Flying Kiwis – April 8
Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Two dates to consider:
23 November 2024, 2-1 loss vs Aarhus
25 March 2026, 6-0 win vs Kolding
Those were the two games of competitive football played by Malia Steinmetz on either side of busting her ACL, as she finally blessedly returned to action in that very convincing Danish Cup semi-final first leg win against Kolding. The timing of her injury meant she was out for even longer than usual for an ACL recovery (16 months!) as she was forced to miss half of two separate seasons and then returned to training right around the time of the winter break. Admittedly, getting to take it a little easier after a major injury isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Steinmetz wasn’t involved in the first two league games after the break but some midweek cup action offered a perfect opportunity for her reintroduction. Even better once they surged out to a massive lead. Steinmetz was subbed on for the final quarter of an hour, joining Grace Wisnewski out there as Nordsjælland all but guaranteed their spot in the Danish Cup final. A 6-0 advantage after the home leg is about as emphatic as it gets.
FCN had already beaten these guys 4-1 in the league just a few days earlier and this was even less of a contest. Kolding did hit the post while it was still 1-0 but they never got close again. Curiously, Grace Wisnewski played central defence in these two games against Kolding. She was in the midfield for the 3-3 draw with HB Køge in the first game back from the break (when they copped a red card and blew a 3-0 lead). She then swapped places with Signe Antvorskov who’d been used there previously (and scored one of the goals in the cup win). South African international Bongeka Gamede has missed the last few games so that’s probably why they’re having to mix and match at the back... still waiting to see a Wiz+Malia midfield combination but we’ll settle for having them both on the pitch together, no worries there.
Following that, Nordsjælland have somehow squeezed in three more games... but the next couple didn’t involve Malia Steinmetz at all. Not even the second leg against Kolding which was as close to a dead rubber as they’re going to get this late in the season – although if you were worried about a set-back, know that she popped up off the bench again in the most recent match. It’s a difficult time to be working back into contention when the team is challenging for trophies and European qualification and there’s a squad that’s been getting the job done in her absence. It also seems they’re not going to ask her to play twice in a week without a full recovery period quite yet. Fair enough.
FCN did what they needed to do with a 3-1 win over AGF back in the A-Liga. Wisnewski played a full game at centre-back again as Nordsjælland conceded first but fought back convincingly to keep their recent surge of form going with another victory. That continued into the second leg of the cup semi-final where they managed to recover from going 2-0 down inside of twenty minutes to win 3-2 (9-2 on aggregate). Even when they were two down, they were still four up overall in the tie. No panic.
But they were tripped up 1-0 away to Brøndby following that. The benefit of sitting in central defence is that Grace Wisnewski is now getting full games at every opportunity. She must be doing a good job if they’re keeping her there. Steinmetz, as mentioned, was subbed on after 74 minutes in place of Leila El Behery who herself had only been introduced at half-time so the Egyptian international must have picked up an injury (otherwise it would have been a weird swap with a defensive midfielder on for a winger when you’re 1-0 down). First game back in the league for Steinmetz. First domestic defeat for FCN since November. That keeps them fourth with six games left to climb up into the European spots. They’ll also face HB Køge in the Danish Cup final in May.
Up Next: FCN vs Fortuna at 10am on Sat 25 April (NZT)
Ben Waine - Port Vale (English League One)
It’s often a tight squeeze for the All Whites getting back for club games in the instances when international duty calls them all the way to Aotearoa. They don’t complain, they don’t turn down the invite. But it’s not an easy thing to balance. However, there was nothing going to keep Ben Waine from lining up for Port Vale against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for an FA Cup quarter-final that he was so instrumental in them qualifying for. It was Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, and Romeo Lavia on one side. It was Ben Waine and Joe Gauci on the other side. Sixth in the Premier League vs last in League One (even more spots below on the rankings than his New Zealand side were against Chile last week). Ben Waine got the game kicked off... and then the Vale conceded after 64 seconds and the dream was over then and there.
They ended up losing 7-0. Goals for Jorrel Hato (2’), Joao Pedro (25’), Own Goal (42’), Tosin Adarabioyo (57’), Andrey Santos (69’), Estêvão (82’), and Andre Garnacho (90+2’ pen). Ben Waine was substituted at 4-0 having played predominantly on the left wing... he completed seven passes, he won a couple of duels, he committed a foul, and he had zero shots. About as you’d expect from an attacking player in a 7-0 loss. But what an occasion playing at such a famous ground against a club that was playing Champions League knockouts a few weeks ago. PVFC’s only other FA Cup quarter-final appearance was in 1954 – and three of their victories to get them this far came via Ben Waine goals in 1-0 outcomes. This was a special occasion for Waine and for his club. One to look back on and savour no matter the result.
