cifuentes took his seat on the bench as the new gaffer, they’ve gone 2-2-5. New manager bounce only worked for one of them, apparently. The San Jose game was the first game that Finn Surman didn’t start all season (including Leagues Cup). He went off injured at half-time of a game back in May but had otherwise played every minute this season. When he misses next week’s game, it’ll be the first time since his debut for the Timbers that he’s been out of the line-up in consecutive matches. His season isn’t over yet, he should return for the last couple regular season games. But everyone seems to be expecting him to be sold for a chunky fee in January so this spell will be a glimpse of life without him.
Up Next: Minnesota vs Houston at 1.30pm on Sunday 11 October (NZT)
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
The alternating pattern of right-back starts between Tim Payne and incumbent Raúl Cáceres was broken in recent weeks and it wasn’t in T-Payne’s favour. After a run of eight games where Cáceres would start one, then Payne would start the next and so forth, things have been heating up for Olimpia with a win streak brewing and that was enough of an excuse for the coach to lean into his preferred fella as he did to begin the season. Remember he signed Cáceres at the start of the year to be his right-back. Payne’s addition was thrust upon him by the club president. It’s also the truth that RC’s father is Virginio Cáceres, a legend at Olimpia who played more than 400 times for the club and represented Paraguay at the 1986 World Cup. This is an awkward one for Payne because he’s done very well in the opportunities he’s been given so far but the coach already has his guy and mostly seems to view T-Payne as a back-up.
Payne did get six minutes at the end of a very important 1-0 win against Libertad though. Subbed in for Cáceres as they battled to hold a lead that would send them top of the table ahead of their opponents. Libertad had been reduced to ten men midway through the first half due to a raised elbow while going for a header and Olimpia scored pretty soon afterwards. Payne was a bit wobbly when thrust into such a consequential game, committing as many fouls as he had touches of the ball (two each) and picking up a yellow card. But the main objective was completed: clean sheet and a victory. Olimpia have risen to the top of the standings... and Payne is expected to start in the Copa Paraguay against Sportivo Luqueño tomorrow.
Up Next: Olimpia vs Sportivo Luqueño at 11am Friday in the cup (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Madrid CFF (Spanish Liga F)
Okay we’ve got some evidence piling up here. Kate Taylor played every minute of the first three games of the Spanish season as Madrid won 3-1 against Granada, 3-1 against Valencia, and 1-0 against Seville. Three wins from three with Taylor scoring in opener. The only two goals they conceded in those matches were late consolations. Then KT missed the fourth game and they got smashed 5-1 away to Espanyol.
She returned this week to face Alaves and what do ya know? Madrid CFF won 1-0 with Sandra Villafane scoring in the 50th minute, fine reward for a good attacking performance that probably should have seen them add at least one more goal. Because they didn’t, it meant some sweaty moments towards the end but they held on firmly for the victory. Alaves had a player sent off right at the very end for a stray challenge. Taylor completed 38/50 passes and made eight defensive clearances. She also made a goal-bound block in her six yard box while Alaves were putting on some second half pressure. Another fine outing for New Zealand’s most prominent female professional footballer right now.
Madrid CFF are third on the ladder with 12 points from five games, trailing only Barcelona (15pts) and Real Madrid (13pts). Too early to be taking this idea seriously but just jot it down somewhere that there are three Champions League places available in Spain – their next match against fourth-placed Athletic Club should be their toughest test yet. Madrid have conceded two goals in 360 minutes with Kate Taylor on the pitch. They have conceded five goal in 90 minutes without her. Again, that evidence is piling up.
Up Next: Madrid vs Athletic Club at 5am on Sunday (NZT)
Alina Santos - Southampton (English Super League 2)
Happy to say that Alina Santos has recovered from her preseason concussion and was able to take her place on the bench for Southampton this weekend for their 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest. Didn’t play and wasn’t likely to with Grace Moloney having done a fine job behind a very strong defence through the early weeks. Santos is in her first professional season whereas Moloney is ten years older with 93 appearances in the WSL and nine caps for the Ireland national team. Santos is also now a full international now but you’ve gotta start somewhere. Her case was always likely to come during the League Cup group stage. Fortunately, she recovered just in time to line up for the first game. Into the starting eleven for a professional debut against West Ham United, where...
