Flying Kiwis – May 6
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Imagine thinking a few months ago that Chris Wood would be in the middle of a European semi-final right now. Not only was he working his way back from knee surgery at the time but Nottingham Forest, largely in his absence, were tearing through managers at rapid pace and tumbling towards the relegation zone in the Premier League. Yet if your imagination does stretch wide enough to have envisaged such a thing then it would have only been a short step further to picture Chris Wood scoring those games. All it would take would be a cheeky VAR check for a handball leading to a penalty kick, perhaps midway through the second half of an otherwise tight, tactical battle. Say, what do ya know...
It was Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa in the first leg of this Europa League semi-final, played at the City Ground in Nottingham, and that score came courtesy of a penalty kick converted by Chris Wood after 71 minutes. The penalty was awarded after Omari Hutchison managed to keep the ball in at the byline and caught a defensive hand in the process. The check was more to see if the ball had gone out rather than the clear handball. It hadn't. They gave it. Then the Woodsman absolutely thumped it past Emi Martinez (a World Cup winning goalie with a good record from penalties), who dove the right way and still couldn’t quite reach it. That’s because nobody reaches them when Chris Wood is shooting from a dozen yards. He’s the world’s greatest penalty taker.
If you don’t believe it then how about a stat: The last time that Chris Wood missed a penalty for club or country was playing for Leeds against Hull City in the English Championship... on 23 April 2016. This goal came one week after the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of that miss. A decade without missing, going 25/25 in that time scoring pens in the Europa League, the Premier League, the Championship, international friendlies, the FA Cup, the League Cup, World Cup qualifying, and even in an U23s friendly as an overage player ahead of the 2021 Olympics. Emi Martinez joins a list of goalkeepers that includes Lukasz Fabianski, Fraser Forster, Tom Glover, Rui Patricio, Beniamino Mateinaqara, and Chris Kirkland. And that’s only in-game penalties. He hasn’t missed in a shootout in that time either so the list expands to 34/34 if you include those. A decade of penalty perfection and this may have been the most valuable of them all.
The game itself wasn’t up to much. Wood said afterwards that moments tend to decide big games and that’s spot on with how this one panned out. NFFC made a point of not letting Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers get loose in those 2v2 situations which caused them trouble when the teams met in the Premier League recently. They were extremely focused on getting numbers back in transition. As such they didn’t always have those overloads going forward, though they did have the front four that’s been so effective for them these last few games.
Hutchison and Morgan Gibbs-White got plenty of touches but were often let down by their final delivery or by great organised defending. Wood didn’t even have a shot from open play. He almost had one early, lining up a half-volley just inside the area, only for teammate Igor Jesus to get in his way. Jesus later thought he’d scored until Martinez made an absolutely legendary save from close range. Villa only had one or two big chances themselves and were equally thwarted. There was very little between them. Even the penalty kinda came out of the blue... but credit to Nottm Forest because they took advantage of that slice of fortune and now have a slight advantage leading into the second leg.
Morgan Gibbs-White to TNT Sports: “No worries at all [when Wood stepped up]. Ten years, that’s why he’s our penalty taker. It’s an incredible finish. Cool, calm, composed. As a team we know we can rely on him when we need him and it showed.”
Vitor Pereira: “Chris Wood is not only a top player, he is a player who has the spirit and experience. He does a lot and we are in a good moment with a good spirit. In my mind everyone has an image of him. An experienced player, quality, scores goals, and he gives us the balance to release other players to score goals. The centre-backs... he fixes the centre-backs because in a second he can create something and Morgan [Gibbs-White], Igor [Jesus] and the midfielders... they have the spaces to score goals. It was the last piece of the puzzle.”
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest then each had to dip their toes back into the Premier League stuff in between Europa League semi-final legs. For the Villans, they’re on track for Champions League qualification so they weren’t really bothered and picked a heavily rotated team which proceeded to lose 2-1 to relegation-threatened Tottenham in a double blow for Forest. Not only were their UEL rivals extra rested but now Spurs were lurking closer over their shoulders.
