Flying Kiwis – April 22
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Last week the story was about Chris Wood’s return, this week it was all about the action. Nottingham Forest had two games in quick succession with the potential to massively alter the course of their season. Both were at the City Ground. One against Porto in the second leg of the Europa League quarters, having scrapped their way to a 1-1 draw in the away fixture (The Woodsman’s first game back), followed by a very winnable relegation scrapper against Burnley in the Premier League. Continental footy first and same as in the first leg Chris Wood was in the starting line-up marked up against a couple of former Prem centre-backs in Jan Bednarek and Thiago Silva. Hugely exciting prospect until this happened a few minutes in...
Ouch. Massive ouch. Wood was in visible pain after copping those sprigs to the inside of his knee. Clearly not deliberate from Bednarek (Wood sort of swings into it) but a reckless challenge nonetheless and the VAR intervention did not see it generously. Red card for Bednarek after only eight minutes. Wood needed a decent amount of treatment before getting up to carry on and pretty soon he was back in the hunt as Morgan Gibbs-White drilled a cross that went achingly beyond Wood’s reach.
Moments later, MGW chopped in and shot instead, catching a deflection and leaving the keeper helpless as the ball bounced into the centre of the net to put Nottingham Forest up 1-0 after 12 minutes (and 2-1 up on aggregate). It was a perfect start from the home side, up a goal and up a man... except for the stomp on Wood’s leg which proved too much for him once the bruising and swelling emerged. Down he went, having to be replaced after only quarter of an hour, sparking fears and panic across Aotearoa on a Friday morning.
But not too much panic because a quick bit of research showed that he had his cartilage surgery on his left knee and this was the other one that was the problem. You could see the sprig marks coming through on the broadcast, that’s all it was. He didn’t go down the tunnel. He simply strapped an icepack on the knee and watched from the bench.
This was what the manager said at the press conference afterwards...
Nor was the man himself too worried about it as he left the ground...
Righto, crisis averted.
All the action happened while Wood was out there. No more goals were scored afterwards. Porto made a bunch of subs at half-time and had Forest on the ropes in a few instances but ultimately they’d missed their chance in the home leg. Forest steadied the ship and got out of there with a 1-0 victory for the aggregate triumph. Bottom line is that they’ve qualified for the Europa League semi-finals... the first European semis since the Brian Clough era in 1984. They’ll face a team from pretty close by in the two-legged semis: Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Braga (Portugal) vs Freiburg (Germany) will determine the other finalist.
Gotta take a step back here and appreciate that Nottingham Forest are three games away from potentially lifting a major trophy, how about that? All the buzz while he was injured was about whether Wood could get back in time to help Forest avoid relegation, some folks even overreacting about World Cup availability. Now suddenly he’s also got a chance now to match Wynton Rufer (Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 with Werder Bremen) by becoming just the second kiwi footballer to win a continental trophy in Europe. The next closest are both from the women’s side:
Rebecca Smith’s Wolfsburg won the Champions League in 2013 but she was out long-term with injury at the time (you could argue that makes her a winner, though she never actually played a UWCL game).
Ria Percival played in the UWCL final with Frankfurt one year earlier though they were beaten 2-0 by Lyon.
Chris Wood is three games away from potentially doing something very special... and there’s another element at work here because the Europa League winners get Champions League entry for next season. Hard to imagine any other context in which The Woodsman could ever play Champions League at this stage of his career.
Ironically by getting injured in that game it meant he was more available for the subsequent Premier League clash with his old club Burnley. He played 45 mins in the first leg vs Porto and about 25 mins against Aston Villa. Only got 17 minutes in the second leg and much of that was spent on the floor getting treatment. If he’d done an hour against Porto in the second leg then perhaps he would only have been fit for the bench vs Burnley but as it worked out he was good to go and ended up doing 76 minutes in his first Prem start since 5 October. He played almost as much action in that one afternoon as he got in his first three games back combined.
