Flying Kiwis – March 25
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
The Woodsman is back and he’s already among the goals again...
Nottingham Forest had put a mid-April target out there for Chris Wood’s return to the first team so nobody was expecting him to appear in the starting line-up for the U21s this soon. And yet there he was. 34-year-old Chris Wood alongside a bunch of academy players ranging between 17-21yo. He might not have dug the music on the changing room speakers but he would have loved getting 45 minutes in his first appearance on a footy pitch for five months. Plus he scored a goal. First competitive goal for The Woodsman since netting from the penalty spot against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on 2 October.
There’s been a lot of speculation around Wood’s injury, much of it uninformed. At one stage there was a British gossip website stoking fears that he’d miss the entire rest of the season, putting him in doubt for the World Cup... but never did anyone from Nottingham Forest or the All Whites say anything to validate such scaremongering. This wasn’t even a murky situation - it’s been explained at every step of the way. What happened is that he had an ongoing issue with the cartilage in his knee that they attempted to let settle on its own but it didn’t respond well enough so they opted for surgery in December. It was a cartilage clean-up, nothing more serious than that. But knees are tricky so it was always going to need a few months to regain his strength and stability.
All updates from Sean Dyche, Vitor Pereira, Darren Bazeley, and Chris Wood himself since then can be summarised by the phrases: “steady as she goes” or “so far, so good”. Never any talk of setbacks or slow recovery. That mid-April target was set relatively recently and now here we are and it would seem he’s actually a little bit ahead of schedule (although we’re still working on that same timeline as far as his first team return goes, given that there’s an international break before NFFC’s next Prem game against Aston Villa on 12 April local time).
The other cool thing about seeing a dude like Chris Wood playing with the youngsters is that he’s a brilliant presence to have around them. Lots of leadership on display. Setting an example with the right attitude. Plenty of wisdom for the up-and-comers to chew upon. Enjoy a few yarns from The Athletic...
“In the moments before kick-off, Wood could be seen giving last minute advice to Archie Whitehall, pointing and gesturing to the Forest No 10 as if briefing him on the movements he would make in front of him. Again, even taking into account the standard of opposition, Wood’s movement looked sharp. He was adept at being in the right position, at the right time.
Wood battled gamely to get his head onto throw-ins and to win balls played down the channel. He toiled gamely to close down both the keeper and opposition defenders, when Newcastle tried to play out from the back.
Wood was constantly pointing and gesturing to the players around him; always offering guidance and encouragement. He had the body language of a man who was happy to be back out on the pitch.
Wood saw a low shot from the edge of the box comfortably saved, before Thompson – a 17-year-old winger who has been a B team regular and who Forest have high hopes for — added a second with a rising shot. In the aftermath of that, Wood seemed to make a point of congratulating most of his teammates.”
By the way, his U21s cameo was a surprise but there had been some inklings that he was getting closer. Specifically when he was spotted in training during a lovely video that NFFC put up about a young fan who visited the squad after overcoming leukaemia. Wood was one of the first lads shown to wander over and chat with the wee man. It wasn’t clear from that clip how involved he was within the wider session but that was the impetus for Coach Pereira being asked about his possible return date in his Europa League press conference (“I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t have the information about it. But he is another leader, a fantastic player and character, and we need him for the last games.”). Next thing you know he’s done a sturdy 45 for the ressies. Commiserations to the Newcastle U21s centre-backs who turned up for that road trip to see an 88-cap international striker known for his physicality on the other side.
What a great time to be gearing up for his return, too. Nottingham Forest just won 3-0 against Tottenham Hotspur in a massive boost to their hopes of avoiding relegation. That means they swap places with Spurs to move three points clear of the drop zone with seven games left. They also fought back from 1-0 down after the first leg to win 2-1 away against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, levelling the tie at 2-2 on aggregate before progressing via a penalty shootout. They’re into the quarter-finals where they’ll face FC Porto. They specifically kept Chris Wood on their squad list for both competitions so he’s completely eligible as soon as he’s fit enough. All things progress as hoped and there’s a chance that could be as soon as Forest’s very next game.
Up Next: International break... then Porto vs NFFC on 10 April, before NFFC vs Aston Villa on 13 April (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
A Silkeborg win and another Callum McCowatt goal weren’t quite as overdue as Chris Wood playing football again but jeepers the gap was closing pretty fast. Shortly before the winter break, Silkeborg still had some hope of getting up into the top six and McCowatt was one of the top scorers in the competition, bagging goals even while his team struggled. They were fending off foreign transfer interest in him throughout the holiday period. But, mate, it’s been freefall ever since. Silkeborg tumbled down into the relegation rounds and after ten games without a win, a streak dating back to a 2-1 win over Vejle in October (McCowatt assisted one of the goals that day), it was starting to feel like relegation was a very real and looming threat.