It was a pathetic effort from Aston Villa. Not because they rotated, any team would in the same scenario, but because of how weak their performance was. To prove that point, Nottingham Forest made similar amount of changes one day later and you know what they did? They beat Chelsea 3-1. Taiwo Awoniyi scored after 45 seconds and they were already 3-0 up when Chris Wood and a few others were brought on to close things out. Both Villa and Forest made wholesale changes... yet Forest’s reserves turned up to play. Now they’re closer than ever to Premier League safety without over-exerting themselves ahead of the second leg. Well played, Vitor Pereira. Well played.
Chris Wood got 25 minutes in that match, brought on for Morgan Gibbs-White who himself had only come on at half-time (as part of the first wave of reinforcements). MGW was involved in a head clash that led to copious stitches down his forehead to his nose, really nasty though thankfully it seems not too serious and he should be able to play in the Europa League second leg (probably with a protective mask). Not much for Wood to do in that game aside from keeping fit and active for the next game. But he did his bit defensively to secure these three points. Chelsea did score an overhead kick in stoppages though that was too little too late... Nottingham Forest are currently on a five-game winning streak in all competitions and a 10-game unbeaten streak.
Up Next: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest, Friday at 7am in the Europas (NZT)
Abby Erceg - Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
Toluca, you are headed for the semi-finals. They conducted their business as planned winning the home leg and also the away leg (highlights above) of their quarter-final match up against UANL by a 2-1 margin on both occasions. Toluca were the sixth seed up against the third seed so you could see this as a minor upset, although with the global experience in this Toluca squad there was always a feeling they had more to give and should peak when the knockouts came around. It didn’t happen in the Apertura phase where they got bounced at this same quarter-final stage. But they’re into the final four of the Clausura and will face América over two legs in the semis.
First leg vs UANL (who won the Apertura phase, by the way), they were a goal down at home at HT after Diana Ordóñez scored (43’) but goals from their French imports did the trick. Eugenie Le Sommer (66’) and Faustine Robert (78’) gave them the advantage at the midway stage... after their goalkeeper saved a penalty nine minutes into added time. Second leg, Daniela Guatemala (29’) and a Le Sommer penalty (52’) put them in such a golden position on the road that by the time Ordóñez pulled one back from the penalty spot with ten to go it was too late and Toluca were on their merry way. Erceg played every minute of both legs. She’s one of New Zealand’s most successful footballers ever and she’s contending for yet another trophy.
Up Next: Toluca vs América at 3pm on Friday (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Jacqui Hand is coming off three consecutive relegations at three different clubs so she certainly does not have the winning history of Abby Erceg but she did also just win a quarter-final, in her case over in Switzerland. Hand is still yet to score for the club, with only one assist ( a couple weeks ago from a corner kick she took), but she’s started all nine games she’s played for FCB. That includes this second leg vs St Gallen with a 1-0 away leg deficit to overturn. Several players were out injured/suspended too... which might help explain what happened later.
In a very tense game that Basel needed to win, they finally took the lead after 70 minutes and Hand’s run in behind up the left wing was what sparked it, though it took a few blocked shots before the ball ended up in the net from Sabina Jackson’s long strike. That 1-0 margin was enough to force extra time... where FCB conceded five minutes into extras to put them back on the brink. Hand was subbed after 98 minutes having run as much as she could. Krystyna Flis put Basel back ahead on 104’ and with nothing separating them after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline following 210 minutes of football... it went to penalties.
Basel’s penalties weren’t quite as emphatic as Auckland FC’s later that same day in their A-League Men’s shootout but the outcome was the same. FCB scored all four of theirs while St Gallen missed two (including an amazing save onto the crossbar). 1-0 to St Gallen in the first leg. 2-1 to Basel after extra time in the second leg. 2-2 overall. Then 4-1 to FC Basel after the penalty shootout. And therefore it will be... St Gallen who progress to the semi-final? Yup, turns out that not only did Basel exceed their substitution windows (making five subs but in four windows – possibly a misunderstanding with the game going to extra time), they also used a player who wasn’t on the teamsheet. Double breach of the rules. Result overturned to a 3-0 default in St Gallen’s favour. Basel have chosen not to appeal, instead promising an internal investigation so that it doesn’t happen again. Stink.
And so... Jacqui Hand’s season is over just like that. Nine appearances for FC Basel and she thought she was going to get two more in the semis against Young Boys but alas the paperwork did not comply. However, the paperwork of her contract will be keeping her in Switzerland for two more years, providing some stability in a career that’s seen her play for five different clubs (Åland United, Lewes, Sheffield United, Kolbotn, Basel) in four different countries (Finland, England, Norway, Switzerland) since turning pro in January 2022. Her most productive season was probably her second year at Åland, the only time in her career where she had a full preseason with familiar teammates.