Nottm Forest were losing 1-0 at half-time after Zian Fleming smashed home just before the break... but the last half hour was an onslaught. Morgan Gibbs-White scored a hat-trick (62’, 69’, 77’) before Igor Jesus scored a runaway in added time. Wood was out there and involved for the first two of those goals, only subbed after they’d established the lead. He’d helped hold the ball up to spark the move for the equaliser and also stuck a foot on a loose cross to keep it alive. Likewise his ability to retain the ball under pressure led to MGW scoring a super volley for the second. Wood was hunting one of his own when Elliot Anderson threaded the ball in his direction shortly afterwards but the pass was slightly behind him – might take a little longer to get the combinations back at full capacity. No dramas, they scored twice more after he was subbed and that 4-1 win capped a spectacular week in which they’ve qualified for a European semi-final and took a huge step towards avoiding relegation by moving five points clear of the drop zone with five matches to go.
Wood didn’t look hobbled from the bruise on his knee at all. His only shot was a lunging header late in the first half, far too deep for him to do anything with, but they often targeted him with crosses. Burnley were expecting that, however that attention helped open up opportunities for the likes of MGW... and its telling that Igor Jesus was subbed on at the break to play alongside Wood rather than replacing him. That’s happened a couple times now, showing that last year’s top scorer and this year’s top scorer are fully capable of playing together (especially crucial now that Callum Hudson-Odoi has been ruled out for the remainder). Crazy how quickly things can change in this sport.
Chris Wood on his injury and recovery...
“It definitely wasn't a straightforward injury. We tried a few different avenues to get it right to begin with before having to go down the surgery route. It just didn't work out the way we wanted to, had to do what we had to do and at least we got an outcome at the end of it and a goal to come back to. Luckily I've been able to come back with a decent amount of time to hopefully help the team in the run in.”
“No, I always had confidence that I'd be back this season. A knee injury is always horrible, you never know what could happen in in the future and things like that or how you're going to come back from it. Mentally that's that's one of the tough things to deal with. But no, I had confidence that I was always going to come back. I got very close to returning pre-surgery and it just didn't happen. That's just unfortunate.
“We tried without surgery and I got very close to returning which is the frustrating point. I was a day or two away from training with the team and a week away from selection. That makes it a bit more frustrating, but that's life. It happens. It showed its hand that I needed to go in and get it done. And I think once we went in, we saw that it was the right thing to do because there was a bit more that we needed doing. It's only going to help me with my my career long term and that's here at Forest and in the future.”
Vitor Pereira on Wood’s return...
“Very happy. Very happy. Good sign in this moment of the season. [Wood] has the experience to deal with these kinds of moments. He has the quality and will score goals which is important for us but most important is to work for the team, understanding not only to score goals but to help the team by working hard even when we are defending.”
Up Next: Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest at 7am on Saturday (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
By the players, for the players... and those players just voted Elijah Just into the Scottish Premiership Team of the Season. He was one of five Motherwell players included, alongside goalkeeper Calum Ward, defender Paul McGinn, midfielder Elliot Watt, and striker Tawanda Maswanhise. The entire spine of the team is Steelmen! Hearts also contributed four players meaning there is only room for one each from Rangers and Celtic. No reason to think this’ll be the last accolade he gets this season either with all sorts more league/media/club honours to be announced in the coming weeks. Elijah Just is gonna be in contention for most of them.
PFA Scotland: “Providing an unmatched sense of style and flair across the season, Elijah Just continued to turn heads in his first Premiership campaign. The New Zealand international has seven goals and seven assists since his summer move to Lanarkshire.”
MotherwellFC.co.uk: “A summer arrival, Elijah Just came in as an unknown quantity but quickly established himself as a starter in Jens Berthel Askou’s side. What really got him noticed was a scintillating display against Hearts at Tynecastle in August, where for 89 minutes both sets of supporters were in awe of his close control, tireless work ethic, and ability to find pockets of space all over the pitch. As the season has gone on, Just has been an integral player in the system and a standout most weeks. Having played 38 games so far in all competitions this season, Just has 15 goal contributions across the campaign. Seven goals, including a crucial last-minute winner against Livingston, and eight assists, the joint third highest in the William Hill Premiership, are just the stats on the surface of his sublime season. Appreciated by Motherwell supporters and admired by other fanbases, Just has caught the eye of everyone this season.”