Whoops. Should get video of that at some stage but at the time of writing we’ll just have to imagine it. They were 1-0 up at the time too, with Ellie Brazil having scored after just ninety seconds. Moloney was subbed on after Santos got sent off and the Irishwoman went on to save a penalty... though also conceded three times as the WSL might of West Ham eventually paid dividends in a 3-1 result. Nothing unexpected about that, just gotta see how the suspension works because they’ve got another League Cup game (a much more winnable one away to Bristol City) after the international break and only one league game between now and then. Ideally it’s only one game off and she can serve it then.
That WSL2 draw against Nottingham Forest means that Southampton have begun with a 1-3-0 record. No defeats but also just the one win, having drawn three in a row, with only two goals conceded in four matches. Also undefeated are Sunderland who returned to winning ways following last week’s draw vs Southampton by beating Watford 2-1. Sunderland were 2-0 up after 30 minutes and in control most of the way... although it did get frisky for them after Watford buried a direct free kick with fifteen to go.
Full game for Katie Kitching in there - no goals or assist though that wasn’t for a lack of trying. They put her out on the right wing for this match where she got plenty of ball, constantly looking to link up with angled passes, and even threw in a few stepovers. She was involved in both goals including a delightful deep cross for the second, albeit it went through a couple other players before being touched home by Elise Hughes so no assist shall be credited. Almost set one up from a corner kick in the second half too. Similar from a free kick even later, which she’d won herself (after getting her jersey tugged), except that two players got in each other’s way and an offside was flagged to rule the goal out. Kitch had a couple chances of her own along the way but kinda snatched at them. Nothing doing there but a good win nonetheless.
Grace Neville was subbed on at half-time for Watford and played on the right edge of a back three so didn’t get to go up against her Ferns teammate directly. Both those teams were coming off midweek League Cup games against top division teams. Watford were beaten 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace with Grace Neville an unused substitute. Sunderland were 2-1 up at half-time against Liverpool before eventually losing 4-2. Kitching played an hour and set up her team’s first goal for Chloe Paxton from a corner kick...
Up Next: West Ham vs Southampton in the WSL Cup, Thursday at 7am (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Victory for FC Basel in the second round of the Swiss Cup and look who scored their fourth goal. FCB needed an outing like this to get some confidence back after a few pesky draws in the Super League where they’ve so far failed to score more than twice in a game (seven matches played). Therefore a cup tie against a team in the division below who’ve lost five of seven games this season sounded like just what the doctor ordered. And just to make sure, they scored in the second minute when Jacqui Hand cut one back for Una Rankić to convert and then opponents Lugano got a red card in the fifth minute for a foul as the last-defender. Already up a goal and up a player with 85 minutes to go against an out of form team from a lower league. Rightio.
It was complete dominance from there with Hand helping Rankić to her second via a slick one-two and attempting plenty of shots of her own. She put a couple of them wide but she buried one in the 32nd minute. Goal #1 of the season for Hand, hopefully many more to come. Should probably have been more in this game alone but no dramas, she was on the board in an 8-0 that takes FCB into the last sixteen of the Swiss Cup. Full game for JH – with a goal and at least two assists. The only stink thing there is it doesn’t appear to have been televised at all.
That wasn’t the biggest win of the round... BSC YB Frauen won 26-0 against an amateur side from way down the tiers. More relevant for us is that Lara Colpi played ninety mins as FC Thun won 3-0 away against FC Ostermundigen in their match. Thun are in the second division this year after relegation but they’re looking good to challenge for promotion back up again and Colpi is starting most games in midfield.
Up Next: Yverdon vs FC Basel, Super League, 5am on Sunday (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Eskilstuna United (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Gabi Rennie also scored in a cup game and fortuitously we’ve got the footage of this one. Nothing too fancy as Eskilstuna Utd very comfortably eased their way to a 7-0 victory away against Örebro in a playoff to confirm their place in next year’s Swedish Cup group phase. Those games take place during preseason, giving the team more competitive games in the lead up to the Damallsvenskan so a pretty useful achievement there. This is Eskilstuna’s first season back in the top division so they haven’t always had those kinda opportunities.
