Flying Kiwis – February 18
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Eli Just: “I don't mind too much what people from the outside want to say about us. I think you can see how hard we're working, defensively especially, to keep clean sheets. I wouldn't say that we're arrogant, but if that's what the label is because of the style we want to play, then that's fine. Within the group, it's definitely a focus to not get complacent and just keep working hard, knowing that every game is difficult. We've struggled in games against teams near the bottom of the table and we've had success against teams at the top, and vice-versa. Every game presents different challenges and we prepare for every game the same. I can't speak highly enough of everyone in the squad; how hard they work every single day. That's the most important thing for us. Whatever the result is on Saturday, we get back to work straight away and just keep working hard and trying to improve.”
In a season where Hearts are seriously threatening to bust up the Old Firm hold on the title, it’s Motherwell that have become the darlings of Scottish football. Elijah Just has been a big part of that, a key signing in the attacking areas who helps link their superb defensive record and their high possession style with a bit of creative flair. Zimbabwean striker Tawanda Maswanhise gets most of the accolades (he just won his second Scottish Prem Player of the Month award for the season) but they couldn’t do what they do without their kiwi playmaker. Don’t think the other teams haven’t noticed either...
That was from the midweek meeting with Rangers. Huge game against one of the nation’s best... and Motherwell produced yet another strong display, conceding a sneaky one early on but controlling much of the game from there and ultimately grabbing a late equaliser for a deserved 1-1 draw. Makes them 10 games unbeaten at home. Means they’ve taken points of both Celtic and Rangers this term. Just was fouled five times in this match (the one above was by John Souttar, the Scottish international brother of Australia’s Harry Souttar) and had one big chance to score on the end of a delicious give-and-go into the area, drawing a save at the near post with a driven shot. He was subbed just before Motherwell scored their goal, lasting 87 minutes with a chunk of that coming in the midfield after Lukas Fadinger was red carded for a cynical challenge following some VAR intervention. Down to ten men and still bagged a late goal against Rangers, that’s how much this team is soaring right now.
Having banked that result, Motherwell then hosted Aberdeen and while they weren’t at their best they still did enough to win 2-0 (another win, another clean sheet) to keep their fine run of form going. And they did that thanks to yet another piece of inspiration from Elijah Just. Check out the movement as well as the slick touch-and-shoot action here...
Just was pretty much the difference in this game. Aberdeen have been struggling (they’ve been linked a few times with trying to grab Motherwell’s manager for their own vacancy... why he’d want to leave a top four club for some battlers near the bottom of the standings is anyone’s guess) but they had a few moments in this game, including hitting the post while it was still scoreless. But not only did Just’s 28th min goal spring the Well into the lead, he also went closer than anyone else to providing another. He put a snapshot from a similar range on target only for the keeper to save (and his follow-up got blocked). He broke the offside trap later in the half, cutting in and unselfishly squaring for Ibrahim Said who missed the target at the back post. Just was credited with four key passes... despite only playing 66 minutes, getting subbed to stock up the defence amidst a tricky spell of pressure that saw Aberdeen hit the post again. It was only right at the end, third minute of stoppages, that a ricocheted own goal finally killed off the contest.
This win makes it 10 games undefeated in a row at home in the Premiership. The only goal they’ve conceded in that time was against Rangers on Thursday morning – yes, nine clean sheets out of ten home games. You did read that correctly. There have been lots of draws away from home which has held them back from being talked about as title contenders... but with Hearts losing (again) this week, beaten 4-2 by Rangers, that leaves Motherwell ten points back with a game in hand having taken 17 points from a possible 21 across their past seven matches. They’re not as far away as people might think – especially with games against the rest of the top six to follow in the championship rounds.
That goal takes Eli Just to five goals and six assists this season. He’s third top scorer for Motherwell behind Maswanhise and Apostolos Stametopoulos (the Aussie striker who just left on loan to Sydney FC). He’s equal second in the entire league for assists. Daizen Maeda of Celtic is the only other player in the Scottish Prem with at least five of each (and Maeda’s seven goals have come from 10.97 xG, whereas Just has scored five times from only 4.92 xG... far more clinical). And he’s doing all this in a World Cup year, the absolute champ.