Which is why it’s a joy to report that they won 3-0 away against Randers this week and of course if they scored three goals then Callum McCowatt was going to get one of them. He and Tonni Adamsen. It was Adamsen with the first (28’) and then it was McCowatt with the second (33’) - two in the space of five minutes to bust this contest wide open... with Andreas Paulsen (74’) eventually adding another.
McCowatt’s was a glorious first time hit on the counter, stroking that thing home from outside the penalty area. They seemed to have him playing more as a midfielder than a winger in this game. He’s done that role plenty for this club in the past, it’s actually how he was used when he first kicked on with them, so no dramas there. That switch ensured he was heavily involved, lots of touches and lots of defensive actions. Only the one shot attempt but he sure made it count. Excellent performance from a dude that this club have come to depend a massively upon.
That’s McCowatt’s tenth goal of the season, by the way (to go with two assists). Nine in the league and one in UEFA Conference League qualifying. That puts this alongside the 10 goals/6 assists he managed in his last season with Helsingør as his best campaign in Europe... and that was in the second tier. Plus this season isn’t even finished yet. Can’t think there’d be many kiwi footballers not named Chris Wood or Wynton Rufer who’ve hit double figures in a European top division season but Callum McCowatt is only one away from joining them.
Callum McCowatt by Season (All Comps)
2025-26 (Silkeborg): 10 goals & 2 assists in 29 games (2225 mins)
2024-25 (Silkeborg): 8 goals & 4 assists in 29 games (1731 mins)
2023-24 (Silkeborg): 8 goals & 1 assist in 40 games (1790 mins)
2022-23 (Helsingør): 10 goals & 6 assists in 33 games (2190 mins)
2021-22 (Helsingør): 6 goals & 7 assists in 29 games (1763 mins)
2020-21 (Helsingør): 3 goals & 1 assist in 24 games (1353 mins)
That’s not all the good news from Denmark this week either. Check this out...
Dalton Wilkins is back... again. Since returning to Sønderjyske in January, cutting his loan deal at Kolding short, he’d only made one appearance for Sonders – coming off the bench to win the decisive penalty in a victory over McCowatt’s Silkeborg team. Then he got injured again and missed the next three games. But he returned with ten minutes plus stoppages in a 2-0 loss against Nordsjælland the other day, sent on in his usual left-back role. Stink result for Sonders who’ve done brilliantly to get into the championship rounds and are trying to hang onto third position to see if they can’t qualify for some European excursions. They’re still third despite this loss albeit only thanks to goal difference. Similarly, Silkeborg are still in the relegation zone despite this latest win but at if McCowatt (and the bro Adamsen) keep scoring then they can easily go on a run of wins to fix that situation.
Up Next: FC Copenhagen vs Silkeborg at 4am on Monday 6 April (NZT)
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Super League 2)
Look who’s been at it again...
There was a game last week on a short turnaround following an international trip to the Solomons where Kitching only played off the bench. She didn’t score that day. But this goal against Sheffield United means that Kitch has now found the net in three consecutive starts... launching her up to seven goals for the season, second-equal behind Rio Hardy of Bristol City ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
Unfortunately they only drew. The Black Cats were unable to capitalise despite Kitching’s equaliser being followed by a Sheffield United red card three minutes later. They did think they’d won it when Eleanor Dale put them ahead four minutes into added time... only to concede a penalty even later and get stuck with a 2-2 draw. Somehow that’s the second midweek game in a row where Kitching has scored yet they’ve drawn after giving away a penalty in the shadows of full time. Gotta think the words ‘game management’ were spoken a few times in between then and the weekend’s trip to Portsmouth.
If so, it did the trick. They won that game 1-0 after Dale scored within five minutes and they held on the whole rest of the way. Kitching was very involved during the 2-2 draw vs Sheff Utd and it was no different here. She won the ball back in the lead up to Dale’s goal, still hobbling back to her feet as the header flew into the net. She also took a kick stabbing at a second-phase shot that was blocked from inside the area – on another day that might have been a penalty for the late stomp on her toes. Her set pieces were a regular threat. Even in a game without any goal contributions, Kitching still had a heavy impact and with a little more clinical edge her team would have scored a second goal, maybe even a third, to put this result to bed. Instead they were wasteful and had to endure some lucky moments after Kitch was subbed. But they got there for a valuable win.