But yeah nah now that it’s over the reality must sink in about their impending relegation. With four teams going down from League One, that means Port Vale were left with eight games in which to overturn a 15-point deficit and that’s highly unlikely to happen for a team that’d only won 7/38 games in the league all season. Port Vale did win 1-0 against Rotherham this morning (Waine played half an hour off the bench) so the gap has since shrunk to 14 points and thanks to their cup run they do have games in hand on everyone else. If they can spring an unlikely winning streak then hope could yet be renewed.
At least Waineo (who remains under contract for next season) has reinvigorated his PVFC career over these last few months and should go pretty well if they end down in League Two. Alternatively he could score a couple goals at the World Cup and audition for a transfer, you never know how these things might go.
Up Next: Port Vale vs Rotherham at 6.45am on Wednesday (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Eskilstuna United / Milly Clegg - Vittsjö GIK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
The Swedish top division has been a popular check-in spot for kiwi female footballers through the years, most famously Ali Riley’s hugely successful time with FC Rosengård – and the likes of Hannah Wilkinson, CJ Bott and Erin Nayler have also dropped by within the past decade. Nothing for the last few years... nothing until Gabi Rennie and Milly Clegg both appeared at once ahead of the 2026 campaign. Rennie earned promotion from the second tier with Eskilstuna United while Clegg recently transferred to Vittsjö and guess what? They made their debuts against each other in week one of the new season.
Gabi Rennie had the more prosperous afternoon. She was in the starting line-up while Milly Clegg was only named on the bench... and they didn’t end up overlapping because Rennie was subbed off (73’) before Clegg was subbed on (80’). Clegg’s a new arrival so there’s nothing in that, she’ll have to earn a starting berth but at least she made her debut in Sweden in the first game of the season rather than the last game of the season like she did with Racing Louisville in the American NWSL.
Great to see Rennie in the eleven, lining up in her familiar right midfield role. She was a key player for them last season but you never know what a club might do after promotion. Eskilstuna have been busy in the transfer market yet they’ve also kept a strong core of the players who got them to this point and Gabi Rennie’s work on the wing certainly fits in that category. One of her teammates, Ellen Schampi (who was there on loan last year and has stuck around on a permanent basis since promotion), picked Rennie as the team’s most likely breakthrough player in an interview before the first match.
As to that first match, Rennie was immediately into the action as Eskilstuna went on the attack and took a 14th minute lead through Heida Vidarsdottir, capitalising amidst a flurry of corner kicks. Vittsjö tied the scores on 27’ but Eskilstuna ramped things up in the second half and seemed more likely to find a winner. Clegg wasn’t able to change that and her team ultimately conceded in the 90+4th minute when Rylie Combs headed home from a corner. Might have to work on their set piece defending at training. 2-1 to Eskilstuna United, giving them a joyous late win in their first game back in the Damallsvenskan. Many have picked them to go right back down so this was a big statement.
This is a double edition of Flying Kiwi (All Whites took precedent last week, so it goes) so there’s been a second game since then... but those ones weren’t too good for either of them. Vittsjö were beaten 2-1 at home against BK Häcken with Clegg left on the bench as they only made two subs. Close-ish game, didn’t want to rock the boat. Probably should have. And Eskilstuna United were dropped 3-0 away to Växjö where Rennie played 85 minutes on the right side of midfield and was one of her team’s better ones, though that was mostly for her defensive effort. She couldn’t get her crosses to stick and struggled to retain the ball. That’s all about adjusting to the higher level. Brilliant to see a couple more kiwi women playing a top-10 ranked global league.
Up Next: They can compare notes while on Football Ferns duty as they seek World Cup qualification... the next Damallsvenskan games aren’t until Anzac weekend
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
The dummy to her winger. The wrap-around movement into the 18-yard-box. The one-touch finish. Any striker in the world would be chuffed with a goal like that and here’s 36yo central defender Abby Erceg whipping out such moves.
It was a crucial goal too. Her Toluca team were 3-0 down at half-time away against Club Leon, not a game they were supposed to be losing and yet there they were getting thrashed. But Erceg’s goal was part of a fantastic recovery, pulling back a second on 73’ after Armandine Henry had gotten them on the board earlier (53’) and the job was then completed by Manuela Pavi off the bench in the 90+7th minute, the Colombian international’s first goal since joining the club from West Ham a few months ago.