And, yeah, always great to see Gabi Rennie on the scoreboard... even if there was plenty of relief about how this one ended up in the net. She’s only got one league goal this year but has had some very good performances playing wide on the right (at wing-back as well as winger, which impacts the goal tally though should have her national team coach sitting up and paying attention). Take ‘em how they come. All that running up and down the wing has earned her some luck.
EU have one more game before the international break and it would have been a Flying Kiwis Derby against Vittsjö except that Milly Clegg has left to rejoin the Wellington Phoenix. That means no split loyalties which is good because Eskilstuna have had three scoreless defeats in a row and would quite like to halt that skid. Granted, those three defeats have been against the top three teams (and now they don’t have to play them again). The latest was a 3-0 defeat against Hammarby in between that team’s two victories against Hannah Blake and Rangers. Considering that Hammarby also took away Helena Errington’s best teammate at FH... this is bordering upon hate crime territory.
Up Next: Vittsjö vs Eskilstuna at 0:00 on Sunday (NZT)
Grace Bartlett - Peterborough United (English National League North)
A curious aspect of the latest NZ U20 Women’s World Cup squad was that there were only a couple of players with active professional contracts. Quite a few in the Wellington Phoenix Academy, many of whom did have some A-League experience, but there no senior pros at foreign clubs at an age grade where that shouldn’t be too uncommon, particularly after having six such instances (plus another at an Aussie A-League club) for the 2024 edition.
But you know what? At least one player from that 2026 U20s group was only waiting for that tournament to finish before announcing her next move. Winger/wing-back Grace Bartlett made an A-League debut for the Wellington Phoenix last season, playing 13 minutes of a 7-0 win against Sydney FC and sitting on the bench on eight other occasions. She then left the Nix for Auckland United where she helped them win the NRFL Premiership and made sure she was in primo match fitness for the U20s. Now she’s gone Posh.
Bartlett went straight into the team on the same day she was announced with thirty minutes on the left wing in a 7-0 win against Leicester City U21s in the FAWNL Cup. The game was a bit of a farce after Leicester City had a trio of players called up into their senior side and therefore arrived without any substitutes, then lost one player to concussion in the first half and another to a hamstring injury at half-time... playing with nine women the rest of the way. Peterborough were 2-0 up after three minutes and were in complete control from then onwards, even if they only scored once more in the opening half.
Posh coach Jake Poole: “I think we saw in that 25 minutes she was really bright, she was technically really good and has lots of energy getting up and down the wide area as well. We played her on the left today which is probably not her natural side but I thought we saw lots of bright signs from her. Obviously was waitings a couple weeks to get her over from the World Cup since we signed her. Amazing experience for her and she’s a player that we’re really excited to have part of the group for the next stage of our development as a team.”
That was the last game of the National League Cup group phase with Peterborough having won 6-0 against Notts County, lost 7-0 to Rugby Borough, and won 7-0 against Leicester City U21s. Crazy set of results, though remember this is a lower-league cup so not exactly the priority for anyone involved. This win put Posh second in their group with two wins and +6 goal difference which takes them safely through to the next round as one of the best second-placed finishers (they’ll face Norwich in the first knockout round).
The bigger issue is how they settle in the National League North having just been promoted as champions of Division One Midlands. One win and four defeats so far to sit last... stark contrast to Olivia Page at Huddersfield Town who are first with four wins and a draw after five rounds. Work to be done for Posh but that’s what Grace Bartlett’s there for.
Up Next: Middlesbrough vs Peterborough at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Luis Toomey - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
Once again, good things happen when Luis Toomey is unleashed...
Wicked feet from the Hawke’s Bay baller to leave his marker literally sitting on his arse... and if the goalkeeper made a bit of a mess of that save attempt, perhaps he was mesmerised from the ankle-breaker to his teammate. Toomey didn’t start this game but they did sub him on pretty early and this burst of prosperity late in the season has been earned – that’s the third game in a row in which he’s gotten a goal or assist (two of those being substitute appearances).
It should have brought Vancouver a victory. Problem was they’re trialling a new offside interpretation in Canada where there’s gotta be daylight between a striker and defender for it to be flagged. In other words, poking your head behind the line is no longer an offence, even just a trailing foot being level with the relevant defender will do the trick. That’s what happened on 90+7’ when Inter Toronto’s Tomasz Skublak got in behind and converted what to be fair was a sumptuous side-footed volley to equalise. 3-3 draw, final score.