That was valuable not only for Sunderland as they aim for a top half finish... but also for Durham who therefore got to move a one point clear of the drop zone thanks to a 0-0 draw against Southampton. Good clean sheet for Mickey Foster. Alas, it was back to unused sub duties for Hannah Blake. Durham have failed to win any of their past five games and are one of four clubs all within a point of each other vying to avoid the two relegation spots. They have four games left with which to save themselves. Blake hasn’t helped herself with a season’s tally of 0 goals/1 assist but it’s also true that this current dip has coincided with her falling out of favour. Regardless of her personal goal contributions, Durham have been twice as potent when she’s been out there...
Durham with Hannah Blake on the pitch this season:
664 minutes | 12 goals scored (1.67 per90) | 12 goals conceded (1.67 per90)
Durham with Hannah Blake on the bench this season:
976 minutes | 9 goals scored (0.83 per90) | 18 goals conceded (1.66 per90)
Ipswich Town are another of those teams in the bottom four. They lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest and again there was no sign of Grace Neville as has been the case for a couple of months now. We’re assuming she’s injured. And Crystal Palace held onto third-place with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle to keep their hopes of a promotion playoff within their own hands. Very batting effort... in which they only used one substitute and it wasn’t Indi Riley so she continues to be marginalised and unlike Blake there aren’t the numbers to argue it because she’s been stuck on the bench all season. Free Indi!
Up Next: Sunderland vs Newcastle in the derby, Monday at 2am (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Last week he got kicked to pieces. This week he was subbed with a bloodied nose.
This one was nothing too serious. There was an accidental collision which wasn’t even called for a foul and he copped one the snozz. The coach thought perhaps there should have been a whistle, claiming Just was caught in the follow through by Miguel Chaiwa. But he’s fine. The gaffer already said so...
Jens Berthel Askou: “I think the kitman needs to get him a new shirt for next time because he had blood all over it. He got caught. I think he got his nose in the way of someone, but that's what happens. We thought it was a good opportunity to put a sub on anyway, get some freshness in with big Eythor [Bjorgolfsson] there. I think [Just] will be fine.”
Before the blood began flowing, Eli Just had thought he’d scored his eighth of the season. It was his loose pass that turned the ball over in the middle of some velvet passing on the edge of the area but Motherwell won it back immediately with Just soon pouncing with a low drilled finish after Oscar Priestman had been unable to get his shot away cleanly. It took a while to get the decision but the VAR ultimately chalked it off because Priestman’s heel, as he dropped back to collect the ball, had been offside when the pass was struck even though he was onside at the time he received it. You know the rules...
Other than that there wasn’t much going on. Hibernian set up with a defensive shape designed to spoil Motherwell’s build-up and it worked well enough to hang on for a 0-0 draw. Motherwell with yet another clean sheet at home... but they weren’t able to do enough on attack to turn it into anything more than a point. Such is life. Their chances of getting into the top two were basically already sunk by their two recent defeats so it’s more about preserving fourth place and in that context a draw against the team directly below them could turn out to be quite handy in the long run. Motherwell are seven points behind third-placed Celtic and six points above fifth-placed Hibs. Everybody’s played 31 games with the last international break of the season arriving.
Oh yeah and speaking of Scottish Video Refs, have a listen to the process behind Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain avoiding a red last week when he stomped on Just’s shins...
Pretty funny when the VAR sends it back down having upheld the decision due to “foot on foot contact” and the ref points out there “he’s got a wee mark on his shin” which the VAR then convinces himself was only a glancing blow. A glancing blow which required bandaging and later led to him being substituted, yeah sure pal. Now some much more considered analysis...
Up Next: Motherwell vs Falkirk on Sunday 5 April at 2am (NT)
George Stanger - Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
Meanwhile a little lower down the standings...
George Stanger gets recalled after months in the wilderness and Killie immediately have two clean sheet wins in a row? Manager Neil McCann should be sacked for negligence after taking this long to realise what he had.
The victory against Hearts last week was a much bigger surprise than the 2-0 result they took away from a homer against Livingston this time around. This game saw the bottom two teams in action and Killie bagged the points with a couple of nice goals while their opponents finished with ten men (the red card coming after the goals had been scored). Only the second instance of back to back wins for Kilmarnock this season. What do ya know, Stanger started the other ones as well (2-0 vs Dundee Utd & 2-0 vs St Mirren back in Sept-Oct).