Fortunately for Motherwell, they didn’t have a game this week. It was a Scottish Cup semi-final weekend instead, with Celtic winning 6-2 against St Mirren after extra time and Dunfermline winning on penalties after a 0-0 draw with Falkirk. It’s in Motherwell’s best interests that Celtic win that trophy (as they’ll be massively favoured to do against second-tier Dunfermline) because that’d pass the last UEFA Conference League qualification spot down to fifth place in the Premiership. Motherwell are currently fourth but have lost four of their last five games as fatigue sets in. They can’t catch second place for Champions League so it’s all about staying in that 3-5 (maybe 3-4) range for ECL qualifiers, that’s what they’re playing for now. Then again, there’s no guarantee that Elijah Just will be there next season after the year that he’s had...
Gustaf Grauers, agent of Eli Just: “I can confirm that there is interest in Elijah without going into specifics but he remains fully focused on Motherwell and to finish the season strong and then for the upcoming World Cup with New Zealand.”
The Celtic and Rangers blogs continue to spam Eli Just transfer news, though it probably depends on what MFC manager Jens Berthel Askou does before other dominoes begin to fall. He’s got five more games to add a few more highlights to his reel first.
Up Next: Rangers vs Motherwell at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Pick that one out. If you look closely there is a glancing deflection that helps give the shot the whip that leaves the goalkeeper helpless but you give it a crack and that’s what can happen. Wonderful goal to put Silkeborg 1-0 up against FC Fredericia... a lead that soon became two when Tonni Adamsen added to the count. Those two have been instrumental in the rare good things that this club has experienced this torturous season – striker Adamsen has scored 12 goals in the Superliga, winger/midfielder McCowatt now has 10 of them... and nobody else has surpassed three. SIF knocked back transfer interest around both of them during the January window but it’s looking likely they’ll both be cashed in upon during the next window. They’ve already said they’re waiting for McCowatt’s value to peak during the World Cup.
To further illustrate that reliance, McCowatt was subbed after 73 minutes with Silkeborg leading 2-0 and on course for a hugely valuable win in their quest to avoid relegation. Without him they crumbled to draw 2-2, conceding on 78’ and 90+3’. So that was a bloody shambles. They’d have swapped places with Fredericia with a win and climbed out of the relegation zone but instead they’re stuck there for another week. Pretty insane for a club who were cup champs a couple years ago to find themselves in this position. Crazier still when they’ve got two of the only five players with 10+ goals across the Superliga. But even if they do get relegated, we’re expecting McCowatt to leave so it is what it is. He didn’t look to stoked when they gave him his Man of the Match wine...
Ten goals in a league season is rare territory for kiwi footballers – most of our best exports have traditionally been centre-backs and goalkeepers. McCowatt also scored once in Conference League qualifiers so he’s got 11 this season overall... but the league stuff is the bread and butter: 10 goals and 2 assists from 27 appearances (2083 minutes). He’s scored those goals from just 5.5 xG too, that’s how it goes when 35 of your 70 overall shots have come from outside the penalty area. In terms of the goals, he’s scored seven from inside and three from outside the box. Seven with his right foot, two with his left foot, one with his head. Only Franculino Djú of FC Midtjylland has exceeded his expected goal by more... and that bloke’s being linked with pretty much every English Premier League club. That’s the company that McCowatt is keeping. This Danish league ain’t no joke, folks. He also ranks in the top 20 across the Superliga for distance covered... and is second for sprints.
In terms of kiwis hitting double digits, it’s happened a few times in the A-League obviously (Jesse Randall is one away from joining that group this year with Auckland FC, prior to his already announced move to Dundee United in Scotland) but beyond that it’s a rare feat and Chris Wood and Wynton Rufer are in a class of their own. Wood has done it three times in the English Championship and six times in the Premier League. Wynton Rufer’s got ten such instances in his illustrious career (five in Switzerland, four in Germany, one in Japan). Otherwise here’s what the research efforts have turned up...
Chris Killen – 13 goals for Hibernian in 2006-07 (Scottish Premiership)
Jeremy Brockie – 11 goals for SuperSport United in 2015-16 (South African Premiership)
Myer Bevan – 11 goals for Cavalry in 2023 (Canadian Premier League)
Max Mata – 11 goals for Sligo Rovers in 2023 (League of Ireland)
Moses Dyer – 10 goals for Galway United in 2025 (League of Ireland)
Moses Dyer – 13 goals* for Phnom Penh Crown in 2025-26 (Cambodian Premier League)
Callum McCowatt – 10 goals* for Silkeborg in 2025-26 (Danish Superliga)
Only Chris Killen’s 06-07 season compares to McCowatt’s as far as the quality of the competition goes. Killen was signed by Celtic immediately after that haul, by the way. Brockie’s deserves some love too, though the others were all in less prestigious situations. What’s more, all the other examples were genuine strikers but McCowatt hasn’t played there at all this season. He’s been used on the wing or as an attacking midfielder and has still managed to score goals at such a rate. Incredible stuff.