Down in the relegation playoffs, FC Thun lost 1-0 away against Luzern with Lara Colpi playing the full thing in midfield. Possibly a little fortunate they didn’t lose by more on the balance of the game. That was against the other team from the top division competing to preserve their status so it was their toughest game... but the loss means they’re probably going to need to win three of their last four in order to get this mission accomplished. Colpi’s been getting some great minutes lately. Just need to spark a few results with them.
Up Next: Nothing for Basel so focus instead on Thun vs Sion at 2am Sunday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
The captain is staying in Zwolle. Ryan Thomas already had a contract running through next season (having signed a two-year extension before this one began) and now they’ve extended that for another year beyond that, keeping him in town for the 2027-28 campaign as well. He has made 214 appearances for the club over his two stints which dwarfs anyone else in the current squad.
Ryan Thomas: “I'd like to stay at PEC Zwolle, that's no secret. The club has always been good to me and the supporters are great. As long as I can be of value, I will give everything for this club. The feeling is good on both sides and that is of course the most important thing for longer collaboration. I am very happy that I can continue to play for the club from my city for the next two years.”
PEC technical director Gerry Hamstra: “Ryan can read a match like no other and knows what is required at any stage of a match. Ryan is also an important part of the team as an example for the younger players and an extension of the coach. Together with him, we want to end this season well, after which Ryan will have a wonderful World Cup waiting and we will be happy to continue with him next season.”
Look they even did a mural for him, how good!?
And what better way to celebrate the new contract than by setting up the goal that gave them a 1-0 win over Heracles to confirm their top flight status for another year...
Scoring the goal himself would have been better, sure, but we’ll take an assist. And, yes, technically that is his assist despite it being a square pass for a long shot that took a huge deflection. Anselmo MacNulty with the goal, shout out to that guy. It was Thommo’s first assist of this Eredivisie season (to go with the goal he scored against Excelsior in December) - he’s much more about the earlier phases of play these days but it’s up his sleeve if he needs it. Thomas claimed afterwards that he started feeling his hamstring after about half an hour though he was able to fight through 71 minutes to get the job done – and this time they didn’t crumble after he left the pitch, sealing the clean sheet victory. It helped that Heracles had been reduced to ten men by that stage.
NAC Breda lost 2-0 against Utrecht a day prior so Zwolle were already safe from automatic relegation by the time they kicked off. This win means that they cannot fall into the relegation playoff spot either – since Volendam and Telstar play each other in the final round hence they cannot both claim the six points required to catch PEC with only two games to go.
This was Zwolle’s second win in the last 11 matches. A couple of heavy defeats in that run... but also a lot of draws which is what’s kept them ticking over towards safety. There are two games left in the season – away to Fortuna and home to Feyenoord – and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Thomas gets some rest in those ones. If he agrees to it, that is. At least they won’t be forced to replay all their games after the Dutch courts declined a complaint made by NAC Breda regarding a dual-passport eligibility drama sweeping the Netherlands. Ryan Thomas debuted for the All Whites in 2014 so he’s been there before – he missed out on a possible trip to the 2016 Olympics because the Hudson/Martin era NZF jokers doing similar shenanigans.
Up Next: Fortuna vs PEC Zwolle at 2.45am on Monday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
For the third time this season, Callum McCowatt has been named in a Superliga Team of the Month. He and teammate Tonni Adamsen both made the cut for the April edition. During the month of April, McCowatt played five times scoring twice with one assist. The first of those games was the 7-0 loss to Copenhagen but in the other four his team outscored opponents by 9-2 while he was on the pitch... this a team scrambling to avoid relegation no less...
Based on what he’s done since he’s gonna be in the hunt for the May edition too. This after he set up two goals in a 3-2 win for Silkeborg against Odense to move them ever closer to safety. That makes it four wins and a draw in their last five matches (ever since the 7-0 loss to Copenhagen) to go surging beyond the drop zone. They face Copenhagen again next week so hopefully it’s a repeat of Callum McCowatt’s hatty from earlier in the season and not a repeat of that thrashing a few weeks ago. But even if they lose that, they’ll only need to avoid defeat against Fredericia in their final match (or have Fredericia fail to win away to Vejle next week) for the escape to be complete.