This out-of-the-blue resurgence has come too late for Stanger to be selected for the latest All Whites squad, however he has had feedback from Darren Bazeley and if he keeps this up for Kilmarnock then there’s certainly still time to get back into the World Cup frame. There’s also the significant matter of his club situation. Having gone on a full-blown Odyssey trying to get back to the Scottish Premiership, he surely can’t then get relegated back down at the first attempt. That wouldn’t be fair at all. Kilmarnock remain second-to-last despite this win although it’s only goal difference that’s keeping St Mirren ahead of them. With the relegation rounds to follow, there are going to be some hugely important fixtures between now and season’s end.
George Stanger: “After the Hearts game, I got a text from the New Zealand manager right away to congratulate me being back in the team and, obviously, on a good result. I’ve had quite regular dialogue with him about things. He phoned me last week to let me know that I wouldn’t be in the squad this time, which I totally understand due to my lack of minutes and stuff, but it kind of proves that people are always watching. Obviously the World Cup is something that, as a kid, you do always dream of that, but I think the main focus for me is Kilmarnock because that’s the only way I’m going to get myself involved in that, to be doing well here and to help Killie stay up this season.”
Up Next: Hibs vs Kilmarnock after the break on 5 April (NZT)
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
There is a cautionary tale to be told about kiwi footballers, especially on the women’s side, moving to America. It’s actually ridiculous how often some of our best emerging players have turned up Stateside and been left to gather moss on the bench. It happened to Milly Clegg and Macey Fraser in the NWSL. It happened to Grace Wisnewski and Helena Errington in the USL Super League. Could easily dig deeper and chat about Katie Bowen’s last season in the NWSL or the past decade of college draft snubs or even the mixed bag of opportunities at the college level itself. But it says enough simply to look at the last four NZers who joined the top two professional leagues in the USA and how they all, every one of them, had bad experiences in terms of playing time (and far beyond that in Fraser’s case).
Clegg played one game for Racing Louisville, getting 19 minutes off the bench in their last game of the 2024 season before they loaned her out to Canada in 2025 and then released her a year early. Fraser made nine appearances over two years with Utah Royals with many of those being stuck out of position and by the end of it she found herself training full-time yet not being considered for game days at all (for reasons that the coach was vague about). Grace Wisnewksi went the USL Super League route and it took two-thirds of the season before the wooden spooners finally made her a starter. And Helena Errington followed Wiz to the Super League but never even played a game. Made it to the bench on several occasions. More often than not she didn’t even get that far.
But here’s the thing: Clegg left Racing Lou and has immediately joined Vittsjö in the top division of Sweden. Fraser also got an early release and, following a period of mental recuperation, she’s now trying to win a championship with the Wellington Phoenix. Wisnewski had the biggest glow-up of all by joining FC Nordsjælland where she’s a first eleven midfielder and playing in European competitions. And now Helena Errington has wriggled out of Sporting Club Jacksonville to join FH in the Icelandic top tier. The USA experiences have sucked but the next stops have all been fantastic.
Errington’s landed in the same division in which Betsy Hassett spent the second half of her career before her recent retirement – in fact Hassett played a couple years with KR prior finding a home with Stjarnan. FH finished second in the league in 2025 behind Breiðablik who were runaway champions. To give you an idea of the quality: Breiðablik made it to the quarters of the Europa Cup, same as Grace Wisnewski’s FC Nordsjælland.
Davíð Þór Viðarsson, Director of Football at FH: “Helena is an attacking midfielder from New Zealand who comes to us on loan for the rest of the season from Sporting Club Jacksonville, who plays in the USL league in the United States. She is technically good, reads the game well and feels good on the ball.”
That quote says this is a loan move, though that’s probably just a workaround since SC Jacksonville are still in-season. It’s unlikely she has a contract beyond that first year and if she does, well, they never played her when they had the chance so that’s not gonna be an obstacle. The new season in Iceland starts in a fortnight but before that there’s the Super Cup against Breiðablik, which FH have qualified for by virtue of that second-placed league finish after Breiðablik won a league and cup double. They beat FH 3-2 after extra time in the cup final. On the same day as FH announced Errington’s signing, they also announced 24yo Bermudan international Nia Christopher who had also been playing (or rather not playing) in the USL Super League, getting 37 minutes across two appearances for Fort Lauderdale.