It wasn’t a three-point outing for Toluca but they did show some serious heart to claw back a 3-3 draw. A lot more than was on display when they got bumped 4-0 at home by Cruz Azul in the following game. Best not to dwell too much on that shocker. Toluca started with some threat but it soon went awry as Uchenna Kanu scored a hatty – the Nigerian striker is a former teammate of Erceg’s at Racing Louisville.
That defeat did some damage to Toluca’s spot on the ladder, sinking from third to sixth over the past week. They’re guaranteed to make the playoffs with one regular season game remaining but these two results have probably cost them home advantage in their two-legged quarter-final (not that it helped them against Guadalajara in the Apertura phase, where they drew 2-2 away but then lost 2-0 at home to be eliminated).
Up Next: Guadalajara vs Toluca on 25 April at 1.06pm in the last round of the Clausura regular season (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Seven goals and eight assists for Elijah Just thus far, with time left to maybe even crack double figures on both counts. Eight assists is tied for the most in the whole division (alongside teammate Callum Slattery and Calvin Miller of Falkirk – who also added to his tally in this game)... granted, it depends where you look because some places only credit him with seven. Assists can be subjective and some outlets haven’t counted what he did in the win against Celtic back in December (which, honestly, is fair enough – he won the ball on the press but his pass took a big deflection). Regardless, he’s the only played in the Scottish Prem with at least seven in both of those stats.
Regrettably, this one was merely a consolation as Motherwell dropped more points in defeat against Falkirk (who were playing to book their spot in the top six). They conceded early from a free kick header (3’) and try as they might they simply couldn’t catch a break from there. The Steelmen thought they should have had a penalty when a wonderful run up the left wing by Elijah Just allowed him to pick out Tawanda Maswanhise with his cross. That bloke got shoved over but it was soft enough that the VAR didn’t intervene (yet probably would have been upheld if it’d been given initially). Never mind, Elliot Watt thumped a wicked volley through the keeper’s hands to make it 1-1 after 34 mins. Eli Just had a pop from a free kick that was parried wide – after his through ball had helped earn the set piece. But then a rare instance of Motherwell getting caught playing out from the back gift-wrapped the lead right back to Falkirk before HT.
Credit where it’s due, Falkirk were very good and they continued to test the usually excellent Motherwell backline... leading to a penalty kick after an hour. Always contentious when your appeals are declined and theirs are upheld but the referee was probably right in both cases. Falkirk also nearly scored from a couple of very long range efforts trying to chip the keeper early (one of which after Just had lost the ball) in what had to have been a predetermined strategy. Just had another strike from range, this time in open play, which again had the goalie scrambling to make a good save. He’s always a threat no matter how his team is tracking, and he did eventually set up that Maswanhise goal in added time. Far too late to help the outcome but it’s good for the stats, at least.
That’s three losses and a draw in the last four matches for Motherwell - as many games as they’d lost all season up to that point. They’ve had an incredible campaign but it’s lost all steam lately, with defeats against Dundee, Celtic, and now Falkirk (and a 0-0 draw vs Hibs). Six games remain but it looks like the Steelmen are going to be scrapping to hold onto fourth place rather than striving to climb any higher. Fourth would still mean Europa Conference League though... fifth will too if Celtic win the Scottish Cup.
The round was worse still for Kilmarnock who conceded in the first minute away against Hibernian, were 2-0 down after 12 minutes, and ended up being very comfortably beaten 3-0. George Stanger got another ninety minutes in the only positive to be taken from that match. Picked up a yellow card for his troubles. The helpful thing for Killie is that Livingtson are cruising towards the automatic relegation spot so the worst realistic scenario is that they’ll still get a playoff to preserve their Premiership status – but the much more comfortable outcome would be a few wins on the trot to haul in Aberdeen or St Mirren who area each only three points above them.
George Stanger: “The way we started the game was the most frustrating thing. it was a really poor goal to lose. It just gave them a lift and put the crowd behind them. Even the second goal was poor. I’m sure Hibs thought it was a good goal but we can do much better than that. The first 25 minutes, we were just not at our levels. After that we played really well but it means nothing when you give yourself a mountain to climb. It is something we need to go away and look at. We can’t be giving goals away after a few seconds and expect to do well in this league. The start is what killed us.”