Check out the poise and vision of the man...
SIF had gone 1-0 up through Jens Martin Gammelby (18’) but coughed that lead away on 41’ when they turned the ball over at the back to concede a silly one. Therefore it fell upon Callum McCowatt to pick a super reverse ball for Tonni Adamsen to finish (53’) and then show off some slick movement and an even slicker first touch on the turn before unselfishly sliding a square pass for Gammelby to add his second. McCowatt must have heard the stat about how reliant Silkeborg have been upon his and Adamsen’s goals because ever since then he’s been in a giving mood setting up chances for others. He only attempted one (long range) shot in this game yet still managed to be one of its most decisive figures. OB picked up a red card for a last-man challenge in between those goals. They also grabbed a stoppage time headed goal to close the margin but it was too late for them to threaten another equaliser.
Callum McCowatt’s last four games:
2-2 vs Fredericia – Goal
2-1 vs Vejle – Goal
2-0 vs Randers – Assist
3-2 vs Odense – 2 Assists
Two goals and three assists in the past four games. He was subbed after the third goal here so they conceded again with him off the pitch. Going back to that stat from his April efforts, that means we can stretch it out to his past five matches and say that during that time, Silkeborg have outscored opponents by a combined scoreline of 12-3 during the 429 mins that McCowatt has been on the pitch and during the 21 minutes that he’s been on the bench that margin is 0-3.
Overall, he’s now up to 11 goals and 5 assists in the Superliga. His team has scored 40 goals in total and he’s responsible for 16 goal contributions within that... almost half of their overall haul (Tonni Adamsen actually does exceed half with 14 goals and 7 assists – a few of CM’s and TA’s have been assists to each other, including in this game where McCowatt set him up for the second goal). Weirdly, McCowatt has 3G/1A in home games and 8G/4A in away games. Wherever he’s done it, this has been an absolutely tremendous individual season without which his team would have long been dead and buried, and he’s still got two games to go. Career best form in the shadow of a World Cup.
Up Next: Silkeborg v Copenhagen at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Elijah Just – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Eli Just: “Gosh, yeah, I had a really interesting season last year. I was on loan in Austria in the second league and I feel like I had quite a strong first 6 months, but unfortunately after Christmas I was struggling a little bit with a hamstring injury so I didn't play many games. So when it came to the summer window I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. I was looking for a club to take a chance on me where I was able to play in the top league in Europe. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about the World Cup and knowing that I needed to be playing somewhere good to put my name forward to be in the squad for New Zealand and also potentially be a starting player. When Motherwell called, when I spoke with Jens on the phone and I knew that it was an opportunity that I had to take. As soon as I arrived, I knew that I'd made the right choice and ever since that moment, guess myself and the rest of the team haven't really looked back.”
As expected, the accolades keep coming for Elijah Just...
Scottish PFA Premiership Team of the Year
Scottish PFA Premiership Player of the Year Shortlist (Top Four)
Motherwell Player of the Year
Motherwell Players’ Player of the Year
Three of those awards were voted on by his fellow players too, the PFA ones are league-wide while obviously the Motherwell Players’ Player trophy comes courtesy of his teammates. That’s something that has stood out across this season is that no matter how much the fans and media have loved what Elijah Just has been doing, his own teammates love it even more. They get to see all the little extras along the way. They understand how what he does makes life easier for them.
He didn’t help them beat Falkirk though. Instead Motherwell fell to a 1-0 defeat away, their fifth loss in the last seven and the third time that they’ve lost to Falkirk this season. Those guys are their kryptonite for some reason: three defeats and a 0-0 draw in four meetings. Just was in the action early on playing as a striker (they often move their front four around depending on where they see exploitable weaknesses in the opponents) with a couple of half chances: one was deflected wide, shooting first time from outside the box; the other came from a high press but alas he slipped as he shot and dragged it wide.
But that was about it. Falkirk kept picking passes through the Steelmen defence and ended up winning it thanks to Henry Cartwright’s 63rd min goal. Three games to go, Motherwell play the two title contenders next (Hearts and Celtic) and then might need to avoid defeat Hibernian in the final round to hold onto fourth place. If they do dip to fifth then they’ll need Celtic to win the Scottish Cup (which they should seeing as they’re playing second tier club Dunfermline in the final) to get Conference League qualification.
