Flying Kiwis – February 3
Milly Clegg - Vittsjö GIK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
When Racing Louisville told us that: “Milly Clegg has not yet reported as she and the club work to finalize the details of her future”, the writing was on the wall that she wasn’t going to be returning to the club. That’s fine, they obviously didn’t appreciate what they had. Sure she was injured for much of the 2024 season but she still sat on the bench unused on eight occasions before finally getting 19 minutes on debut in the last game of the season. Then they loaned her out to Halifax Tides in Canada... a move that didn’t go nearly as well as hoped, with Clegg getting stuck with the worst team in the brand new competition and having to either chase after long balls or play out on the wing. As such, she only scored one goal in 20 matches.
That Halifax stint was also the first time since she left the Wellington Phoenix where she was able to play a bulk of games as a professional. It was an experience that she probably needed, regardless of the results, to make her a better and more mature footballer. But the NWSL is world class stuff and notoriously cutthroat. Bit rude of Louisville not to nurture a foreign player whom they’d signed in full knowledge that it was very early days in her career, however it wasn’t going to do anyone any good for Clegg to spend another year sitting on the bench. Hence she’s left. Hence she’s signed a two-year contract with Vittsjö GIK in Sweden.
Forget about those North American leagues that don’t develop kiwi players properly – or even treat them particularly well. This completely severs the Aotearoa ties with the NWSL now that Ali Riley has retired and both Clegg and Macey Fraser have gotten early releases. Oh well, their loss.
This move puts one of our best young players – someone who is pretty much a first eleven Football Fern already - into a top-10 globally ranked league where she should get plenty of game-time and ought to score a fair few goals as well. It’s a strange thing to realise about someone who came up scoring youth level goals for fun, including at FIFA events... but Clegg has only scored 7 goals in 58 professional games (including her 2 in 20 for the Ferns). We know about the extenuating circumstances (in short: she keeps getting stuck on losing teams – in 58 pro appearances, including for the Ferns, her teams have won 9 games, drawn 14, and lost 35). That’s all in the past now. What matters is that she’s finally in a situation where the goals can flow.
VGIK head coach Mladen Blagojevic: “We have been looking long and hard. This piece of the puzzle has been very important to achieve and to get right. There are never any guarantees, but we feel extremely confident that Milly will come in and contribute for us both in the short and long term. Despite her youth, she has extensive experience playing for clubs in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Also national team games with New Zealand. The combination of power and goal danger is what we get expect from a lovely girl off the pitch. It is a global citizen who will become Vittjöit!”
Vittsjö finished seventh in the Damallsvenskan last year, scraping into the top half despite having a -12 goal difference. If they’re going to bridge the gap to the teams above then they’ll need to score a few more goals and that’s where Milly Clegg comes into frame. This’ll be the first time she’s played in a division with relegation... which is convenient because she was a wooden spooner with both the Wellington Phoenix and Halifax Tides. That shouldn’t be the case with Vittsjö.
One of her teammates at Vittsjö will be Aussie international Daniela Galic (they also have a couple of Americans to boost the English-speaking numbers). She won’t be the first kiwi to wear this jersey either. Hannah Wilkinson and CJ Bott each spent a couple seasons at Vittsjö, overlapping during the 2018 campaign. Wilkie scored the goal that confirmed their safety from relegation in 2017. And Clegg also won’t be the only kiwi in the 2026 Damallsvenskan because Gabi Rennie was tremendous for Eskilstuna United in helping them get promoted as second tier champions.
Up Next: Svenska Cupen group stage stuff begins in a fortnight
Jesse Randall - Dundee United (Scottish Premiership)
As it was foretold, so it has come to pass. Jesse Randall has signed a pre-contract deal with Scottish Premiership club Dundee United, meaning that he’ll finish the season with Auckland FC (he celebrated this move with a brilliant solo goal in AFC’s loss away to Perth) and then join the Terriers for the 2026-27 campaign on a two-year deal with a club option for a third.
Jesse Randall has been amazing for Auckland FC. Six goals and three assists for the Black Knights, creating and scoring, nobody’s accrued more xG this A-League season, nobody’s had more touches in the opposition box. Initially he was wasting a lot of chances but with five goals in his last eight games he’s made huge improvements even just in that short space of time. Confidence will do that to ya. It’s always risky making this move after your breakthrough season, when perhaps there might be an inflated expectation, although at 23yo Randall knows who he is and what he offers. He’s played for the All Whites. He’s been overseas before – first with a great year at Northern Kentucky University, then with a bad year at Charleston Battery in the USL Championship where he only made five substitute appearances in the league across the entire year. Another case of the American soccer system failing a kiwi recruit.