Meanwhile, the struggles continue for Sønderjyske after they were beaten 6-0 by Brøndby up in the top half of the division. They’ve only taken two points from five games since the league split and have dropped down to sixth, the dream of European football sliding further away from them. But at least Dalton Wilkins got twenty minutes off the bench in this one – subbed on after all the goals had already been scored. He got a yellow card near the end for a deliberate handball. Wilkins seems to be getting decent chunks in all of these games now.
Up Next: Vejle vs Silkeborg on Thurs at 4am; Silkeborg vs Randers on Mon at 0:00 (NZT)
Marko Stamenić - Swansea City (English Championship)
One more from the ‘Get In!’ category...
Right place at the right time for Marko Stamenić to score his third goal of the Championship season (to go with two assists)... not a bad haul for a defensive midfielder. He may have famously scored in the Champions League a couple years ago but prior to this campaign he’d actually only netted four times in all club competitions since leaving New Zealand. All three of these Swansea goals have come from inside the six yard box and they’ve all been from set pieces. One a free kick, one a corner, and this latest one from a throw-in routine.
That goal had the Swans leading 1-0 at half-time but alas they couldn’t hang on against a very in-form Southampton side that’s up there pushing for automatic promotion. The Saints scored twice in the second half including a Cam Archer winner in the 90th minute (after Stamenić had been subbed, otherwise it obviously wouldn't have happened). Southampton haven’t lost since January, that’s 18 games unbeaten including FA Cup wins over Fulham and Arsenal, so only the manner of the defeat should be upsetting for Swansea City. It can be hard to stay focussed when you’ve got nothing much to play for. Good from Stam though, who has settled very smoothly into the English Championship – and is also only one yellow card behind the division leader (the appropriately named Matt Crooks of Hull City with 12 yellows).
He then didn’t play midweek as Swansea City won 2-1 away against QPR with a rotated team. Top scorer Jan Vipotnik came off the bench to score a penalty with ten to go after Ronald had put them up after barely a minute, QPR only scoring theirs at the very end. Stamenić was an unused substitute for just the second time all season. That’d be frustrating at other stages of the season but at this point it doesn’t really matter. The Swans only have two fixtures left and currently sit tenth.
Shifting the focus to Sheffield United, Chris Wilder was asked specifically about Mark McGuinness starting thatover Tyler Bindon lately and this was what he said:
“Well, Mark got put back into the team because we felt we needed to to change the team around. I think he's been he's been really good in the couple of games that we've played. Second half at Bristol City I know it was one-way traffic but anything that he had to do from a defensive situation he did with [Japhet Tanganga] and you know it was a difficult afternoon, especially the first half up against Oli McBurnie on Saturday afternoon. He's done enough in training, good personality, good character, so he's in the team on merit. And he's under contract, yeah, for another two or three years.”
Those words don’t deny that Bindon being on loan is a factor in him being dropped... but they do emphasise that it’s not the only reason. The mention of Oli McBurnie is telling since the rugged Scottish international’s physicality for Hull City (he’s a former Sheffield Utd player too) may also have been a factor in McGuinness being preferred. The club already announced that Tom Davies is leaving the club at the end of the term so they are clearly getting on with plotting for next season and it seems like Bindon could have been collateral damage in that project. Fair enough, really. But he did get a dozen minutes off the bench as the Blades fortified their defences in a 2-0 win away against Watford. Patrick Bamford scored both goals. Bindon has played 24 games in the Championship now and that was only the second time he’s been used as a substitute. McGuinness is an Irish international who started out in the Arsenal academy and was signed last year for a fee that could reportedly climb as high £10m so the fact that Tyler Bindon was ever starting ahead of him at all was amazing. Shows how brilliantly he was performing... and why Nottingham Forest seemingly still have him in their plans (nobody’s talking about Sheffield United signing him permanently any more).