Up Next: Hearts vs Motherwell at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
Two things have been happening lately for Durham: they’ve been losing lots, and Hannah Blake keeps being left on the bench. Are those things related? Who can say... but all that losing did lead to a coaching change at the club with Adam Furness “taking on a new role within the club” with Neil Redfearn stepping in as head coach. Sort of like a gentleman’s firing. At first that didn’t change anything for Blake who was an unused sub in Redfearn’s first two games in charge, extending a run in which she’d only played 54 minutes across two appearances in the club’s past eight fixtures. But she was raised up into the starting line-up for the match against Bristol City and look what she did...
It would have been even more choice had goal contributed to a victory (or if Mickey Foster had joined her on the scoresheet instead of having her header parried away off the line in first half stoppages). Sadly, Durham don’t do a lot of winning so they coughed this lead up against Bristol City and were on the verge of losing until Beth Hepple converted a very late penalty for a 2-2 draw. All points are helpful at this time of the year, especially when Durham are perched two points above relegation with two matches remaining. This was Blake’s first goal of the season. She does have a couple of assists but it shows how Durham haven’t been able to figure out what to do with her.
In other news, do you recognise this person?
In a season such as this we must celebrate every Indi Riley appearance we get because Crystal Palace have keep stashing her away on the bench and ignoring her. She’d only gotten one minute across the previous three matches before this run against leaders Charlton, chucked on with ten to play immediately after Charlton closed it up to 3-2 from the penalty spot. Charlton had scored first but three goals in a row for Palace turned it all around and put them in position for a massive win as they chase promotion back to the WSL. Important minutes for IPR in that context. And... she did what she was asked to do as Palace closed out a 3-2 victory.
But such is are the struggles of this season that Indi Riley then immediately got injured and wasn’t involved at all as Crystal Palace won 1-0 against Ipswich Town to stay within three points of the leaders Birmingham and Charlton with two games remaining. Good for them but very stink for Riley who has had to be replaced (by Manaia Elliott) in the Football Ferns squad, a team where she’s valued far more than at her club, it would seem. Since the start of December, Riley has played 168 minutes for her club and almost as many (146 minutes) for her national team. On the plus side, Grace Neville was included on the bench for Ipswich in that game. She didn’t play but that was her first sighting for a couple months having presumably been injured.
That leaves Katie Kitching and Sunderland... who had the chance to do some damage in the title/promotion race when they faced Birmingham and for a long time there it looked possible. This game was goalless deep into the match whereupon Sunderland had a golden chance to win it only for Emily Scarr to volley over the top from eight yards out. Then they conceded in the 90+3rd minute via a banger from Lily Crosthwaite and it ended 1-0 to the Blues, who went top of the standings with that. Doesn’t make much difference to Sunderland’s comfortable mid-table fate. Katie Kitching’s been alternating in and out with all these midweek catch-up games so she only got 23 minutes off the bench in this one. They’re all caught up on their postponements now with only games against Crystal Palace and Ipswich to follow after the international break.
Up Next: Durham vs Sheffield United at 11pm on Sunday 26 April (NZT)
Lara Colpi – FC Thun Berner-Oberland (Swiss Super League)
Love to see a goal for Lara Colpi and love to see that goal contribute to a positive result. FC Thun haven’t had very many of those this season but they took a 2-2 draw from their match against FC Rapperswil-Jona. Colpi opened the scoring in the third minute, FCRJ levelled up pretty quickly from there, Thun fell behind early in the second spell... only to win a penalty, converted by Selina Ueltschi (52’), to get back on level terms. And that was how it stayed.
That point doesn’t change anything for Thun’s season. They’d already been doomed to the relegation rounds after their last match. But it does give them something to build from as they closed out the regular season on a positive note... and got Lara Colpi her third goal in the Super League (second this season). Thun will now play home and away against the other team in the bottom two (Yverdon Féminin) as well as the top two teams from the second tier. Two highest ranking teams after those six rounds get to stay/play in the Super League next season.
Jacqui Hand’s FC Basel aren’t affected by any of that. They’ve been scrapping for a top four finish the whole way through... and just wrapped up their regular season with their best result of the lot: dealing a 1-0 defeat to leaders Servette to bust up their opponent’s unbeaten campaign just in time to have them wobbling ahead of the playoffs. Anna Krog headed in the winner after only five minutes, capitalising on a lovely corner kick delivery from none other than Jacqueline Anne Hand. First goal contribution for her new club – though she’s been getting good minutes from day one so the performances have always been there.
The Swiss Super League is a rarity in European football in that it has a playoff system whereby the top eight teams compete in quarters, semis, and a grand final to determine the champions from here. This result means that Basel jumped to third for a slightly more favourable quarter-final match-up against St Gallen. Plus they’ve just beaten the best team so they know they’ve got the ability to go all the way. The first leg will be away on the weekend of 24-26 April and the second leg at home the following week. The two finalists also get Champions League entry.