Elijah Just, again: “Nah, we've not had any discussion as a group about any certain goals. Every weekend or every game, we're fully focused on winning and then of course you have an eye on the other results just to see if they go your way. There's still plenty of time to go before the end of the season. Obviously, we're hoping we make top six. After the split, we know we have an extra game against the top teams so anything is possible, but we're not setting any big goals or anything. It's just about our standards. The standard we've set on each matchday has been quite high and we have to keep pushing every week to increase it or at least reach that level. So, it’s about how high can we get our level to be? The way we play, if we're at our best, then we can beat any team in the league.”
Up Next: A rematch away against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup on Thursday at 8.45am; then away to St Mirren in the league at 8.30am Monday (NZT)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Okay, so FC Nordsjælland probably aren’t going to win the Europa Cup. They’ve made it this far in the competition’s inaugural season but a quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt was about as tough as it could have gotten and they’re going to need a miracle in the home leg to overturn a 4-0 deficit after a brutal first leg in Germany. Grace Wisnewski started and played 75 minutes, subbed off with all the goals having been scored. Don’t really need to say much more than that they were outclassed by a better team. And maybe they were underdone themselves against a team whose league returned from winter break a few weeks ago whereas FCN hadn’t played a competitive game since early December.
The Wiz played in a midfield three (her usual position) couldn’t add to the two goals she’s already scored in European competition this season. Good minutes for her coming out of the winter break though, still hovering in that first eleven after two months between games. No sign of Malia Steinmetz in that matchday squad but we know she’s back in training after her ACL recovery and they had her doing media for the A-Liga this week (although dunno when it was recorded) so that’s all positive. There are another four weeks between the second leg against Frankfurt and the return of the Danish league so that’s gotta be more the target for Steinmetz, you’d imagine. Gives her time to ramp things up on the training pitch.
Up Next: FCN vs Frankfurt in the Europa Cup at 6am on Thursday (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
Big man Bindon with another emphatic defensive outing as Sheffield United went to Portsmouth and returned with a 1-0 victory thanks to a counter-attacking stoppage time winner from Andre Brooks. Pompey were all over them for much of the game (especially in the first 45) but Bindon and the lads locked the gates and kept the assaulters at bay. Bindy made eight defensive clearances and three clearances. Defended tough against a team that included Aussie winger Adrian Segecic. He also came as close as anyone to finding the breakthrough when he headed on target from a corner only to see the keeper pluck it out of the air. Action packed highlights. Another great result for the Blades who may still only be sitting in 15th but all of a sudden they’re only six points out of the playoffs.
TB: “I’m enjoying it, I think the fans have been great. Everyone around me has been very supportive in helping me come into the team. I’m very grateful to all of them and the coaching staff behind the scenes who continue to work with me and help me grow as a person and a player. I think it helps that everyone knows the place and is working hard together as a team to keep going. I think everyone's on the same page and ready to put a shift in when needed.”
Tyler’s either being generous about how great the fans have been or else he’s been well shielded because he absolutely copped it in those early days at the club under Ruben Selles. Very unfairly considering the mess that he landed in... but it’s an enormous compliment to say that he’s won them over since. First impressions die hard in footy fandom but Bindon’s been able to bury them with his performances over the last few months.
Also on the surge is Millwall Football Club. They weren’t at their best against last-placed Sheffield Wednesday but they were able to score twice in the last twenty minutes to escape with a 2-1 win. Not a lot of Max Crocombe aside from a fumble that allowed Wednesday to take the lead – spilling a long shot at the feet of a forward. Rare error from Crocs... although that concession seemed to snap his teammates into action so perhaps he was just trying to get the party started. And ultimately they still won the game, same as they’ve done in so many of Crocombe’s starts. With a few rivals busy with FA Cup things this week, Millwall have risen to third in the standings. Five points behind the automatic promotion spots.
Less fun for Swansea City. They lost 2-0 away to Derby County despite having 70% of the ball. Marko Stamenic played 85 minutes with a yellow card... his tenth of the season and sadly that means he’s now got to serve a two-game suspension. He’ll miss games against Bristol City and Preston North End. Only Amadou Mbengue (QPR) has more bookings in the Championship, that dude has 11 of them. Junior Tchamedeu (Stoke) is the other bloke who has already crossed the 10-card suspension line.