Randall’s form will have put him on the radar for a bunch of clubs. So why Dundee United? First off, gotta give at least a little bit of recognition to Elijah Just and his spectacular efforts for Motherwell. Football clubs love going back to a familiar well and EJ has raised the premium for kiwi players in Scotland. But not nearly as much as the familiar well that is the A-League. From Cammy Devlin at Hearts (currently on track to break up the Old Firm title reign) to Just’s Motherwell teammates Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Johnny Koutroumbis, and Oscar Pristeman... there are more Aussies in the Scottish Prem right now than any other nationality outside the British Isles. Dundee United have already gotten great production out of former Western Sydney Wanderers forward Zac Sapsford. The A-League to Premiership transition is one that clubs feel they can trust.
And here’s another angle... the New Zealander who has played the most games in the Premiership is Alex Greive. He was signed by manager Jim Goodwin at St Mirren in 2022. Goodwin then got sacked early on in his stint there, but a few years later he signed him again at Dundee Utd in the second tier. Greive didn’t last long at DUFC but did they get promoted and Goodwin is still there and now he’s signed Jesse Randall.
Dundee United (not to be confused with Dundee FC) are currently eighth in the Premiership, having most recently lost 3-0 to leaders Hearts. There is a chance they could end up in a relegation scrap although for now they’ve got just enough of a buffer (and the teams below them are bad enough) that Randall turning up for preseason in the second division shouldn’t be something he has to worry about. Cheeky reminder, as if you need it, that there’ll be a World Cup between now and then – so whether Randall makes the cut for that squad will depend on his A-League efforts. If he does then Dundee Utd are going to look pretty clever for getting this move done early.
Up Next: Gotta keep carrying that AFC attack for a few more months
Marko Stamenic - Swansea City (English Championship)
Watch out folks, we’ve got a Marko Stamenic masterclass here...
It was a pretty rancid first half from Swansea City playing away against Watford. Defensively sound but didn’t really get up to much else... typical areas for a team whose only away wins had come against the teams currently in the bottom three. But ten mins into the second half that all changed when Stamenic surged in at the far post to make sure a flick-on header from a corner by Zan Vipotnik found its way into the net. Was it going in already? Better safe than sorry – there are angles where it looks like the post may have been in play.
That put the Swans ahead. Then with ten minutes to go Stamenic inspired another one with a sumptuous first touch stepping onto a dropping ball outside the area. He carried on into the box, saw his shot blocked, then recollected it around a defender before putting it on a plate for Josh Key at the back post. Brilliant assist to go with his earlier goal and with that Swansea City claimed a 2-0 victory.
That wasn’t quite the end of it because, right at the end, Aussie baller Nestory Irankunda got himself sent off for Watford. It was Irankunda that Stamenic fouled (for a yellow) with his first act on debut for the Swans much earlier in the season... this time it was Irankunda who overreacted to a shove from Liam Cullen and was given a red. Cullen was also booked for his own part in the scuffle. Arguably a bit harsh against ol’ Nestor but that’s Watford’s problem. Couldn’t have happened to the kiwi midfielder who was busy winning Man of the Match for the other team, that we know for sure.
Marko Stamenic: “We've been working so hard throughout the weeks and the gaffer has been saying that with the performances we've been pulling out away, eventually you're going to come out with a win. We dug in deep, the first half wasn't as good as we thought it would be but we kept our mentality strong and at the end of the day, it's about winning and we came out with three points. The gaffer and the staff around him have been immense. They've helped the team and me personally. They've shown us so much willingness to improve us as players and a team, and it's showing now. I think the fans can see that too, and I can't really explain how much the fans mean to us, they got us over the finish line and the noise they were making. It meant a lot to me and it meant a lot to the boys as well.”
Best result outside of Wales for Swansea City this season and Stamenic was the main man, doubling his goal and assist tallies in the process. Don’t forget the clean sheet either – the Swans average less than a goal per game against them when Stamenic is on the pitch. Nice reminder of his influence following a few weeks in which he had to deal with a dose of winter illness and fixture congestion, meaning that this was the first time he’d played a full ninety since New Year’s Day. Another reminder is that the 2/5 games he didn’t start during that span were the two most recent games that Swansea City lost.