Millwall had wins over QPR (2-0) and Stoke City (3-1) this week to continue their push for automatic promotion. Coventry City were confirmed as champions recently but Millwall and Ipswich are scrapping it out for second, with Southampton still in the mix as well. No Max Crocombe in those matches, obviously. He’s still doing his thing behind the scenes pushing Anthony Patterson to be his best and staying ready in case he’s needed.
Millwall Goalkeepers in 2025-26
| Steven Benda | Max Crocombe | Anthony Patterson | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 9 | 23 | 12 |
| Clean Sheets | 3 | 9 | 5 |
| Saves/90 | 1.78 | 3.39 | 2.42 |
| Goals Conceded/90 | 1.33 | 1.09 | 0.92 |
| Save Percentage | 57.1 | 75.7 | 72.5 |
| xGOT Differential | +1.6 | -3.18 | -0.59 |
| Points Per Game | 1.56 | 1.83 | 1.92 |
(The xGOT Differential is better when it’s negative - it means Crocombe has conceded 3.18 goals fewer than he should have, while Benda (who is now on loan at Feyenoord) has allowed 1.6 more than the xGOT suggests he ought to have)
Huge win for Wrexham this morning too, holding on for a 1-0 result away against Oxford United. Hull City only drew with relegated Leicester City in a concurrent kickoff which means that Wrexham are back up to sixth by virtue of a two-goal swing in their goal difference. Playoffs await if they can win their last two games (away vs Coventry and then home vs Middlesbrough). Would be a wonderful time to reinject Libby Cacace into the squad but sadly he’s not featured since February and there’s been no fresh update for a couple weeks. Last we heard was that he was having a progress scan at the start of April. They haven’t ruled him out for the rest of the season though you could understand it if they did, given his horror run of muscle injuries. Depending on playoff stuff they have somewhere between two and five matches remaining.
Up Next: Norwich vs Swansea at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Last week Viking absolutely stormed their way to a 5-0 win against Bodø/Glimt... this week they needed a last minute winner to beat Brann 3-2. They can win games both ways. This was a pesky game in which they scored (10’) then conceded (38’) then scored (43’) then conceded (59’) before finally Sondre Bjørshol scored so late that there was no time for Brann to respond. Brann were fourth last year so they’re usually one of the tougher opponents that Viking face, albeit they’ve now lost 4/5 to being the new term. Viking are the opposite. They lost their opener but have won four on the trot since then.
Quiet game for Joe Bell who basically just did his job at the base of midfield. Covered plenty of ground. Won a few fouls, didn’t give possession away cheaply, picked up loose balls. The funniest part of the game was Brann’s second equaliser where Joachim Soltvedt had his penalty tipped onto the post by L’ubomir Belko, a Slovakian youth international who was making his league debut for Viking (and made a mess of the first goal which had beaten him at his near post from a small angle), only for Brann to keep it alive with a flat cross back into the middle where Solvedt miss-hit the ball off his shin and it looped into the top corner then he ran away shushing the crowd in his celebration as though he meant it that way all along.
Up Next: Fredrikstad vs Viking at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdansk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
From one late goal to another, the difference here is that Alex Paulsen conceded it whereas Joe Bell’s team scored it. Lechia were 1-0 up against Piast after scoring a spectacular goal after 62 minutes when Ivan Zhelizko whacked a half-volley top bins from twenty metres out. Deserved reward having dominated the game following Piast being reduced to ten men midway through the first half – a VAR intervention upgrading an initial yellow to a red for Ema Twumasi.
But the VAR giveth and the VAR taketh away... later in the game a swinging arm was spotted by a Lechia defender and Piast were awarded a penalty. Alex Paulsen dove the right way and still couldn’t reach it. 85th minute equaliser for the ten men of Piast, who move two points clear of the relegation zone thanks to the 1-1 draw. Lechia sit ninth and have probably missed their chance of pushing for European qualification with their last couple of results. Alex Paulsen saved 4/9 penalties that he faced in the A-League but he’s 0/5 in the Ekstraklasa thus far.