Up Next: That’s TBD at this stage
Tyler Bindon - Sheffield United / Marko Stamenić - Swansea City (English Championship)
Would ya look at that, straight out of the international break we had Tyler Bindon vs Marko Stamenić in the English Championship. Both starting despite the long haul flight back to England. And because of Easter holidays this was a Friday local time having both played big minutes on Monday night NZT for the All Whites vs Chile... as did Swansea City goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.
Everyone must have been tired because this game got completely out of hand to finish as a 3-3 draw. It was Sheffield Utd who were 1-0 and 3-1 up but the Swans grabbed a couple back in final fifteen (after they subbed off Marko Stamenić on 70 mins). Tough few days for Vigouroux conceding seven goals in two games. Wasn’t Stam at his best either. However, Tyler Bindon made a wonderful goal-line clearance that led immediately to a counter attack for SUFC’s second goal...
A result like that didn’t do either team any good, albeit there’s not much good left to be done as they both lurch towards smooth mid-table finishes, steadying the ships after each began poorly enough that they sacked a manager. Having said that, Sheffield United are now on a six-game winless streak after being beaten 1-0 by Roy Hodgson’s Bristol City on Easter Monday. The double gameweek straight out of an international break is some brutal scheduling so Bindon was rested for this game. We’ll choose to view it as a reflection of Bindon’s superb form that without him they opted for a back three to pick up the slack. It didn’t work though. Must mean he’s irreplaceable. Swansea City had a better result when they drew 2-2 with promotion-chasing Middlesbrough thanks to a pair of Jan Vipotnik penalties. Marko Stamenić was likewise named on the bench although they subbed him on after 56 minutes.
As for the other two Championship comrades, Liberato Cacace is still injured for Wrexham. He was due to have another scan on his troublesome hamstring to check how it’s progressing. Should get an update on that in the next few days. Wrexham have slipped up a little since being knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea... only winning two of their last six games. They were thumped 4-1 by Southampton most recently to drag them out of the playoff positions.
And even having two games in the space of four days wasn’t enough for Alex Neil to consider rotating his Millwall goalkeepers. Max Crocombe seems like he might have made his last save in Millwall colours barring an injury to Anthony Patterson (Crocs only signed a one-year contract so he’s got flexibility with what he does next). Millwall had a tremendous win away to Middlesbrough, Josh Coburn scoring an 86th minute winner in a 2-1 result that lifted them into second place where automatic promotion is found. Then they lost 2-1 to Norwich, despite scoring first, to slide back down to fourth. Ipswich, Middlesbrough, and Millwall are all on 72 points right now. Coventry are on the bring of securing the title but that second Premier League spot is well up for grabs... with Ipswich Town holding the advantage thanks to two games in hand. Remember that Henry Gray is on the books for Ipswich so that might actually be a better kiwi football result than Crocombe’s Millwall going up when they’d probably only leave him behind.
Also if you’re wondering about Matt Garbett... the situation has not changed. Darren Bazeley has suggested that he’s back in training however he wasn’t involved in Peterborough’s 1-1 draw with Cardiff. Despite being 13th on the ladder, Posh are only five points above the drop zone thanks to how clustered League One is. Too many teams there for them to be in much danger with only six fixtures left. Mid-table looks like their destiny hence there’s no particular rush to get Garbs back beyond preparing him for the World Cup.
Up Next: Sheff Utd vs Hull City and Leicester vs Swansea City, both at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Henry Gray - Harrogate Town (English League Two)
When you’re battling relegation, there are no moral victories. All that matters is whether you can put points on the board and the quality of performance is irrelevant. Harrogate Town have been putting points on the board since Henry Gray turned up. Case and point: their 3-1 win against Grimsby Town over Easter weekend. They took the lead away from home and against the run of play after 20 minutes and then doubled it with another counter attacking effort. Fantastic position to find themselves in... although the lead was halved going into the break when a swirling long ball drew Gray off his line and allowed him to be beaten by a header. That was a mistake. It would be his only one.
Gray’s moment to shine came in first half stoppages when his team conceded a penalty, giving Grimsby Town the opportunity to erase the deficit heading into the sheds. That would have given them all the momentum, putting self-doubt into Harrogate’s minds as they chased a desperately needed victory. But it didn’t because Henry Gray made a wonderful save diving low to his left and gathered the ball up on the rebound to end the threat. Harrogate held their lead into half-time and then returned refreshed and eventually added a third with ten mins remaining. Absolutely massive for their survival hopes... and Henry Gray was essential within that win (including multiple other saves beyond the penalty too).