Up Next: Swansea City vs Sheffield Wednesday at 1:01am on Monday (NZT)
Max Crocombe – Millwall / Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
You know what we hadn’t had in this Flying Kiwis x English Championship resurgence? A game in which two kiwis played against each other from the respective starting line-ups. There was a game a month ago where Marko Stamenic came off the bench against Max Crocombe but otherwise they’d always managed to skip each other. Bindon was out of the picture for a while. Stamenic wasn’t signed until a few games in. Crocombe took a couple months to win his number one status. Libby Cacace’s had his injuries. But we finally got there when Max Crocombe’s Millwall drew 1-1 with Tyler Bindon’s Sheffield United.
For Bindon, he was back in the team after missing a couple games on sick leave. He recovered just in the nick of time with Japh Tanganga still suspended and Ben Mee still regaining his match fitness post-injury. So it had to be Bindon alongside Mark McGuinness. For Crocombe, it was business as usual.
Sheffield Utd scored first when Andre Brooks beat Crocs with a deflected effort from the edge in the 17th minute. Millwall were back level through Mihailo Ivanovic within two further mins. That was all the scoring out of the way early. Crocombe made five saves in another quality performance, with the highlight of his night being when he stared down Callum O’Hare to let him know what he thought of his dive. Quieter stuff from Bindon but that’s not a bad thing for a defender and the draw suited his team a little more.
Now we just have to hope that this wasn’t the last game for Max Crocombe as Millwall’s top dog because the thing that’s been teased all month finally happened: the Lions signed Anthony Patterson on loan from Sunderland, the keeper who kept 14 clean sheets in 45 apps for his parent club on their way to promotion (he was excellent in the playoff final too) and has previously worked with Millwall coach Alex Neil. He’d fallen down the pecking order at Sunderland after they signed a couple new fellas for the Premier League but Millwall needed another goalie anyway after Steven Benda was recalled by Fulham (due to Crocombe taking his starting spot) and now here we are. This seems like a dude who’d expect to be the first choice, yet Crocs does have plenty of money in the bank thanks to his own fine performances. Just gotta see how this unfolds... Crocombe has risen to the challenge every other time he’s had to fight for his position these last few years, including earlier this season when he overhauled Benda.
Millwall Director of Football Steve Gannon: “I am delighted to welcome Anthony [Patterson] to the football club. He has big-game experience under his belt and he was ever-present for Sunderland last year. He will now link-up with the goalkeeping department and add competition with regards to a starting position. There were a lot of clubs interested in Anthony, so I am very pleased that he selected us.”
Up Next: Sheff Utd vs Oxford on Weds at 8.45am; Wrexham vs Millwall on Sun at 4:01am; Sheff Utd vs Middlesbrough on Tues at 9.01am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace - Wrexham (English Championship)
But wait there’s one more. Pretty sure this was only the second time when all four NZers in the Championship all started in the same weekend... and they all went undefeated thanks to Wrexham’s narrow win against relegation-bound Sheffield United. Sam Smith converted the only goal of the match after 58 minutes as the Welsh side won 1-0.
Full game for Cacace after he’d been an unused sub for the 3-2 win against QPR. Might be that we only see him playing alternate games for a wee while, might be that he only skips the midweek ones. They’re going to remain careful with him but he’s got a longer leash now and that’s a very good thing for a team which has only conceded four goals in 671 minutes of Championship footy with Libby on the pitch (aka one goal every 161 mins). You had to go back to 5 November for the previous time that Wrexham’s first choice wing-backs of Cacace and Issa Kabore started a game together before this one, Kabore having also had to deal with some injury issues (wing-back is the toughest position there is).
This wasn’t Cacace’s best game by any means. Some good movement up the left in a game which his team thoroughly dominated though, again mirroring the rest of his team, though without enough of the end product. He dragged a shot wide from distance early in the second half. Didn’t hit his target on any of his three crossing attempts. But he was in full control defensively and his team eventually got the victory they were after, a win that keeps them in the top six roughly two-thirds of the way through the campaign. Along with Max Crocombe’s Millwall, these guys are now genuine promotion candidates. Guess who they play next week? Old mates Millwall, that’s who.
Elsewhere in England, Port Vale managed to snatch a 1-0 win away against Leyton Orient after scoring in the second minute and hanging on the rest of the way. Ben Waine started on the wing (right side this time) and played 58 minutes in a busy outing. Had a couple of shots, one of them deflected over and the other, squeezing a ball past the keeper running through, was cleared by a recovering defender in the six yard box as it dribbled towards the target. First League One start since Boxing Day for Waine-o who may or may not benefit by some musical chairs in the PVFC attack after striker Davante Cole forced a move to Luton Town and Andre Gray was brought in to replace him.