Errington’s career has stuttered along thus far, with lots of moments where if felt like she was on the verge of breaking through only for something to change. She was an absolute standout at age grade level for Aotearoa, winning Golden Ball at the 2023 Oceania U19s and playing big minutes at both her U17 and U20 World Cups. She spent six months or so training with Sporting CP over in Portugal but paperwork prevented her from signing properly. Then she returned for a stint with the Wellington Phoenix where she played five games off the bench before playing some Aussie state league with Bentleigh Greens leading into her American excursion. Now she’s in Iceland.
Up Next: Breiðablik vs FH at 8.30am on Weds in the Icelandic Super Cup (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
The Portland Timbers have been conceding a lot of goals and had lost three of their first four games. Yet in among that, Finn Surman has been excellent. They’d have been stranded without him during this bad stretch. That fact has not changed after a game against LA Galaxy in which they finally had their best choice attacking quartet all together and for about twenty minutes were looking superb. Kristoffer Velde had them up 1-0 and they were threatening more where that came from.
Until Surman’s CB partner Kamal Miller got snapped by the VAR for having put some springs on a dude’s achilles. Yellow on field, upgraded to a red upon review. 19 minutes gone. More chaos for Surman to deal with – though it did cause an Anzac reunion with Alex Bonetig subbed on to fill Miller’s boots. The red card completely shifted the momentum and Galaxy were level after half an hour... but in large part thanks to a spectacular performance from Finn Surman (and a few others), the Timbers were able to cling to that 1-1 result and emerge with a point to ensure they’re not last in the Western Conference during the international break. Somehow Surman managed to block seven shots in this game. He was voted man of the match by the Portland fans and also by the television broadcast.
Elsewhere, Michael Boxall is still out injured for Minnesota United. They packed the backline and took a 0-0 draw from a home game against Seattle Sounders, a considerable improvement on their 6-0 loss in Vancouver last week. Boxy’s not yet back training although they do have an international break before their next match to get him right. We shall see.
Most Defensive Clearances in MLS 2026:
Morris Duggan (MIN) – 48
Finn Surman (POR), Jackson Ragen (SEA), Ryan Porteous (LAFC) – 39
Most Shots Blocked in MLS 2026:
Finn Surman (POR) – 12
Brendan Hines-IKE (AUS), Oleksandr Svatok (AUS), Kye Rowles (DCU) - 9
Up Next: A timely pause for All Whites stuff
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
A bad start to the league season got a whole lot worse when Viking FK were dumped out of the Norwegian Cup quarter-finals by second tier Aalesund. A win and they’d have made it to the semis without having had to face another Eliteserien club... instead they were beaten 2-1, conceding twice in the last half hour despite having been up 1-0 at home thanks to an Ola Visted goal (15’). In fairness, that was a very rotated team with Joe Bell and his broken nose given the game off entirely while Zlatko Tripic only featured off the bench. Even Gianni Stensness had a rest for that one. Bit surprising to see them take a cup quarter-final so lightly but then it was squeezed into a midweek between the first couple of league games so it’s not like Norwegian football was giving it any priority either.
Fortunately, they rebounded with the kind of emphasis we saw from them so often last year on the way to their Eliteserien championship. A 4-1 victory against Molde (who had a man sent off near the end, long after all the scoring was done) should get their title defence back on track. It was a convincing display with some really well worked goals and it wouldn’t have flattered them to have scored another one or two Stensness was denied by a wonderful diving save at one point. Full ninety for Bellinho who was still sporting his protective face mask – would imagine we’ll see him whip it out for the All Whites games too. Bell didn’t have to do much in this game other than marshal the midfield so that’s what he did.
Up Next: After the break, it’s away to Valerenga at 12.30am on Tuesday 7 April... giving Bell an extra day or two’s recovery after travelling back to Europe compared to most of his teammates (NZT)
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Ninety minutes for the Wiz within one of FCN’s most convincing results of the season, smoking Kolding 4-1 immediately before they face the same opponents in a two-legged Danish Cup semi-final. They were 4-0 up at half-time and the goal they eventually conceded only happened because of a bad pass from their goalkeeper after Wisnewski had secured the ball down by the corner and laid it back to her. Wiz played as the defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 shape so she wasn’t involved in any of the fun stuff on attack but she did her bit within the overall picture.