Toomey’s goal contribution streak ended in the next match... but his positive influence did not as he returned to the starting eleven (just his third CPL start of the year) and Vancouver drew 1-1 with second-placed Forge. Yellow card in there for Tooms. He’s come into prominence and the team has stopped losing, funny that. Vancouver currently sit fourth and should be able to earn playoff footy from here. Good time for Toomey to get on a roll.
Up Next: Supra du Quebec vs Vancouver at 9am on Sunday (NZT)
Ollie Whyte – FC Haka (Finnish Ykkösliiga)
More excellent stuff from Ollie Whyte, continuing to serve up goals and assists for FC Haka as they chase their stated aim of getting back into the Finnish top flight. Whyte’s form over the last couple months has been genuinely superb: 8 goals and 4 assists in his past 11 appearances. The initial goal and assist in that clip were to set up a 2-0 victory against HJK Klubi 04. The two goals that followed... well they were in vain as Haka were beaten 3-2 by relegation threatened Käpylän Pallo. Haka were two goals up in that match too, damn.
It’s a sorry thing to report that that defeat severely crushes the chances of Haka returning to the Veikkausliiga at the first time of asking. Despite the fine mahi from Whyte, they only have two games left and are five points behind second place for a promotion playoff. KTP have already sealed the deal on the championship and automatic promotion with it. Haka can keep the dream alive into the last round if they beat second-placed PK-35 in their penultimate game so it’s not over quite yet.
Up Next: Haka vs PK-35 on 10 October at 5am (NZT)
Jamie Searle - Eastleigh (English National League)
Just a short term gig there. Searle went onto the bench for a 4-1 loss to Harrogate Town and then promptly disappeared again for the subsequent match. Dunno what’ll happen next but that’s what he’s up to at the moment, anyway.
This is the National League so fifth tier in England, same division as where Zac Jones has continued as the starting goalkeeper for AFC Fylde since helping take them to promotion – they’ve lost two of their last three but still sit fifth after a fantastic start. Luke Supyk is yet to score a competitive goal for Gateshead but he’s getting good minutes there... albeit for the bottom team in the division.
And back up near the top is Altrincham who are on a winning streak though Jacob Borgnis hasn’t been as prominent since getting red carded in the third match of the season. A swinging arm earned him not only a straight red but also a three-game suspension and he’s only played around sixty minutes across a couple bench stints since then. You can see the red card incident in here. Matt Gould is also with Yeovil at this level though he’s more of a goalkeeper coach than a player these days, albeit he’s registered for both of those jobs.
Up Next: Eastleigh vs Woking on Sunday at 3am (NZT)
Marco Lorenz - Gainare Tottori (Japanese J3 League)
Up Next: Matsumoto Yamaga vs Tottori at 6pm on Saturday (NZT)
Matt Dibley-Dias – Newport County (English League Two)
In the last four games for Newport County, Matt Dibley-Dias has played 83 minutes against Northampton (0-1), 89 minutes against Fleetwood (1-1), 90 minutes against Accrington (0-0), and 81 minutes against Grimsby Town (2-1). Just having him starting four games in a row at a senior level and getting through them all without a worry is a beautiful thing but nah Dibs has gone even further and performed well enough in those games that he’s been nominated for the club’s Player of the Month award for September.
Up Next: Gillingham vs Newport at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Fortuna Hjørring 1-1 FC Nordsjælland means that the six-game winning streak for FCN is no more... but their unbeaten run has stretched to eight thanks to an 88th minute equaliser from Grace-Ruth Sery. Nordsjælland have not lost in the A-Liga since a 1-0 upset loss to Odense in week one. They’re the only team to have beaten HB Køge (a 6-4 thriller a few weeks back) and will have another crack at them in a few days ahead of the international break.
Malia Steinmetz is back playing every minute now that she’s been converted into a ball-playing central defender. Not an ideal fit for her in the defensive sense and there are still instances each week where she gets caught out in those aspects. But her distribution and control from the back are fantastic – regularly completing up around 100 passes per game.
Up Next: FCB vs HBK at 1am on Monday (NZT)
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