As for Matt Garbett, it was the opposite: he was on the bench for the first time in ages. Snapped a run of 10 consecutive league starts. He still got half an hour against Huddersfield but the Posh lost 3-2. It was 0-2 when he was chucked on, they got it back to 2-2, then conceded in the 89th min to lose. The consensus seems to be that they were drastically better after Matt Garbett and Jimmy-Jay Morgan were introduced so that’s something. Especially after a couple average displays from Garbs last week.
Moving down to League Two, Henry Gray was forced off injured in his previous game for Harrogate Town and was only fit enough for the bench as they travelled to face Crawley Town. But then Mark Oxley got hurt after half an hour (with Harrogate trailing 1-0) and that meant Gray ended up playing anyway. Made a couple of saves, including one ripper that made the highlights, but then conceded another in a 2-0 defeat. He’s been very good so far in his first senior EFL stint but it’s already looking pretty doubtful that Harrogate can muster any kind of resistance against their impending relegation.
And if you’re wondering about Chris Wood, here’s the latest from his Nottingham Forest coach who still isn’t putting any type of timeline on Woodsy’s recovery...
Sean Dyche: “It is just steady progress. The repair on the knee has gone well and it is just steady progress now. It is week by week and making sure it is going in the right direction, which it certainly is so far.”
He also denied that NFFC’s pursuit of a couple more strikers in the transfer window (including a completed deal for Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli) had nothing to do with Wood’s injury. They’d already loaned Arnaud Kalimuendo out to Eintracht Frankfurt and were probably short on attacking depth already which is much more to the point.
Up Next: Wrexham vs Millwall at 4:01am on Sunday (NZT)
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
She was robbed of a goal last week but there was no denying her this week...
That’s a classic Abby Erceg goal, powering home a header from a set piece. Proved to be the winning goal too. This after Erceg made her season debut last week with 45 minutes off the bench having missed the first month through injury.
For the match against FC Juarez she went right back into the eleven although it wasn’t going too flash when her team found themselves 2-0 down after 35 minutes at home. But two of her fellow back four scored in the minutes leading up to half-time and then Erceg nodded in the one that put them ahead, shout out to the defenders. Erceg was subbed off straight after scoring having presumably hit her minutes limit on the hour. Mitsy Lara replaced her and then got sent off fifteen mins later... but Toluca ground it out for the 3-2 victory. That’s got them third after six games with five wins and a loss so far, poised one point behind club America and Guadalajara. Toluca have scored six goals in the 105 minutes that Erceg’s been involved in.
Up Next: Toluca vs Atletico de San Luis at 1pm on Thursday, then Monterrey vs Toluca at 3pm on Tuesday (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
At least one kiwi is staying at their North American club for next season (there’s Abby Erceg too, sure). Meikayla Moore has re-upped with Calgary Wild for two more seasons. Her first year with the club started with a bang as she scored in two of their first three matches, including the club’s first ever goal. There was a stretch there towards the end when she was in and out of the starting team but she still ranked fourth in the squad for minutes played.
Mouse won’t have her kiwi comrade Ally Green around this year after AG left to sign with FC København in Denmark a few weeks back. However, there will still be another New Zealander in town after Tilly James re-signed a few days later...
The 24yo versatile defender made three appearances for Calgary Wild last year, including two starts, though was hampered by injury most of the way (there’s an interview linked below in which she’s wearing a pretty hefty knee brace). And here’s the thing... despite her Wikipedia profile and NSL player page both claiming that she was born in Vancouver, and her signing last year being treated as a local player progressing to the new local professional league... those are bold-faced lies. James (and her whole family) hails from Aotearoa.
TJ was born in NZ and spent a lot of her childhood (and football development) here. She constantly refers to herself as a New Zealander in interviews and if you need any more evidence, well, her older sister, Ella James, plays for the Futsal Ferns and was part of the squad for last year’s Futsal World Cup. Tilly herself played NZ U18s Futsal for Aotearoa prior to moving back to Canada for university. Here’s a yarn from eight years ago...