Simon Weaver, Harrogate coach: “It was big. It was a big moment for us and it could have been a turning point for Grimsby because their crowd are partisan. When the penalty award was given I was thinking that if we go in at 2-2, we will have to pick the players up from being two up. But it was a great response from Henry, I thought it was a superb save. He’s such an athletic lad, and fair play to him... He just got caught with the wind for Grimsby’s goal. He dithered a bit. It’s not easy in these conditions and he got caught under it and there was a bit of miscommunication. But, it is all about your reaction. Everybody on the pitch probably made a mistake, and that one was costly for him, but he redeemed himself with a fantastic save. He is an athletic goalkeeper and he has a great future ahead of him.”
That’s good to hear because there was a reversal of fortunes in the game after. Gray’s an excellent goalkeeper so he’s always going to make a few good saves in any match (supposing the shots are there to save)... but against Bristol Rovers his team twice coughed up leads on the way to a 3-2 defeat with the decisive goal coming from a 79th minute penalty that Gray himself gave away. Now, in Gray’s defence the penalty decision was seriously weak sauce. But that’s what happened. It’s not quite hero to villain but he wasn’t able to stay the hero. They would have climbed out of the relegation zone even with only a point there... nevertheless they’ve got four more games to make the magic happen.
Up Next: Newport County vs Harrogate Town at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
GAIS.se: “Mergim Krasniqi is in the final stages of rehabilitation after his shoulder surgery”
Good, sweet, rest up Mergy and take your time. The longer Krasniqi takes to recover from his dislocated shoulder – the same one that gave Kees Sims the chance to finish last season as GAIS’s starting goalie – the more Kees Sims we’ll get to begin this season. GAIS made a point of getting minutes for both Sims and their newly-signed third choice keeper Andreas Hermansen during the Swedish Cup stuff in preseason when there had been chat that Krasniqi was ahead of schedule and might be ready for game one of the Allsvenskan stuff. But as you can see, he was not. And you know what that meant.
Kees Sims as the week one starter, go on son. GAIS lost 1-0 against Djurgården. Somehow failed to score from two massive early chances, also hitting the post in the second half, and eventually going down to a 65th minute effort from Patric Alsund. But you can’t fault the mahi of this man...
This year the return of the Allsvenskan also means Owen Parker-Price activity. He completed an incredible rise up the ranks, from a team heading towards relegation from the third division to a team heading towards promotion from the second division to now starting and playing ninety minutes in the top flight opener for Örgryte as they drew 1-1 against Malmö. They were leading until a goalkeeping fumble cost them an equaliser on 73’. Great stuff from OPP in there, completing 41/49 passes in midfield and winning a couple fouls. Awesome defensive numbers too (5/6 ground duels, 7 recoveries). He had one shot from twenty yards near the end, looking for a dramatic late winner, that was saved. The game then ended with OIS on the counter-attack which led to some kerfuffles after the final whistle but Parker-Price kept his hands clean in all of that.
Since we’re hanging out in Scandinavia – and since this is a jam-packed edition having to cover the past two weeks – let’s rip through a few others in a hurry. You know how Ben Waine rushed back from international duty only to lose 7-0 with his club team? Turns out he wasn’t the only one. Callum McCowatt’s Silkeborg had their trickiest relegation round fixture against FC København and they got smoked. FCK (where Marko Stamenić won a league and cup double a few years ago) should never have fallen into the bottom half and now they’re taking it out on everyone else. Silkeborg seemed to have regained some balance before the break when McCowatt scored in a 3-0 win over Randers. Apparently not. Fortunately, they’re already on record that they want to cash in on McCowatt after the World Cup so even if they do get relegated it shouldn’t affect him.
Elsewhere, Sønderjyske had a good result drawing 2-2 away against FC Midtjylland after scoring twice in the last ten minutes. Dalton Wilkins has been a lucky charm off the bench (when fit) and this was another instance of that goodness as they chucked him on two down after 70 minutes. Fourth Superliga appearance this season for Wilkins and his longest to date.
Also there was a tidy result for Viking FK over in Norway. The defending champs beat Vålerenga 1-0 away with Joe Bell serving a typically classy full game in the midfield doing plenty to ensure that clean sheet. The response has been swift after VFK began the season with an opening day loss and then a cup exit. Two wins on the bounce... and they’ve got a doozy of a game against Bodø/Glimt up next.