This was the second round after the championship split, where the top six face each other home and away for their last ten fixtures of the season. FCN are back up to fourth with this win. They need top two for Champions League qualifiers (they’re seven points back) or third place for Europa Cup quals (three points back). Those margins can change quickly with everyone playing each other. Still waiting for the Malia Steinmetz comeback. Hopefully won’t be much longer but all things in good time.
Up Next: FCN vs Kolding in the Danish Cup semis first leg at 7am on Thursday (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United (English Championship)
Tyler Bindon: “I think I’ve grown and learned a lot about myself this season. It's not easy and it's a privilege to play in front of the fans and at Bremer Lane every single chance that I get. I don't take it for granted. Hopefully I can continue to play but if not, that's at the manager's discretion and that's how it is. I always enjoy reflecting on things. I want to learn as a person and grow and develop as much as I can. I'm always learning so while I was out of the team, it was just about how I could best put myself forward to help everyone around me in the situation that I was in. Just keep going about my business the way that I know how to do it.”
Last week his coach Chris Wilder was dropping hints about wanting Bindon to stick around permanently at Sheffield United. This week Bindon’s saying all the right things about his place at the club. The decision lies much more with Nottingham Forest than it does with Sheffield United but if Forest decide they don’t want him then they’ll be in the minority – he’s become a favourite everywhere else he’s gone so far in his career. Reading, Sheffield United, New Zealand... even those USA U19s probably loved him for the two appearances he made for that team.
This was a stink week for the blokes in England though (Chris Wood excluded). Sheffield United lost 2-1 to Wrexham despite having twice as many shots and shots on target and despite also being 1-0 up. Wasted so many chances before finally taking the lead and in the end were made to pay for it. This was a harmful result that effectively ends any chance of them making the playoffs. The Blades are 13 points off sixth place with seven games to go. It’s not gonna happen (so the question regarding Bindon’s future depends on whether NFFC manage to avoid relegation down to this level).
Other Championship games saw Marko Stamenic play off the bench for Swansea City against leaders Coventry. They were 3-0 down at half-time so when Stamenic was subbed on after 67 minutes the result was already gone – though he did find time to earn his 11th booking of the campaign... only Matt Crooks of Hull City has more. A lot of Coventry fans already don’t like him after he almost transferred to them a couple years ago only for NFFC to outbid them at the last minute... and his first act after being subbed on was to win a crunching tackle by the sideline which upset a few opponents (it was a great challenge, check it out here). The Swans are only two points above Sheffield United so they’re not making the playoffs either, barring an absolute miracle.
Millwall should get there though. A 1-1 draw away to Ipswich didn’t do them any harm with those two clubs level on points, granted Ipswich do have a game in hand and much better goal difference to have them third compared to Millwall’s fourth. Max Crocombe hasn’t played for the last seven games. Nevertheless, he’s still top ten for clean sheets despite having played at least ten fewer games than anyone else with at least nine Championship cleanies this season. Obviously Libby Cacace is still injured for Wrexham. There’s also been another goalkeeping injury at West Brom which meant that Joe Wallis moved onto the bench for their 1-0 win over Bristol City. Eighth time he’s made a matchday squad this season... fifth time where he’s been the next GK up.
Down in League One, Port Vale won 1-0 against Bolton with Ben Waine getting twenty minutes. They they lost 1-0 to Doncaster with Waine uninvolved having already travelled to link up with the All Whites. He’ll miss at least one more game though should be back in time for the FA Cup quarter-final vs Chelsea on Sunday 5 April NZT. The Vale have nine games left in which to overhaul an 11-point buffer and avoid relegation. Alternating wins and losses isn’t going to get that done. There was also an injury to Huddersfield’s Lee Nicholls who had to be subbed after a head knock and if he sits out a few games then Nik Tzanev would at least come onto the bench (something he’s yet to do in a league fixture since joining the club in January). And Matt Garbett remains out with his heel injury. Nobody’s entirely sure when to expect him back, it depends on how his foot reacts to treatment.
Peterborough Telegraph: “Garbett’s current fitness status is unclear. He received injections in his heel in an attempt to combat swelling, but there is no precise time-frame for his return, and he is not expected to return to action until April at the earliest.”
Also, Harrogate lost 1-0 to Oldham in League Two. Henry Gray made a couple of saves as they missed another chance to climb out of the drop zone – albeit they were beaten by the form team in the division with Oldham having won five in a row.
Up Next: International break for all the Champo clubs but the lower tiers play through... although Harrogate vs Notts County on Sunday at 1.30am is the only one likely to be of relevance (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Ryan Thomas: “It could be better. I only trained a little this week and my energy ran out quickly. I felt my hamstring squeeze in the last minutes before halftime and in the second half. I couldn't go any more. It’s a shame because I want to play as much as possible.”