Tilly James: “It's so funny. I feel like every time like I say I'm from New Zealand, people hear me talk and they're like... yeah. When I met Ally and Mouse for the first time, I felt so fake being like, ‘Hey, my family's from there!’ But, no, I was born in New Zealand. My whole family was except for my little brother. So my whole lineage, everybody's from New Zealand. When I was about two we moved to Vancouver, Canada for my mum's job - she worked for a Canadian company. And through her work, we had the privilege of growing up in some really cool places: we spent five years in Vancouver and then went to Dallas, Texas for five years, back to New Zealand for five years, and then moved back to Vancouver. It wasn't until university when I actually started and finished [at the same] school.”
You can see how this one slipped under the radar last season but it will do so no longer. Tilly James, you are a Flying Kiwi.
Up Next: New season kicks off in April so still plenty of time for more signings
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Four straight games with a goal contribution and the game before that he was the best player on the park in a win against Celtic. Just is tied for the most assists in the entire Scottish Premiership. Absolutely delightful ball over the top to find the equally in-form Zimbabwean striker Tawanda Maswanhise who also scored again later on as Motherwell won 2-0 against Livingston to remain within five points of second place in the standings (they’re fourth)... and can make up more ground when they face Rangers in a couple weeks.
The win against Livingston was nothing too fancy, simply another example of Motherwell completely controlling the game on the way towards a clean sheet, then relying on Just and Maswanhise to give them enough of a spark to turn that into a victory. As has repeatedly been the case in recent weeks. Just also whipped in a corner kick that was headed on target and blocked on the line by a defender’s chest. Plus he hit the woodwork himself running down the right edge on a counter attack. He angled onto his left foot and curled it around the keeper but not inside the post – the one critique of the season he’s having is that he should probably have another goal or two given the chances he’s had. But that’s the only critique. This is one of the most exceptional attacking pizza charts you’re going to find...
BBC Team of the Week: “The New Zealand winger has been one of the discoveries and players of the season. An assist for Motherwell's first goal against Livingston. Elegance, poise and football intelligence in an abundance. A joy to watch.”
And the good news is that the transfer window has closed so he’s not going anywhere... and more to the point, neither is Maswanhise who was heavily linked to the likes of Celtic and Blackburn Rovers. Just keeps his best target in town. The Steelmen retain both their top scorer and leading assist maker. The charge towards possible European qualification continues – which their current position of fourth would achieve (though top two would mean Champions League instead of Conference League).
Also going nowhere is Just’s old mate Callum McCowatt. There were reports in Denmark that Silkeborg had outright rejected several approaches for McCowatt – from Minnesota United, multiple clubs in Norway, and potentially others. Didn’t even entertain the possibility of selling him. Firstly because they need him for the rest of this season and secondly because they expect his value to rise after the World Cup and would rather sell him then. That tells you that any sale would be less about McCowatt angling to move from a situation where he’s happy and thriving and much more about the club trying to cash in on an ‘asset’.
SIF sports manager Jesper Stüker: “Yes, [McCowatt is staying]. We have an important second half of the season and we need our profiles. And we need Callum, who scored many goals for us during the first half. There is also an expectation that he will play for New Zealand at the World Cup this summer, so if his value is going to rise through that then it is also better to wait until the World Cup is played.”
Up Next: Dundee vs Motherwell on Thurs at 8.45am; Aberdeen vs Motherwell on Sun at 8.30am (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
The writing had been on the wall for weeks around Eirik Horneland’s impending firing at ASSE. They’d already picked a replacement for him during the winter (an unnamed MLS coach, apparently) who withdrew his consideration and therefore Horneland got another last chance. But the results didn’t get any better. Prior to the game against Boulogne, local media claimed that he’d already told the players that this would be his last match in charge. The players apparently promised to fight hard and give him a proper send off... but something got lost in translation because instead what happened was that Joao Ferreira got sent off and they lost 1-0 to an early goal (scored before the red card). But Ben Old did get yet another start at left-back. Played 84 mins before they chucked on an attacker in his place.
Will that be his last game at left-back? That depends on what the new boss, 61yo French manager Philippe Montanier, thinks of the situation. This positional switch was Horneland’s strike of inspiration. Old started the last six games of EH’s tenure all at left-back so there’s enough evidence for Montanier to decide if it’s worth carrying on with... but while Old looked more and more comfortable with each subsequent match, it’s also the case that ASSE only won one of those six games. They did keep three clean sheets, the problem being much more in attack, but then maybe that tells you that they need Oldy back on the wing.