Up Next: Biiiig old derby game against Sheffield Wednesday at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace - Wrexham (English Championship)
There has been an update on the Cacace injury and it’s relatively good news...
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham gaffer: “Libby has had a scan and there's a very low-grade hamstring problem, nothing too serious, but obviously we've got to make sure we get it right.”
Cool. Nothing too serious. It’s a fourth muscle injury in the space of six months for a bloke who’d never had an injury like this in his entire career – he missed more games due to school exams than he did for injuries while he was at the Wellington Phoenix - but you know how these things go where one issue can leave you vulnerable to another, especially when it’s all happening mid-season. He should be back pretty soon.
He definitely should be back before 8 March when Wrexham will host Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup, having overcome fellow Championship club Ipswich Town 1-0 in Cacace’s absence this week. Cacace scored against Nottingham Forest in the previous round. This time it was Josh Windass with the 34th minute goal to separate the sides. Incredible for Wrexham getting to host a heavyweight... with the potential to knock them out. We’re down to the last sixteen teams in that sixth round so it’s getting towards the pointy end and the cup run continues.
Cacace’s not the only kiwi still hanging around. Ben Waine’s Port Vale haven’t played their fifth round game yet so they’re still in the hat. They were meant to host Bristol City but that game’s been pushed back a few weeks after Vale Park took a beating equivalent to the 4-0 loss the team suffered midweek against Stockport County. That was in the EFL Trophy quarters so ka kite to Ben Waine’s hopes of getting to Wembley Stadium in that competition (Waine played 79 minutes on the left wing in that match). “Waterlogged pitch” is the new official terminology that everyone uses. But, yeah, if PVFC get through that rescheduled game then they’ll also be hosting a Premier League outfit in the sixth round – in their case it’s Sunderland who await.
There’s also been an update on the injury that Matt Garbett has been coping with recently. He was spotted in a moon boot at a recent Peterborough game but his coach has stressed that it was a pre-emptive absence to prevent a small issue from becoming a big issue. The club website reckons he’ll miss another two games which puts him on an informal schedule to return at the start of March.
Luke Williams, Posh boss: “He needs protection and constant monitoring because it's a very minor injury that can suggest a more serious injury - if you manage the minor one, you prevent the major one. He's a very important player, he's got a huge role to play in the team going forward and there's a chance the boy is going to play at the World Cup and we have to help him be in the best possible shape. We have to try to make sure we protect him and don't put him at a huge risk that is unnecessary and irresponsible. I'm very confident we'll be able to manage him successfully to a swifter return. How swift that return is, is more like a piece of string but we've managed to prevent something that could have certainly been more serious.”
Up Next: Wrexham have games against Bristol City (A) at 8.45am Weds and Ipswich Town (H) at 4am Sunday but probs won’t see Cacace quite that soon (NZT)
Dalton Wilkins - Sønderjyske / Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Usually it’s Callum McCowatt doing funky things in Denmark... and he did have his chances in this game. Silkeborg took a swift lead through Tonni Adamsen and continued to nurse that lead even as the tides turned pretty strongly in favour of Sønderjyske after the initial half hour or so. A second goal would have been pretty beneficial and McCowatt looked most likely to provide it. He pinged an effort on target running through from the right edge. That was saved. Had another saved from a tricky angle on the left. Whipped a strike from outside the box which fizzed past the post. Nothing easy there but he’s scored those in the past. He also laid on a chance for Andreas Poulsen which that bloke should’ve done better with, dashing into the area only to blast over.
So it was that Sonders went unpunished and eventually, in the 77th minute, they equalised via Olti Hyseni with a sweetly-placed header. That led to a substitution for each team. McCowatt was replaced by SIF in a move that seemed to indicate a pivot towards holding on for a draw (unless he was just exhausted from running those transitional moves all evening)... and at the same time Sønderjyske did something we haven’t seen from them since August: they subbed on Dalton Wilkins.