AP on his first impressions of the Polish league: “I was really surprised by the quality [in the Ekstraklasa] and the level of players and calibre both here at Lechia and also within the Ekstraklasa overall. It's a really good league, I think a lot of people underestimate it. It's a top 15 league within Europe and I think the atmosphere as well, it definitely gets your adrenaline going knowing that there's a lot of passionate supporters coming to all of the games.”
On his pre-game analytical process: “I like to play from the back and I love to be on the ball to distribute. So for me personally, I always break it down. You got, like, out of possession, in possession. If I’ve got the ball in possession, how is the other team going to press? What formation do they use? Are their wingers or fullbacks pressing out of line? Do they do curved press runs? Where's the space that I can play into? How does our formation match their formation? And then out of position it’s more about my starting position and if I can start a little bit higher. Will they take pot shots from halfway to try to catch me off guard? Or if they're going to do in-swinging corners, you know, how can I deal with it? Or how can I create my own space in order to come and collect the crosses? Then also just with regards to cutbacks or wide deliveries like where do they tend to deliver the ball? Do they go near post central? Do they go back post as well? So it's all those type of things I always think about.”
On the myths/criticisms about short goalkeepers: “I don't really think about height. For me personally, if you can navigate and become an aerial threat claiming crosses or coming for punches or being a presence within the box, then you shouldn't really look at the player being not as tall as like a 6'3 goalkeeper or 6'4 goalkeeper because if he's got better aerial statistics then what's what's the difference? I don't try to have that mindset because I know that I'm not the tallest of players, but at the same time I can still say that I make a difference within the box. Even if players are taller than me, my starting position can affect the cross to claim balls or being physical in the air can help me navigate the fact that people try to think, oh, he's a short goalkeeper.”
Up Next: Lechia vs Rakow Czestochowa at 3.30am on Sunday NZT)
Owen Parker-Price - Örgryte IS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
There are always lessons to be learned in top flight football where the margins can be so slim. Örgryte beat the defending champs Mjällby last time in a stunning upset victory but they may have coasted on that for a little too long because they were smashed back to earth with an 8-1 defeat away at Hammarby straight afterwards. Conceded four times in each half. They were vulnerable from set pieces, from crosses, struggled with their marking in the box and with closing down shooters, and the one that applies to Parker-Price is that they were run over in transitional phases through the midfield. Just couldn’t keep up with the powerful runners that they faced. OPP was subbed after 58 minutes immediately after they conceded for the fifth time (so it didn’t get any better without him). That result means that ÖIS have a win, a draw, and a loss to begin their return to the Allsvenskan... with some very contrasting experiences therein.
Unfortunately it was not good news for Kees Sims either. Following his mistake last week, he found himself on the bench as third-choice keeper Andreas Hermansen was given the gloves for GAIS’s trip to face BK Häcken, with main man Mergim Krasniqi still in the final stages of his recovery from a dislocated shoulder. Bit rough on Sims after one bad game... and it wasn’t any better with Hermansen who conceded twice in a 2-1 loss, getting lobbed from the edge of the box after coming out and punching a ball, then beaten from close range after his defenders botched the offside trap.
GAIS have lost all three games and also picked up a couple of serious injuries in the process. Krasniqi is back in full training now and you’d imagine they want to fast-track him back into the team given all the instability at the moment (in the goalkeeping position and beyond). So it was a rough week for the kiwi lads in the Allsvenskan... but spare a thought for the Holmberg whanau because these two clubs are actually coached by brothers: Fredrik Holmberg at GAIS, Andreas Holmberg at Örgryte.
Up Next: ÖIS vs Brommapojkarna at 5am on Thursday; then ÖIS vs Degerfors at 5am on Tuesday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
Defeat for ASSE, losing 2-0 away to Bastia. They conceded a stunner from distance after just 44 seconds. They conceded again on the break on 71’. In between the oppo keeper made a bunch of sharp saves and with that a nine-game unbeaten streak in Ligue 2 has come to an end.
Troyes won their fixture so the ground that ASSE made up on them last week has been reversed. Troyes are four clear at the top while ASSE remain second... but only by goal difference now. Three games to go to try and catch up to Troyes or at least outlast Le Mans (who’ve taken 13 points from their last five games). It’s Saint-Etienne vs Troyes next week in an absolute blockbuster that has the potential to decide the title. Needless to say, Ben Old played the full game against Bastia just like he does every week (he’s been subbed just once, missing six minutes, across the last 15 games).