We’ll get an idea next week when Montanier takes the dugout for the first time. We’ve had some massive swings with mid-season coaching changes for kiwi players this season. Marko Stamenic and Matt Garbett have benefited heaps from new bosses. Ben Waine’s had a slight upgrade in stocks. Chris Wood did okay under one new gaffer and has been too injured to feature for the other. Sarpreet Singh and George Stanger, on the other hand, plummeted in status (Singh featured a lot, and scored, during TSC’s winter friendlies but wasn’t in the squad at all for their first competitive games back... the Serbian window stays open for another ten days, for what it’s worth, although he could also have just been injured). This could go in any direction for Oldy.
Up Next: ASSE vs Montpellier at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdańsk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
Returning after the winter break. Alex Paulsen is fully fit again. Lechia Gdańsk were already working their way back up the ladder despite their points deduction. And they’re still rising after they got back underway with a 3-1 win away against Lech Poznań.
Lechia scored after two minutes but then conceded midway through the first half when Paulsen was fooled by a fluke deflection that fell back to the feet of the striker who slammed it past him as he scrambled. Hard to do much about that... but from there it was spotless. AP made a couple of banger saves as his team retook the lead via an own goal two minutes into the second spell, striking early in both halves, then they added another ten mins into the stanza to bag the victory.
This includes games mostly from before the month’s break but Lechia have won four of their last five Ekstraklasa matches, scoring multiple goals in all of them. That’s gotten them knocking on the door of the top half of the standings. It’s the attack that is thriving to turn things around but they’re able to do that because Paulsen has raised the bar defensively. Not by a lot, he’s only kept one clean sheet in 10 games, but by enough that their potent attack is doing more than their leaky defence. Case and point: they now have a positive goal difference despite having conceded the most goals in the division.
Up Next: Lechia Gdańsk vs Cracovia at 8.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
It was rude of Durham to leave Hannah Blake on the bench unused in a must-win game. She’s been pretty decent when she’s been given a chance and set up a goal the previous time they beat Portsmouth way back in September. The same thing happened last season where she started alright but found her minutes shrinking drastically after the new year. Not liking this recent trend.
But at least Durham won. That’s the most important thing. They beat Portsmouth who are directly below them in the second relegation spot, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 thanks to a very very very late penalty in their favour. Blake’s problem is that they seem to have switched to a back three with wing-backs which takes away her natural proclivities on the right wing. Mickey Foster doesn’t have that issue since she’s able to slide in as the left sided centre-back same as she’s done as a CB in a back four or as a fullback or as a midfielder at various times with this club. Very strong game from her with four interceptions, five clearances, a blocked shot, 15 defensive recoveries, and a majority of her aerial duels won. Wish they’d let her loose on set pieces more often but she’s doing good stuff and this was a massively valuable victory. In fact, it was only the third win all season for Durham in WSL2 from 13 matches... and two of those have come against Pompey.
Elsewhere, Bristol City smacked Sunderland 3-0 and Katie Kitching only played 22 minutes off the bench for some reason. Ipswich Town were able to grab a 1-1 draw away to Newcastle but Grace Neville wasn’t involved. A key player through the first half of the campaign yet she only played two minutes last week and wasn’t even on the bench this time so this could be Watch This Space territory. And Crystal Palace lost 3-1 to Southampton, a blow towards their promotion hopes, with Indi Riley actually getting a decent run for once. She was subbed on at half-time (with Palace trailing 2-1) to play left wing-back and was able to swing in a couple nice crosses... but CPFC didn’t capitalise and then conceded a clincher right at the death. Nevertheless, that’s just the third time in 14 matches that IPR has gotten more than 25 mins in a WSL2 match this season.
Up Next: Durham vs Birmingham at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Weirdly, Internazionale have faced the same team in three of their last four matches. They beat Ternana 2-0 in the Coppa Italia two weeks ago (Bowen was rested for that game) and since it was a two-legged tie, they faced them again last Thursday NZT in the home game and smoked them 4-0. This time Bowen got half an hour off the bench. They’d beaten Como 3-2 in Serie A in between those matches and then after the second leg against Ternana, what do ya know, they played the same jokers again in their next Serie A fixture.
This time it was only 1-0 with Inter Milan claiming an away win thanks to Marie Detruyer’s sixth minute strike. Bit of bobbling in the box before she struck it into the bottom corner... and some nice work from Bowen advancing the ball from the back to begin the move. Inter also hit the post, as well as looking like they could score at any moment from their back-post corner deliveries to KB’s back three buddy Marija Milinkovic. They didn’t... but they still managed to scrap out a muddy clean sheet with another solid Bowen effort at RCB contributing towards that.