A happier outcome was found with Kilmarnock winning 3-0 against Dundee United. Clean sheet and ninety minutes for George Stanger having re-established himself in the starting line-up for Killie over the last couple months. Might be too late to make a push for the World Cup squad but he’s certainly setting himself up for a fine career in the Scottish Premiership. This win lifts Killie out of the relegation playoff spot above St Mirren by a single point with three games to go (it’s St Mirren vs Kilmarnock next week). Dundee United are a few spots higher and long since safe already – that’s where Jesse Randall is heading next season.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Hearts at 7am on Sunday (NZT)
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Ykkösliiga)
Tahi, rua, toru... that’s a hat-trick for Ollie Whyte. He’s back at FC Haka this season to try and return his former club to the top division in Finland and maybe spark a cup run as well, as they’re well on the way to doing after this 7-0 victory against Ekenäs Reserves.
Whyte hadn’t even played for a couple of months when he was subbed on early in the second half. Must have been injured because he was starting during the League Cup games in February, even scoring a goal against Ekenäs IF, but then missed the first three games of the Ykkösliiga (one win and two draws). This was in the Suomen Cup and FC Haka were pitted against the same club that he already scored against during the other cup competition, only a different team. That stacks up because in only 41 minutes, Whyte still pocketed three goals with the third one being the pick of the bunch. Direct free kick, slick as it gets (even if Haka scored an even better free kick in the first half).
He then played ninety minutes in a 1-0 loss away to MP in the Ykkösliiga. Had a good game staying involved throughout with a couple of good scoring chances along the way. He lined up a free kick at the very end seeking to repeat the dose, this time for an equaliser, but it was blocked. Haka have gone 1W-2D-1L from four games since their relegation. Little bit messy but it’s early days yet.
Up Next: Haka vs EIF on Saturday at 3.30am (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Welcome back Boxy, great to see you again. Following an eight-game absence with an adductor complaint, Boxall returned to training last week and then got fifteen minutes off the bench in a 3-2 win against Columbus Crew. The Loons conceded nine goals in the first two games after he got injured but they’ve found their form since then which has allowed Boxy to take his time with his recovery and avoid any set-backs in a World Cup year. He’s 37 years old after all (although it had been four and a half years since he’d previously missed multiple games in a row through injury for Minnesota United).
This Columbus game was quite the thriller. Columbus were leading 1-0 at half-time and then doubled that after 56 minutes... only for Kelvin Yeboah (59’, 66’) and Anthony Markanich (74’) to spring a massive comeback for the Loons. Boxall was chucked on after they took the lead, replacing a striker in a successful attempt to sure things up the rest of the way. The Cam Knowles x Michael Boxall coach/captain combination has been reunited and immediately that meant another win. Including Knowles’ three-game interim stint from early 2024, those two have had six games together during which Minnesota United have won four games and drawn two. They’re undefeated as a duo.
Also check out who threw the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game the other day...
Minnesota United joined MLS in 2017 so it happens that they’re preparing to celebrate their tenth anniversary and part of that is hosting an open voting process for the MNUFC Team of the Decade... for which you can almost certainly pencil Michael Boxall in for a centre-back spot. He’s their record appearance maker after all. Beloved veteran who has been there since year one. If he stays fit the rest of the way, and if the team makes a playoff run, there’s a chance he could tick over 300 MLS appearances this year. If not then hey maybe they’ll be able to entice him back in 2027, who knows.
Elsewhere, Finn Surman’s Portland Timbers lost 2-0 away to Real Salt Lake as they remain incapable of stringing back to back wins together. Surman had been one of only two ever-present players for the Timbers but now James Pantemis is alone in that club after Surman collected a head knock late in the first half. They bandaged him up so that he could finish the half but he didn’t emerge after the break. There’s a plot twist to this though, as coach Phil Neville later revealed that the head wound was fine and it was actually a tackle to the ankle that he suffered in the second minute of the match which swelled up and caused him to be subbed.