Since that last time Wilkins played for this club (his only other Superliga appearance this season), he’s been sent down a division on loan to his old team Kolding to build up match-fitness... only to get injured after a handful of games. The winter break came around and he recovered but Sonders had suffered some injuries in their own squad so they recalled him. Thus here he was, back at his parent club, back in the top division, getting a dozen minutes off the bench with the game on the line. And he was awesome...
DW tumbles a bit eagerly there but by that time he’d already been fouled about five times during the move so there was nothing for the video ref to bother with. Dead-set pen. Lirmi Qamili converted and that was the decisive goal in a 2-1 win for Sonders. Not the end of Wilkins’ efforts though – he managed to win two more fouls as his team closed out the game... one of which was pretty nasty, a stomp on the back of his heel that looked worrying for a bloke with the injury history of Wilkins but he bounced back up with no dramas.
This was a bummer for Silkeborg who now linger one point above the drop zone and cannot make the top six from here. They’ll be competing in the relegation rounds... where hopefully McCowatt will be able to bang in some goals against the lower teams to keep them safe. For Sønderjyske though, they’re up to fourth place and thinking about Europe. Dalton Wilkins is only a squad player for them at the moment but he’ll have boosted his stocks massively with this cameo and if he can stay fit the rest of the way (big if, admittedly) then perhaps it’s not to late to push a case for World Cup selection. In terms of talent, he absolutely should be there... it’s just the constant injuries that keep preventing him. But he’s fit enough at the moment to have claimed bragging rights over his Ole Academy, Western Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs, Helsingor, and New Zealand buddy McCowatt.
Up Next: Silkeborg vs Midtjylland at 4am on Mon; Brøndby vs Sønderjyske at 7am on Tues (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Weekly check in on the Internazionale ladies to see that they’ve kept their winning streak going. Katie Bowen was on the bench after nine consecutive league fixtures in the eleven, gotta mix it up every now and then with other international calibre defenders stuck sitting on the bench and doing so for an away game against a team in the relegation zone made as much sense as anything. It was a slow start without her though, trailing 1-0 at half-time to Parma. A couple quick goals between 57’-60’ got them ahead but shortly after Bowen was introduced (in the 82nd minute) they conceded again. Not to worry. Bowen helped them work their way up the right wing leading to a beauty of a curling finish from Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir in stoppage time and that was the game. 3-2 to Inter. Eight wins in a row. With leaders Roma only drawing 2-2 with Napoli, the Azzurri are now just three points behind them after 14 rounds... and those two clubs will face each other in their next match. The title race is on.
Up Next: Inter Milano vs Roma at 3.30am on Monday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
Second game under the new boss, second win in a row. ASSE went away to Guingamp and returned with a 2-1 victory to further restore their promotion push. Results elsewhere have been kind to them with the likes of Troyes and Reims also dropping points recently... in fact nobody else in the top ten has won consecutive games so ASSE’s risen to third and within range of that top spot they’ve been targeting the whole way.
St-Étienne were awesome in the first half, scoring twice and threatening more. Second half... not so flash, as they let Guingamp back into the contest by allowing a corner kick to bounce in the six yard box leading to an easy finish for 2-1 with half an hour to go. But they managed to hang on. Full game for Ben Old and of course he was playing left-back because that’s his position now. Nine consecutive starts spanning two successive coaches and he’s only been subbed once in that time. Playing left-back has transformed him into a first eleven player, keeping the previous incumbent stuck on the bench.
Meanwhile in the women’s League Cup semi-finals, Dijon FCO were smoked 4-0 at home by Lyonnes. No shame there in losing to one of the best teams in Europe, even if it did mean they missed out on the chance to play for silverware. The key thing is that Kate Taylor played quarter of an hour off the bench to mark her return from injury. Hadn’t seen her since December. She’s already not been picked for the upcoming Football Ferns tour, one of the risks of picking the team so early is that player who were injured then may not be injured when the actual games are being played... but after missing eight matches that’s probably for the best. Barring a late call-up, these will be the first Ferns games that Taylor has missed in nearly two years having started the past 14 internationals in a row.