Inter have now won nine consecutive games across all competitions, including six in a row in Serie A. Roma only drew 3-3 with 10-woman Parma this week (and needed a 90+9th minute equaliser just to get that much) so Inter have closed the gap to the top to five points. Plus they’re into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia... where they’ll face Roma over two legs next month.
Up Next: Inter vs Fiorentina at 3.45am on Monday (NZT)
Andre De Jong - Orlando Pirates (South African Premiership)
Debut for ADJ in the new threads. They didn’t involve him in Orlando’s first game out of the holiday break, gotta get up to scratch with the new playbook or whatever, but he was on the bench for the match against Magesi FC and with Pirates leading 2-0 and around half an hour still remaining they chucked him on for an introduction to the new fanbase.
He almost scored with his very first touch but was blocked at the near post by a sliding defender as he tried to turn home a low cross (and a teammate then somehow shot wide from the rebound). Also had a chance right at the end which he sparked by riding a challenge in midfield and shifting the ball wide, then making a great late run to the back post where he was only able to get an outstretched toe on the cross as it went wide. Kept himself busy in that central attacking midfield role. Couple really nice link-ups. Won two free kicks. Movement off the ball was lovely. He was at his best for Stellenbosch when he had runners around him to combine with and he’s always going to have that whilst playing for Pirates. Should be plenty of fun seeing him doing his thing for a ball-dominant side.
Pirates took a comfortable 2-0 win from this match to remain equal on points at the top with Mamelodi Sundown with a game in hand. They’ve got two games coming up over the next week so ADJ should hopefully continue to see plenty of action for his new club.
Up Next: Away to AmaZulu in the PSL at 6.30am on Weds; then away to Tshakhuma in the Nedbank Cup R32 at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Cameron Hogg - Ljungskile SK (Swedish Superettan)
Cameron Hogg has been an undercover pro for many years. Not quite at the level to get into the national team picture but hugely consistent where he’s at. Other than a brief stint in Slovakia, Hogg’s been playing in Sweden since 2019 with spells at Nyköpings, Umeå, Karlslunds, back to Umeå, and then for the last two years with FC Trollhättan. Sometimes he’s been the number one. Other times he’s been a backup with goalkeeper coach duties.
In 2025 he was FCT’s number one, playing in 24/30 league games and captaining the side in around half of those. That was in the third tier. Now the 30yo, who was born in the USA but raised in NZ and played U20s for Aotearoa, is making the leap back up to the second tier to join Ljungskile SK.
Markus Svedin, LSK Football Committee: “Cameron is an athletic and fearless goalkeeper with good physique and communication. He is well educated and has accumulated experience from playing in both Etta and Superettan. Cameron stands out with his professionalism and his drive, exactly the kind of character we want on the team. We are very pleased with our goalkeeper trio with Lukas, William and Cameron.”
LSK is the club that Kees Sims made his name at before his transfer to GAIS. He was starting games there while still a teenager – and there is a link between Sims and Hogg because they’re both Ole Academy alumni. However, Sims was at the club while they were battling away in the third tier... Hogg joins them after they’ve just been promoted. Realistically, this probably puts him in a situation where he’s doing the veteran leadership thing from the bench considering that 22yo Lukas Eriksson kept 11 clean sheets while playing all 30 league matches for this club last season. They’re surely not about to replace him. But it’s a quality move for Hoggy nonetheless.
Up Next: All in on preseason things for now
Nik Tzanev – Huddersfield Town (English League One)
Deadline day move for Nik Tzanev, get in there pal. He only joined Newport County at the beginning of the season but after a bright first few matches the form dipped and he lost his spot and has been stuck on the bench ever since. Only played made two cup appearances since early October. The dropping was valid, he was conceding a lot of goals and the bloke who replaced him brought an uptick in results... but that didn’t change the fact that Tanz wasn’t in a very happy situation as a reserve goalkeeper for the last-placed team in League Two.
So he’s swapping second choice in League Two for third choice in League One. Huddersfield already have Lee Nicholls as their number one and they recently signed Jak Alnwick for an undisclosed fee from Cardiff City with a contract that includes next season. Tzanev was picked up on a free after Newport agreed to release him early and has only signed until the end of this campaign. Having recently loaned out 25yo Aussie keeper Jacob Chapman to gain experience elsewhere, Tzanev effectively takes his spot in the pecking order for the duration of that loan. Nobody is hiding the fact that this move is about squad depth and that Tanz probably isn’t going to play very many, if any, games of footy for Huddersfield Town. Not that he was playing many for Newport County anyway.