Up Next: Malmö vs GAIS at 2.30am on Monday (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Dijon FCO (French Première Ligue)
Dijon have been on a roll lately... coinciding with Kate Taylor playing a lot of minutes. Funny that. They actually haven’t lost a league game in which she’s started since early October, although the same can’t be said in the cups where they’ve gone deep enough to run into the likes of Lyon and PSG. They were thrashed 4-0 by Lyon in the League Cup but their French Cup loss to PSG a couple weeks ago was very commendable. Beaten 2-1 thanks to an 86th min winner, almost taking it to extra time. And while they aren’t scoring a lot of goals, they’re also barely conceding any. That’s where Taylor’s defensive mahi comes in useful.
French shout outs are also required for Ben Old who jetted back to France after starting both games for the All Whites and did yet another full game on the left side of defence. Saint-Etienne only drew 1-1 away to AS Nancy Lorraine... and only got that much thanks to Lucas Stassin equaliser in the seventh minute of added time. Bloody hell. Luckily, Troyes also drew so they didn’t lose any ground there and remain four points behind the leaders, still sitting second and on course of automatic promotion.
Up Next: Footy Ferns for Kate Taylor, while Ben Old’s ASSE face Dunkurque at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
There’s been a lot said over Portland ways about the contrasting reactions to a crushing defeat against rivals Vancouver Whitecaps between Finn Surman and his coach Phil Neville. The Neviller was visibly upset at suggestions that he might feel worried about his job security with Portland currently second to last in the Western Conference and having somehow lost 3-2 against the Whitecaps despite leading 2-1 after ninety minutes. There was a controversial penalty in there so Neville also blamed the referee. Meanwhile there was far more maturity and self-awareness on display from 22yo Surman who said the responsibility lies upon the players who need to be better at avoiding late concessions.
Finn Surman: “I don’t think [a coaching change] is something that we need to happen. I think it’s down to us players. We know in that locker room that we have not been good enough and we can’t be conceding these late goals. We need to, first of all, play better in the second half, we need to keep the ball better, and we need to manage the game slightly better. Especially when you do get to those last 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes where, if you are holding on to the lead for whatever reason or holding on to a draw, whatever the situation is, we need to do better.”
Surman captained the team in this game and had a blinder. Won every single header, blocked a few more shots to extend his MLS lead, and didn’t commit a single foul. Unfortunately this does continue a streak of the Timbers getting crap results when he’s captain. He’s done it twice against Vancouver this year and they’ve lost both. Two draws and a loss last year with the armband on. Portland are wobbling and things may need to change for them soon... but Surman’s been fantastic, just imagine where they’d be without him. On and off the pitch.
In other news, Michael Boxall is still injured but hey look Tyler Boyd scored a goal...
Up Next: Portland vs LAFC on Sunday at 8.30am (NZT)
Marley Leuluai - Marine (English National League North)
Senior football has come for Marley Leuluai. The NZ U17s captain – and son of rugby league icon Kylie Leuluai – had a famous name before he was ever born and having a kiwi player growing up in the Manchester City academy only raised the hype before he’d even had a chance to live up to it. Leuluai didn’t make the cut when he turned 17 and it was time for the professional contracts to be handed out... so he moved along and played a game on trial for Stoke City before joining Burnley on a three year deal. At Burnley he’s worked his way through the U18s to where he’s now featuring pretty regularly for the U21s in the Premier League 2 grade – mostly off the bench but remember he’s only 19 years old.
Now he’s taking his tentative first steps into senior football (unless you count the EFL Cup game earlier this season when he sat on the bench for Burnley’s senior side). He’s joined Marine FC down in the sixth tier of English football... a nice landing spot at the same level where Zac Jones (AFC Fylde) is making copious saves and trying to earn promotion and also where Jago Godden impressed enough as an unknown for Bedford Town that he was signed by League Two club Walsall and loaned out to sister club Drogheda United in the League of Ireland. This is one division below where fellow Premier League academy product Matt Dibley-Dias is playing for Braintree Town at the moment. It had to be a non-league team because of the transfer windows for EFL clubs (same situation as Dibs faced) and in Leuluai’s case he’s got no previous senior footy reputation to count upon. This is where he begins to build that. As to why it’s only a one-month loan... well... there’s only one month left in the season so that’s all it needed to be.
Where it gets trickier is that ML is in the last year of his deal with Burnley so it’s possible he’s played his last game for the club. It’s also possible this is an audition to see if he’s worth keeping on. Or it could be that they’ve shipped him out to get a headstart on the next phase of his career. We’ll see how it pans out but note that Marley was announced as a new client of General Sports Worldwide roughly a week before he made this loan move.