Up Next: ASSE vs Stade Laval at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdańsk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
Bit chilly in Poland at the moment. The wind and the rain would mean nothing to AP having played in Wellington and Auckland... but the snow? They had to get the shovels out to clear the pitch prior to Lechia’s game away against Motor and that may explain why he dove right past a low skidding shot after 12 minutes, conceding from a shot you’d expect him to save every day of the week. Not his best moment.
Lechia have been banging them in lately though, so by half-time they were leading 2-1 and AP had made partial amends with a good diving two-handed parry to keep it that way. However, they were hauled back to 2-2 after barely a minute of the second spell when AP had to close down his near post against a threat at the by-line, leading to a low ball into the six yard box which bounced in for an own goal off a defender’s shins. Fortunately, a VAR intervention gave Lechia a penalty to restore their lead and although they couldn’t ever make it safe (missing out on a fourth thanks to a goal-line clearance), they clung on for the 3-2 result. Paulsen was booked for time wasting near the end.
That’s another win for Lechia Gdańsk. They’ve had two wins and a draw since the winter break ended and their unbeaten streak in the league now stretches to seven matches (five wins, two draws). Not a single clean sheet in there but it hardly matters. Lechia have risen into the top half of the table and are now as close to the European spots as they are to the relegation zone where they were anchored when AP arrived.
Up Next: Lechia vs Zaglebie Lubin at 7am on Tuesday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Have a look here if you want to see a team blow a 2-0 lead and lose 4-2. PEC Zwolle started so well against Heerenveen, running through them like a hot knife in butter as they scored twice inside of 16 minutes. Ryan Thomas mostly hangs back and shields the defence these days but it was his crucial defensive touch that turned the ball over on halfway leading to the first goal so he still did his bit for that lead. Pity about the other 74 minutes.
Soft goals upon soft goals. Only last-placed Heracles have conceded more goals than Zwolle this season... but the Zwollers do have a helpful habit of being able to find relatively regular victories. Haven’t won consecutive games since the first two weeks of the season but they usually manage to peel one off every three or four games which is keeping them safe for now.
Ryan Thomas: “It doesn't make sense at all. I'm a bit done with it and so are the boys. We concede two goals just about every game and that needs to change. It's just maturity. You have to understand the match. If we're under pressure, we’ve got to find a station further forward and not play ourselves into trouble. If we make a small mistake, the opponent often immediately punishes it. It's too easy.”
Up Next: Utrect vs PEC Zwolle on Monday at 2.30am (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
Nothing much going on over here. Durham were beaten 4-2 away against promotion-challenging Charlton, with Mickey Foster playing the full game in the back three while Hannah Blake – for the third week in a row, a victim of a change in formation – was an unused substitute. Blake has only played ten minutes since the New Year... at least she’s got the Football Ferns to keep her busy in a few weeks.
As for Foz, she was partly to blame for the second goal that Durham conceded (after Mariana Speckmaier had equalised) when her glancing header landed backwards in an awkward spot. Otherwise she was probably the best of the defensive bunch on a pretty bad day for that unit. Durham were able to create chances but their inability to keep the ball out of their own net kept them from getting anything from the game.
Beyond that, Sunderland’s game with Nottm Forest was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch so no Katie Kitching. Ipswich’s game with Sheffield United was postponed for the same reason so no Grace Neville (she hasn’t featured for a couple weeks so that might be a good thing if they’re postponing a game while she’s injured, assuming that she’s injured). And Indi Riley wasn’t in the squad for Crystal Palace’s game with Birmingham so presumably she’s injured too.
Up Next: Durham vs Sunderland at 8am on Saturday 9NZT)
Henry Gray - Harrogate Town (English League Two)
There’s a bit of life in Harrogate Town yet. Last week was the first League Two game that Henry Gray has played where he didn’t have to make a save. It was also the first game he didn’t lose. He’d made seven saves on debut in a 1-0 loss to Shrewsbury. Next game was six saves in a 3-0 loss to Gillingham. He went off injured at half-time of the 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood but still made three saves (and only conceded one of those goals). Next game the other keeper got injured so he was rushed back for an hour of a 2-0 loss to Crawley Town and made two saves. There were seven saves in the 1-0 loss to Swindon Town that followed... just a pity he conceded the late penalty there. But no saves against Cambridge Town since no saves were required as Harrogate won 2-1 thanks to a couple of first half goals. His defence took care of business for him (for once).