HTFC coach Liam Manning: “Having allowed Jacob Chapman to head out on loan earlier this month, we felt that if the right opportunity came to add another senior goalkeeper to the squad presented itself before the window closed, that would be something worth exploring. With experience of international football and plenty of exposure to the wider EFL and Sky Bet League One in particular, Nik will be able to slot straight into our squad and work alongside Lee and Jak under Chris Elliott from day one.”
Nik Tzanev: “I think it's something that I haven't really had in the past, especially with having two Championship goalkeepers, you know? It will only improve myself and raise my levels and I still as if feel as if I can get better in all in all aspects of my game. Working with Jack and Lee and then also under Chris as well, I think it's going to be a really good environment where we can all I can hopefully push everyone to be better and then take stuff from their game and add it to mine.”
Think of it as four months of professional development. Tanz mentions in that interview vid about how proud he is to represent Aotearoa and how he wants to continue doing so in whatever way possible. His exact words: “obviously playing, I want to get back playing, but if it's contributing to the squad in other ways, then that's what will be the case for now”. They put that clip at the front of the vid to imply he was talking about Huddersfield (and maybe he was, it was a bit of a scattershot chat) but he said that after a question about the All Whites.
Well, the only spot available in the All Whites is GK3 (behind Paulsen and Crocombe)... and there have been times in the last few years when Tzanev seemed like the frontrunner for that selection. But not lately. And it’ll be hard to make a case while he’s sitting on the bench, potentially not even that. However, if Darren Bazeley fancies using that spot on a veteran rather than a prodigious younger talent like Kees Sims or Henry Gray (who are also the next two highest performing keepers at the moment) then at least Tzanev will be getting in some good practice in the role.
Huddersfield Town are sixth in League One after beating Matt Garbett’s Peterborough over the weekend (as mentioned earlier). They were in the Premier League as recently as 2018–19 but suffered relegation to the third tier two seasons ago... though they’re well in the hunt for the promotion playoffs this term. That’s probably another reason why they wanted a more experienced number three on board. If you’re gonna be a back-up keeper, might as well do it at a club that’s winning games.
Up Next: Huddersfield vs Blackpool at 4.01am on Sunday (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Potenza Calcio (Italian Serie C)
Sneaky sideways move here for Kirwan at the end of the transfer window. He was at Trapani where he was starting pretty much every week, scoring his first goal for the club a few weeks ago. Now he’s at Potenza after they swooped in to sign him on a permanent basis, contract until mid-2027. That takes him from the team sitting 15th in his section of Serie C... to the team sitting 11th in the same section. Not really anything else to say about this. He didn’t need the move but obviously Potenza have a plan for him if they were willing to buy him out of his contract. And this does give him a slightly bigger likelihood of getting into the promotion playoffs.
Up Next: Possible debut on Sunday at 5.30am against Siracusa (NZT)
James Musa - Fort Wayne (American USL League One)
One more transfer for you. James Musa left Indy Eleven at the end of last season, now the 33yo has signed with Fort Wayne. Keeps him in the State of Indiana albeit drops him down to the tier below. Apparently Fort Wayne just opened a flash new stadium and have been granted entry to League One as an expansion team after spending the previous five years in USL League Two. No promotion and relegation in these parts (although they are talking about incorporating it) so to go up a division you’ve gotta lobby the bureaucrats.
We’re a long way removed from James Musa being anywhere near national team consideration so he’s just trying to find a spot where he can be valued. He’ll get that with Fort Wayne as a senior player with huge experience in the divisions above. Fort Wayne will be the eighth club in America that the Moose has played for since he left Team Wellington in 2016.
James Musa: “It’s an exciting time for football in Fort Wayne and I’m extremely honoured to be joining the club for its inaugural USL League One season. From my first conversations with the club, I felt the ambition and commitment to building something special here. I’m looking forward to representing this city and giving everything I have for the club, my teammates, and the fans. I can’t wait for the season to start and to help bring success to Fort Wayne in this new era of professional football.”
Up Next: Bringing success to Fort Wayne
Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Aye, look who’s back in training during winter break training! No strapping on the knee post-ACL... although that might mean she’s only back in a limited capacity. But the important thing is that she’s there in Spain with the rest of the squad (including Grace Wisnewski) and gearing up for a return to action some time over the second half of the season.
Up Next: On the road again
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