That was what Thomas said after being substituted an hour into a massive victory for PEC Zwolle, beating NAC Breda 2-1 to move ten points clear of relegation with six matches left. It was the third time in the past four fixtures that Thomas has been subbed early, having skipped the match before this streak entirely.
As has been said in previous weeks, it’s nothing serious but he is feeling the weight of having played a lot of minutes this season and those hamstrings are getting rather tight. There might be more space for him to rest up following this result... but not quite yet. Because despite everything he’s still travelled to join the All Whites back in Auckland. That’s a 24-hour travel shift each way with two games in between.
The reason for that is twofold: the first thing is that he’s desperate to play at the World Cup and wants to show his commitment, especially after being away from the international scene for so long... and the other reason is that his sister is getting married this weekend. They’d set that date 18 months ago, deliberately picking an international window when he’d be able to be there, not even knowing that he’d be back in the All Whites with home games conveniently planned for that spot on the calendar. The plan is that he’ll start on Friday against Finland, head to Te Puke on Saturday for the nuptials, then probably sit on the bench on Monday against Chile. The minutes will be subject to change depending on how he pulls up – Darren Bazeley’s always careful with these things.
Up Next: All Whites vs Finland on Friday at 7pm... fingers crossed (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Some Jacqui Hand highlights for ya, as her FCB side had a very good 3-0 win away against Young Boys. Tidy revenge after they lost to the same opponents in extra time of the Swiss Cup semi-finals. Hand has settled prominently onto the wing for Basel, starting all six games that she’s appeared in (five in the league, one in the cup). She hasn’t played a full game in any of those league fixtures yet, always subbed at some stage within the last half hour, although she did do 120 minutes in the cup loss. Hasn’t got a goal or an assist yet but that only feels like a matter of time. It was her corner kick delivery that eventually led to the second goal in this latest match. FCB have won three in a row to climb back up to third in the standings, one point behind Young Boys (or YB Frauen as they’re often referred to for obvious reasons).
Down the bottom of the ladder, it’s not looking good for FC Thun who’ve only taken five points from their 17 matches thus far. Lara Colpi has played in 13 of those 17 matches, usually from the start although she’s dropped back to the bench in the last couple following a couple matches out of the team entirely, presumably injured. She was subbed on at half-time away against FC Aarau with her team trailing 1-0... but a red card prevented them from making a comeback and they eventually lost 2-0. Unfortunately, that was one of those six-pointers where they could have gone ahead of Aarau with a win but instead have cast themselves further adrift. So we won’t see Hand vs Colpi at any stage, those fixtures having been played before Hand joined Basel, and Thun now confirmed as one of the two Super League clubs who’ll drop down to defend their top flight status in the relegation rounds against the best of the second tier.
Up Next: Basel vs Servette at 3am on Sunday 5 April (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Svenska Cupen defeat for GAIS in the semi-finals. With regular number one Mergim Krasniqi in the last stages of returning from a dislocated shoulder, Kees Sims played in two of the three group games while third keeper Andreas Hermansen played in the other. Hermansen then got the quarter-final 3-2 win against AIK before Sims returned for the semi against defending league champs Mjällby. They were beaten comfortably yet Sims did make a few very good saves. His 1v1 denial before the second goal was amazing... only for one of his defenders to slide in and concede a penalty. Oh well, so it goes.
Here’s a comparison of the three GAIS keepers courtesy of SvenskaFans...
From 12 o’clock moving clockwise, that translates to: Equipment (aka tools/technique), Aerial Ability, Shot Stopping, Experience/Age Curve, Physical Profile, Stability, Foot Speed, and Communication.
“The spider shows that Mergim Krasniqi and Kees Sims are relatively close to each other, but with different profiles. Krasniqi is stronger in experience, communication, and the type of stability that often comes with routine... Kees Sims has a younger curve, a strong physical profile, and an overall ability that points to him not just being a back-up but a real alternative. He is close to Krasniqi in overall assessment and also has a different upside... Andreas Hermansen also has an interesting age and a certain development value, but the profile is more uneven. He feels more like a goalkeeper GAIS can work with than someone who is currently fighting for first place.”