Following that, he made a trio of stops as Harrogate survived an early concession (and an even earlier rattle of their crossbar) to strike late and draw 1-1 away against in-form Chesterfield. One of those Gray saves was a brilliant stretching left-hander to keep his team within range during those first half struggles. Another was a point-blank denial of a headed shot that rewarded his good positioning. Harrogate’s cause was helped significantly by a moment of silliness from Chesterfield’s Lee Bonis (who’d scored their goal), kicking the ball away to prevent a restart while he was waiting to come back on the pitch after injury treatment. He’d been booked a couple minutes earlier. That was his second yellow. Off ya go, pal.
Four points from two games has Harrogate up above Newport County by a single point with the same goal difference (Newport have scored more goals so they’d go ahead again if they draw their game in hand). Nice not to be last... though it doesn’t really matter which order you finish in if you’re relegated. It’s the four points up to Crawley Town on place higher that they’ve gotta focus on. These last couple of weeks – and the shot-stopping performances of Henry Gray between the sticks – should give them some renewed hope.
Up Next: Barrow vs Harrogate on Weds at 8.45am; Harrogate vs Bromley on Sun at 4am (NZT)
Thomas Raimbault - Carolina Core (American MLS Next Pro)
One more for the Next Pro stocks. We’ve lost a couple lately (James Bulkeley, Finn Linder, Ronan Wynne) and we’ve gained a couple (Codey Phoenix, Thomas Raimbault).
Thomas Raimbault was born in France, grew up in Aotearoa, and then moved to Canada with his family before going to university in the USA... so he’s been all over the place. Spent time in the Wellington United youth ranks. Joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy after moving to Canada. Has been involved in NZ U17s and U20s camps though never actually played for those teams. More recently, Raimbault attended both UCLA and University of Wisconsin and then spent a year with Flint City Bucks in USL League Two. Now the 24yo creative midfielder has joined Carolina Core for the 2026 campaign in MLS Next Pro... which is the development league for MLS teams, although Carolina Core are one of two independent franchises in the competition so there isn’t a direct path to the big league from here.
Head Coach Donovan Ricketts: “We’re excited to welcome Thomas to the Core. He’s a smart, technical midfielder who competes every day and brings great character to the locker room. His experience at the collegiate level fits exactly what we look for as we continue building for the 2026 season.”
The American system is weird... and not only because there’s all these tiered leagues without promotion/relegation. There’s also a whole college ecosystem – which attracts a lot of kiwi players though very few of them move from there to pro deals in the States. Those that do don’t always stick around, as we’ve seen with Ronan Wynne getting drafted last year by Atlanta United, impressing during MLS preseason, being loaned to their Next Pro team, playing every game, and then getting unceremoniously released after one year. For some reason there are independent teams in a reserves league too. But good luck to Raimbault who is finally back on the scene. As of right now, he joins Troy Putt (Minnesota United 2) and Codey Phoenix (Tacoma Defiance) as kiwis in MLS Next Pro 2026.
Up Next: Season begins in March, couple more weeks away
Luis Toomey - Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League)
Another Luis Toomey appearance on the North/Central American continental scene. They’d already lost 3-0 in the home leg so nothing much was going to happen as they travelled to Mexico to face Cruz Azul. Just a sneaky 5-0 defeat. Bury that, no dramas. Toomey started and played 55 minutes, exiting the game after the second goal. Good experience and now he prepares for the main season in Canada having already started a pair of Champions Cup fixtures against one of the best clubs in Mexico. LAFC are also in the Champions Cup so Tyler Boyd also has the potential to debut for his new team in continental action.
Up Next: Gotta wait ‘til April for the CPL
Moses Dyer - Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodian Premier League)
Righto, make that 18 goals in 23 games for Moses Dyer with Phnom Penh Crown. He’s scored 11 goals in 18 games specifically in the Cambodian Premier League. Two more goals and this will be his most prolific club (he scored 19 goals in 57 games playing for Valour FC in Canada).