Phil Neville: “It's the biggest honour that you can get to play for your country at a World Cup. But, you know, if you if you concentrate on today and you do the right things today, then tomorrow always looks after itself. And I think particularly for somebody like Finn who's inexperienced, not been to a major tournament, we've been working really well with him in terms of his mindset going into the next four games. Because after these four games, he's going to go away with New Zealand and probably have the biggest moments of his life. That won't happen if he doesn't concentrate now and I think he's he's got his feet firmly on the ground. He knows that his bread and butter is concentration. If he plays well now, it'll help him for the World Cup... Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't the clash of heads. It was the... I thought it was a horrific tackle. [Diego] Luna went straight through him in the early part of the game that that made his ankle swell up. No yellow card. It was that which kept him out of training today. We're probably going to be waiting till the end of the week before he's back in training.”
Up Next: Minnesota United vs Austin at 11am on Monday (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
That’s a nice way to wrap up the season. Durham with a 1-0 win away to Newcastle United and Mickey Foster with the assist. Amber Stobbs scored the goal. Foster played the full ninety in midfield while Hannah Blake was again a lucky charm for Durham playing 72 minutes on the wing in another positive result. These last two weeks were the only instance of Durham winning consecutive games this season. Foster played every game for Durham during this WSL2 campaign, starting all but one of them, while Blake was out of favour for a while there but came back strong in the last month.
Crystal Palace missed out on the WSL2 championship despite thumping Portsmouth 6-1 in the injured Indi Riley’s absence. Not enough to overturn the goal difference margin with Birmingham who won 2-0 against Charlton (who themselves would have won the title if they’d been victorious). That means Birmingham and Palace have earned promotion while Charlton will have a playoff to try join them in an expanded WSL. Riley’s contract is about to expire and she barely featured for them all season so it seems unlikely that promotion is going to benefit her career at all.
Elsewhere, Ipswich Town polished off their revival with a 2-1 win over Sunderland in which, happily, Grace Neville was gifted her first start since the last time they played Sunderland back in December. She was injured for a lot of that time but she also suffered from a January transfer splurge. She showed them what’s up with an assist in that match though (it was a short pass leading to some individual class but an assist is an assist, don’t argue). Katie Kitching wasn’t able to add to her count for Sunderland. We’ll see what the offseason brings for all of these ladies.
NZers in the 2025-26 English WSL2
| WSL2 | Club | Games | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Yellows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michaela Foster | Durham | 22 | 1935 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Katie Kitching | Sunderland | 22 | 1519 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Grace Neville | Ipswich | 14 | 935 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hannah Blake | Durham | 16 | 902 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Indiah-Paige Riley | Crystal Palace | 7 | 163 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Up Next: Season complete
Marko Stamenić - Swansea City (English Championship)
The final day of the Championship season, as per the custom, saw every game kick off at the same time and in some alternate reality that must have been an incredible spectacle for the four kiwis involved. Not in this one though. Swansea City won 3-1 against Charlton to confirm a top half finish (11th/24 teams) but all the goals were scored after the 73rd minute and Marko Stamenić was substituted at half-time as coach Vitor Matos shared the minutes evenly between him and Jay Fulton, the 32yo English midfielder whom Stam has been alternating with for a lot of this season. Didn’t even have time to get a yellow card which means that he was left stranded in second equal with 12 bookings (one of nine players with 12 yellows, while Matt Crooks of Hull City led the way with 13).
He still gets to headline this section because nobody else did anything either. Tyler Bindon didn’t recover from his ankle knock in time to partake as Sheffield United won 2-1 away against Derby County. Looks like he’s played his last game for the Blades. That result didn’t matter for Sheffield Utd but it helped Wrexham by preventing Derby from catching them for sixth place. Alas, Hull City got the better of Norwich with a 2-1 win so Wrexham still needed to win their own fixture and they failed to do so. They had an awful start conceding inside four minutes. It was then 2-2 at half-time and it was still 2-2 at full time so Hull leapfrogged Wrexham on the final day to knock the Red Dragons down to seventh and out of the playoffs. Libby Cacace was on the bench again but since they were chasing a winning goal they used all their subs on attacking players and ignored him – fit enough for the bench but still without having played a game since early February with the season now at a conclusion.