They conclude that Kees Sims is one of the very best back-up goalkeepers in Sweden. Makes you wonder if there’s a chance he might challenge Krasniqi for minutes this year beyond any squad rotation or waiting for injuries. Krasniqi is in the “final stages” of his recuperation and will probably be available for game one of the Allsvenskan in a fortnight – making these last couple weeks of preseason extremely important for Kees Sims. Hence why he wasn’t called up to the All Whites. Neither, for that matter, was Owen Parker-Price at Örgryte – the other NZer in the Allsvenskan this year. Neither of them are guaranteed their spots by any means but regular game time and quality performances in the top division of Swedish football would surely give them a leg up on the competition.
Up Next: The new Allsvenskan season begins at home against Djurgården at 2.30am on Tuesday 7 April (NZT)
Blair Currie - KTP (Finnish Ykkönen)
Always cool to see a professional debut. Blair Currie was part of the NZ U17 bronze medallists from a few years back, one of Anna Leat’s backup keepers there, and had a solid USA college career along with a few semi-pro/lower league stints while she was over there. More recently she was playing for Wellington United in the NZ National League. Now she’s in Finland for second tier club KTP where she made her first official appearance over the weekend as the Ykkönen got underway for 2026. Her team lost 4-0 against EBK... but that lot are one of the favourites for promotion so this was one of their tougher fixtures.
At a time when the Football Ferns are calling upon university players to fill out their goalkeeping stocks, Currie’s in an interesting spot should she perform well in Finland. On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Una Foyle is still playing for Cork City in the Irish top flight. She’s been there since mid-2024. Kinda fell out of focus last year as she struggled to hold down her starting spot for a team that was losing every week but she’s started both games so far this term. They lost 2-0 to Shamrock Rovers and 3-0 to Bohemians so the results aren’t any better but that’s at least two professional goalkeepers we’ve got playing outside the A-League.
Up Next: KTP vs HJS at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Jago Godden - Drogheda United (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Guess who’s cracked that Drogs starting team already? Jago Godden only joined the club – on loan from shared-ownership club Walsall – in the days prior to the first game skipping out all of preseason. He’d been playing heaps for Bedford Town so fitness wasn’t an issue, simply a matter of integrating him into the side. He famously came off the bench to score the winner on debut... and from there Godden continued to pop up with at least twenty minutes as a substitute in each of the first five fixtures. He’s since played ninety minutes in the midfield in each of the last three. Drogs are on a six-game winless streak but they have managed to draw the past two.
Godden’s first start was in a 4-1 loss against St Patrick’s Athletic, who have gotten going like gangbusters losing only one of their first seven games to sit second just one point behind Bohemians. Max Mata got around 15 mins off the bench that day so there was a bit of overlap between the two kiwis. However, Mata’s still in that substitute phase that Godden’s since graduated from. Having missed much of preseason (as well as the first couple games of the actual season), they’re being careful about how quickly they build him up... thus explaining why he’s only gotten between 15-25 mins as a substitute in all five appearances. Like Godden, he’s also managed to score a winning goal off the bench. Maybe after the international break we might see a bit more of him. As for Norman Garbett at Dundalk... he’s injured like usual.
Up Next: Drogs vs Bohs at 7.45am on Saturday 4 April (NZT)
Riley Bidois – Monterey Bay (American USL Championship)
Took awhile but Riley Bidois has found his next home. After two years at Loudoun United, he’s staying in the USL Championship to play for Monterey Bay. Dunno why it took until two games into the season to announce it but we got there in the end. Bidois claimed nine goals and two assists at this level last year despite being in and out of the starting team so there are no worries about the standard – just gotta hope they give the Wellington Phoenix Academy product (whose brother Jonty plays for Auckland FC) the space to do what he does best. They’ve given him a multi-year contract.
Jordan Stewart, head coach: “Riley is a striker who gives you a real focal point up top, someone who can occupy defenders and win duels. His consistency of putting the ball in the back of net, along with his physical presence allows us to play forward with intent. Riley possess a natural instinct in the box that you can’t teach. Bringing in a player with his profile is a valuable asset to our club and it adds a different dimension to our attack.”
It’s so far so good on that front after he came off the bench to assist a goal on debut with a sneaky heel flick...
What’s more, that goal was an 84th minute equaliser on the road to earn Monterey Bay their first point of the term following two scoreless defeats before he arrived. Biddy joins Alex Greive (San Antonio) and Kyle Adams (Louisville) in the USL Championship. Greive’s out injured but Adams captains Louisville and is perennially one of their top performers.
Up Next: Las Vegas Lights vs Monterey Bay at 3.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
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