Alas, this one wasn’t enough to propel his team towards another victory as they somehow managed to go from 2-0 up after 11 minutes to 4-2 down after 50 minutes. They pulled one back, set up by Dyer whipping a low cross to the back stick to add an assist to his tally, but that was where they ran out of gas. Lost 4-3 away to Angkor Tiger. Meanwhile, Svay Rieng scored an 86th minute goal to make it five wins in a row and go back three points ahead of PPC in first place. Myer Bevan’s Boeung Ket lost 2-0 to Nagaworld meaning they swap places in fourth and fifth. Bevan played a full game in the defeat.
Up Next: PPC vs Visakha at 0:00 on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
There has been good news, sort of, around Chris Wood’s injury. The latest non-update from then-manager Sean Dyche was reassuring without saying anything specific... but Wood’s inclusion in the updated Premier League and Europa League squad lists is a much more tangible sign of progress. Forest cut defender Willy Boly from those squads due to injury and a desire to refresh the squad however Woodsy remains despite not having played since October. Tells you that they still believe he’s got a part to play this season. That’s what we wanna hear.
Sean Dyche: “We’re hopeful. Things are settling and definitely going in the right direction. He’s got a check-up with the specialist - it might be tomorrow, actually. It’s going really well currently. It is calming down nicely and building back up.”
That was the last update we’re going to get from Mr Dyche because he was sacked last week after a 0-0 draw with last-placed Wolves further damaged their ambitions of staying above the relegation zone. West Ham (with coach Nuno Espirito Santo) have found some form and are hunting them down, now only three points adrift. Worrying signs but to sack Dyche and move onto a fourth coach within one season? That’s as many coaches as Woodsy has had in the past eight Premier League seasons combined (Dyche, Howe, Cooper, Nuno). He never even got to play for this one! (Not in Forest colours anyway).
Wood’s most recent game was in Ange Postecoglou’s last match. Dyche has come and gone while he’s been out and now Vitor Pereira has taken over on an 18-month deal. Former Wolves boss. NFFC will thus become the first club in the Premier League era to use four permanent managers in one campaign.
In that interview linked above, Wood answered questions about his knee surgery and recovery for the first time since he went under the knife. Coincidentally, that chat was conducted after the upcoming trip to the specialist that Dyche had mentioned and CW revealed that it was good news. Surgeon’s given him permission to move into the next phase of his recovery. One step closer to NFFC regaining the use of their best striker. One step closer to the All Whites having their captain available for the World Cup.
Chris Wood: “It’s been frustrating. Not a nice time. The manner of the injury has not been perfect because we’ve tried different things and had setbacks, having to go down different routes and surgery and things like that. It’s not been smooth sailing... I’m doing everything I can to be back stronger... it’s an interesting injury to deal with. Had some positive news yesterday from the surgeon to say I can go on to the next stages, so it’s better for my rehab now. I need to work hard to be able to get myself back fit, right, ready for the end of the season and then onto the offseason and into next year.”
Up Next: More positive developments, fingers crossed
Betsy Hassett - Stjarnan (Icelandic Besta Deildin)
And finally, a retirement. Betsy Hassett has called time on her career following 160 international caps including four World Cups and thee Olympics, and a club journey that took her from USA (California Golden Bears - university) to Germany (SC Sand) to England (Manchester City) to Norway (Amazon Grimstad) back to Germany (Werder Bremen) to Holland (Ajax)... and then to Iceland where she spent a much more settled second half of her career split between KR and Stjarnan (with one year at the Wellington Phoenix in between). She gave birth to her son in 2024 and returned to play for another season at Stjarnan afterwards, earning three more caps for the Football Ferns. One of the greats, no doubt about it.
Stjarnan: “THANK YOU BETSY! Betsy Doon Hassett has decided to hang up her boots, bringing to an end a successful and memorable period for the club. Betsy joined us in 2020 and in that time played over 100 games for the club. From day one it was clear that she was a player who not only brought quality to the pitch, but also a strong character, ambition and great professionalism. She has always given 100% to the project, been a role model both on and off the pitch and had a positive impact on her teammates - both younger players and more experienced ones. We would like to sincerely thank Betsy for her invaluable contribution to the club and wish her well in everything she undertakes in the future and hope that our paths will cross again, one way or another.”
Up Next: The golden shores of retirement
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