Ben Old, post-Bastia: “We knew we had to come and fight and we failed to do that. It's really strange that we approach matches like this away from home. I can't understand why.”
Up Next: ASSE vs Troyes at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - Peterborough United (English League One)
Matty Garbett made his return after more than two months out with that foot complaint when he got a quick fifteen minutes off the bench in a loss against Blackpool last week. Immediately following that, just five days later, he was into the starting line-up. It was Peterborough against Port Vale so it was also Matt Garbett vs Ben Waine... although they didn’t overlap since Waine only played off the bench and MG had been subbed by then. Subbed after he set up a goal from a corner kick and also after he got robbed by the referee on two occasions, his penalty appeals turned down twice, on the way to a 3-1 defeat. Good result for Port Vale who kept their very slim chances of avoiding relegation alive with that. Only got limited Ben Waine action though.
The Posh followed that up with a tame 1-1 draw against Burton Albion, further delaying their mathematical safety in the division. Peterborough have been rubbish lately. They’ve only won one of their past 12 matches... but there was one big positive from that game in the shape of Matthew Garbett. He was voted Man of the Match by the fans and the player ratings on the Peterborough Telegraph had this to say...
“The best player on the pitch by some margin. Played a little deeper which enabled him to carry the ball forward impressively. Some excellent set pieces which should have led to a couple of goal and great commitment until he tired.”
He drew a good save from a free kick shot early on. His set piece deliveries deserved another assist even if he didn’t get one. Sounds like he cramping up before getting replaced after 83 minutes which makes sense for a bloke who hadn’t played for two months. Yet he’s managed to pick up where he left off. Peterborough will probably avoid relegation even if they don’t win another game but one more victory from their last three will make it safe. That brings us to a very fascinating admission from the club’s chairman Darragh MacAnthony during the week...
“MacAnthony said his targets for the summer now are a replacement for midfielder Archie Collins, a back-up goalkeeper to Alex Bass, and a number 10 if Kiwi international Matt Garbett is sold in the summer. The chairman disclosed Posh had turned down a £1.7 million from a League One club for Garbett in January. He expects bigger clubs to bid for the 23 year-old in the summer. Garbett is due to play for New Zealand in this summer’s World Cup.”
Interesting, very interesting. Garbett signed a 2+1 year deal with Peterborough when he joined last June. That’s a club option so effectively he has two more years to run but if they’re already fending off interest from rivals in League One then they’re probably right to be preparing for the inevitable. That’s a massive fee for a third tier club to be offering - the majority of transfers in League One are frees or loans. Also, the reason we know all this is because the chairman sunk ten beers and got busy on twitter. Now that’s how you get a scoop...
Port Vale play again tomorrow morning, needing to overhaul a nine-point margin to safety with two games in hand. If they win them all then they’re still a chance. Tomorrow’s game is against second-placed Cardiff City... but maybe they’ll catch them off guard having already confirmed their promotion (hey maybe they were the team that bid for Garbett? There are already kiwis at Wrexham and Swansea and Nik Tzanev started the season with Newport County so Cardiff City is the only Welsh club in the EFL to be without one). Some Ben Waine goals wouldn’t go astray there. Since returning from the All Whites, Waine has been alternating as a starter and a substitute so he should be in line to start that one.
Harrogate Town have also given themselves a chance after a very, very, very late goal provided a 1-0 victory against Colchester on Saturday local time, partially making up for the demoralising loss to Newport County in the previous outing. Two points separate the bottom four teams in League Two with two of them to be relegated. Henry Gray didn’t play that game though. Mark Oxley was back in goal and Sam Waller was on the bench so gotta assume that Gray was unavailable.
Up Next: Stockport vs Peterborough at 11.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League North)
A 4-0 win for Fylde against Southport marked 14 consecutive home wins and a draw for South Shields in their fixture means that AFC Fylde will win the National League North with a victory away against Merthyr Town in their last game. Even a draw would be enough if South Shields don’t win by multiple goals. Worst case scenario they’ll still have the promotion playoffs to fall back upon... but we’re in the market for silverware here. Zac Jones has played every minute of this very long season. 13 clean sheets in 45 matches. He’s even got an assist. Promotion would take them up to the fifth tier of English footy.