Also note that his brother Kingston Leuluai (Kingston and Marley... big reggae vibes) has stuck much closer to the family trade and is currently a scholarship player for the Wigan Warriors rugby league team. There’s also a younger brother Rocco Leuluai so give him a few years and maybe he’ll be playing cricket or something.
Marley made his debut for Marine within a couple of days of signing, chucked on as a late substitute in the FA Trophy semi-final against Wealdstone. There was a big shout for a penalty declined before Leuluai entered. That wasn’t given. Then Marine conceded a last-gasp goal from a long ball over the top. Caught out by some route one footy in the last seconds to lose 1-0... brutal memories from that debut. Marine are a division below so the result was an expected one but to ship that winning goal when they were moments away from taking it to extra time (thus giving Leuluai another thirty minute of action) was tough to swallow.
It’s still a senior professional debut though and from there he has nine further league fixtures to see what he and his temporary club can do. Lots of midweek games in there thanks to this cup run... and the next of those put him up against a fellow kiwi with at trip to face Zac Jones and AFC Fylde. Unsurprisingly, Fylde won that match 2-0 with Jonesy making a few saves on the way to his clean sheet. Fylde followed that with a 2-0 loss against Chorley in a match spoiled by two red cards in the first twenty minutes, leaving them battling with nine men for three quarters of the game. But they won a thriller 4-3 against Radcliffe straight afterwards and when you add in South Shields going winless over Easter Weekend that means that AFC Fylde can clinch the National League North championship – and promotion to the fifth tier – with seven points from their final three matches (minus anything that South Shields drop the rest of the way).
Back to Leuluai, he started against Fylde and logged 73 minutes. He then did the full ninety in a 2-1 defeat against Southport before returning to the bench for the short turnaround visit of Chorley where Marine won 2-1. (Did he play!?) Marine have enough games in hand that they’re still a chance at making those playoffs but they’re going to need to win most/all of them. Good, competitive environment for Leuluai to get to grips with non-academy footy.
Up Next: Fylde vs Marine at 7.45am on Wednesday (NZT)
Jago Godden - Drogheda United (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Hell yeah, get in. Second goal of the campaign for Godden following his winner on debut in week one. He came off the bench in his five games after joining on loan late in preseason (playing at least 20 minutes in all of them) and since then has locked down a starting spot, playing every second of the past five matches. Only issue is that Drogs are on an eight-game winless run and despite being 2-0 up against Galway United after Godden slipped that one over the line (same team he scored his other goal against, randomly)... they still lost 3-2. Whoops.
Max Mata also made his first start for St Patrick’s this week, in his case it took six substitute appearances before he got in there. But they lost 2-0 against Dundalk to spoil their wonderful form so maybe he won’t stay there. See how it goes. They bought him to be a starter, reuniting him with Aidan Keena only for them to both get injured early and the other forwards did so well that they haven’t had to rush anything.
Up Next: Waterford vs Drogs at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Jay Herdman - Cavalry FC (Canadian Premier League)
Short corner from Jay Herdman and he’s got himself an assist in game one of the 2026 CPL. This after he’d already won a penalty during the match. It was a relief just to see him starting after Cavalry shipped him out on loan last year. Well, he did and he was heavily involved in both goals in a 2-1 victory away against Pacific - earning him CPL Team of the Week selection. Good to see, good to see. Likewise for Luis Toomey who was in the starting eleven (as he had been during their Concacaf Cup games a while back) for Vancouver... albeit in a 1-0 loss against Halifax Wanderers, who themselves have Finn Linder in their squad although his debut came off the bench with a five-minute stint to help preserve that clean sheet.
Up Next: Cavalry vs Ottawa at 8am on Monday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Chris Wood did indeed play that U21s friendly. He lasted an hour (up on the 45 minutes he played in his return the week before) as Nottm Forest’s academy side were beaten 3-2 by the Northampton Town first team. It was a closed-door friendly during the international break and he came through it with no issues whatsoever. He was then conspicuously absent from the next U21s game (a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace) and that leads us to suspect one thing: that we ought to keep a close eye on the teamsheet for the first leg Europa League quarter-final against FC Porto because there may be a certain synonym for timber on there somewhere. The comeback is almost upon us.
Up Next: Friday at 7am, Porto vs Nottm Forest; then Monday at 1am, NFFC vs Aston Villa in the Prem (NZT)
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