Up Next: All on the line for Merthyr Town vs Fylde at 11.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Being American, that video there is like 90% ads and promos... but there is some cool chat with a very relaxed Finn Surman for a couple of minutes around that 21:00 mark.
Interviewer: How would you describe your style of play?
Surman: My style of play? Just... a legend. No, I don't know. Um Sorry. Delete that. Delete that. Delete that. Ask me again.
Surman Take Two: I would say that I'm a defender. I'm a defender first. I like to defend the box. I like to win the ball back. I like to stop the other team from scoring. That's my style of play and then I like to get the ball to the players in front of me up the pitch. I love being part of a team, so I'd say I'm a team player and that comes out in my play on the field because I'm trying to help other people, communicate to other people, lead other people.
He might genuinely be part of the MLS Defender of the Year conversation this year, you know. He’ll surely be in the All Star mix trying to emulate what Michael Boxall did with Minnesota United in 2025. However he won’t be winning a championship at the rate things are going. Portland were hoping they’d gotten their season back on track with that win against (a slightly rotated) LAFC a week ago but then they followed that up with a 2-0 defeat away against Minnesota United in which a lot of the same issues were there.
Perhaps this shouldn’t have been a surprise though: Portland have lost all four away games so far, conceding multiple times in each of them, whereas Minnesota Utd (under the guidance of Cam Knowles) have yet to concede a goal at home (two wins and one draw). There are problems running deep with this Timbers team – or maybe they only run as deep as the coach? – but one thing you can bank on is that Finn Surman is going to do absolutely everything he can. His performances deserve better, but that’s football.
CascadiaFC.com: “From a stat-sheet perspective, Surman was awesome yet again. Here’s how his 15 defensive actions were categorized: 5 tackles, 1 block, 7 clearances (4 aerial), 2 interceptions, and 3 recoveries. Without Surman’s reliability and consistency, this team would be conceding at least two more goals per game. Don’t worry, I’m already beginning to work on his case for Defender of the Year. No other defender in the league is more important to their team than Surman is to the Timbers.”
Michael Boxall wasn’t involved in this game. He’s yet to return to training with that adductor injury he’s been dealing with for a wee while now. Still no expected return date to speak of. At least with Boxy (as opposed to other current injuries like Libby Cacace and Sarpreet Singh) his league season isn’t about to end in a week or two, meaning he can take his time and still get his match fitness back before the World Cup. The Loons have been up and down without him but they’ve now won their last three and also progressed to the last sixteen of the US Open Cup.
Up Next: San Diego vs Portland at 1.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Thomas Raimbault - Carolina Core (American MLS Next Pro)
Love a little give-and-go from a throw in because that there has been counted as an assist for Thomas Raimbault, as Carolina Core fought back from two down to draw 2-2 away against Orlando Pride 2. They lost the bonus point shootout with Raimbault not getting an attempt. What he does have, though, is a goal and four assists in his first five games of MLS Next Pro.
That’s great from him. It’s been a quieter time for most of the other kiwis in non-MLS North American leagues though. Troy Putt has been in and out for Minnesota United 2 – that could be injury related or it could be that he’s spending more time with the first team. Hopefully the latter. Weird thing is, they’ve lost all four games he’s played and won all three he’s missed. Codey Phoenix has had a couple knocks with Tacoma Defiance, also in MLS Next Pro, though he’s still managed to assert himself as their first choice left-back.
Kyle Adams has been doing the business as always for Louisville City as their club captain. They knocked MLS team Austin FC out of the US Open Cup last week and backed that up with a clean sheet win in the USL Championship. Yet to see Alex Greive with San Antonio, he’s been injured. Also Riley Bidois got an assist on debut for Monterey Bay, started their next game, but hasn’t been involved in any of the next three so he must’ve copped an injury.
Over in Canada, Jay Herdman was injured immediately after making the CPL Team of the Week in round one, though has since returned with a short stint off the bench for Cavalry in their third game. Same thing happened with Luis Toomey at Vancouver apart from the Team of the Week bit. Started, injured, short sub cameo. And Finn Linder made his first start for Halifax this weekend playing the full game in a 2-2 draw against Pacific FC.
Up Next: Carolina Core vs Crown Legacy on Sunday at 10am (NZT)
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