Max Crocombe’s campaign isn’t over. He hasn’t played for a similar portion of time to Cacace but he’s ready if/when they need him. Millwall won 2-0 against Oxford Town on decision day to take care of what they could control. Alas, Ipswich were even more convincing winning 3-0 against Queen’s Park Rangers to lock down the second automatic promotion spot. Actually, that’s not an ‘alas’ situation. Ipswich have Henry Gray on their books while Crocombe is an impending free agent so it’s more likely that Ipswich have kiwi involvement in the Premier League next season than Millwall would have. But maybe they’ll both get there. The Lions will meet Hull City over two legs in the semis while Southampton and Middlesbrough compete for the other ticket to Wembley Stadium.
NZers in the 2025-26 English Championship
| Club | Games | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Yellows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marko Stamenic | Swansea City | 36 | 2492 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| Max Crocombe | Millwall | 23 | 2070 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Bindon | Sheffield United | 25 | 2029 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Liberato Cacace | Wrexham | 12 | 721 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Up Next: The only one left is Hull vs Millwall on Sat at 7am; then Millwall vs Hull on Tues at 7am (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – Huddersfield Town (English League One)
Nik Tzanev can’t have been expecting to play for Huddersfield during his six month contract, joining mid-season to be the third choice keeper as they tried to push for League One playoffs. But a concussion to number one Lee Nicholls and then back spasms for backup Jak Alnwick meant that he debuted off the bench last week and then got to make his first (and only) start for the club this week in the last match of the season at a very familiar venue away to AFC Wimbledon. Tzanev spent the overwhelming bulk of his carer at AFC Wimbledon, playing in 126 games for them (over 100 more than he’s played for any other team). He kept 30 clean sheets in those matches, many of them at Plough Lane... and he kept another one in this game albeit for the other team.
Huddersfield won 4-0. It was a drubbing, with only one team turning up with proper motivation in a dead-rubber encounter. Tzanev had a very chilled day at the office only facing one shot all match... though that one shot did require plenty of saving...
It was still 1-0 at that stage and Huddersfield went down the other end and scored the second almost immediately afterwards. Sneaky critical moment even if it was a walk in the park from then onwards. Tanz shipped a pretty soft one last week so lovely to have laid down one banger of a highlight to show for his time as a Terrier. A clean sheet too. Tzanev has played for three clubs in two seasons since leaving Wimbledon and is on the lookout for another one as an impending free agent (both Nicholls and Alnwick are contracted for next season so there’s little reason for Tzanev to stay).
It’s a good thing Tzanev gave us something to talk about because the other League One stuff was very lame. Ben Waine wasn’t involved for Port Vale in a 2-0 loss to Lincoln City. He had started midweek though only played half a game despite getting that early assist. Might have been a minor injury, not wanting to risk anything with relegation already confirmed and a World Cup on the way. Might have just been rotation. Anyway, the club have confirmed that he is one of the 15 players under contract for next season that they intend to keep. Four others were listed as “under contract and available for transfer” while a further 15 players were either released or have had their loans expire. Onel Hernandez has been invited to return to preseason training without a contract. The Vale will look pretty different down in League Two by the sounds of it... though Waine-o will be sticking around. Should be his first settled pre-season since he moved to England – every other year he’s had to try prove himself either somewhere new or somewhere that didn’t see immediate first eleven potential in him. But he’s shown he belongs at PVFC and been treated accordingly. Don’t underestimate how important that can be.
As for Matt Garbett, he played ninety minutes for Peterborough in a 3-1 defeat against Doncaster in which all the goals were scored in the last twenty. Garbs had a couple of shots from outside the box, worked hard and created some decent stuff. He did fine. More importantly, this was the first time he’s lasted a full game since back in January before his foot injury. Posh will remain in League One next term hence their Released/Retained list was a little less ruthless than Port Vale’s. Only a little though. Garbs is one of 17 players under contract... excluding the eight “professional players available for transfer” – savage how clubs are all of a sudden just announcing that stuff for the world to see. However, we already know that they’ll entertain offers for Garbett if there are enough zeroes on the cheque. The club chairman got drunk and tweeted it out a few weeks back.
Down in League Two, Harrogate Town lost 2-1 at home to Barnet in the final round which means they failed to avoid relegation to the National League. Henry Gray didn’t play in their last three matches (two wins and a draw) as they went back to the experience of Mark Oxley in goal. Not sure if that was injury-related, since Gray wasn’t even on the bench for those games, or if it was about preferring a veteran between the sticks for such crucial fixtures. Or if maybe things had just wound down naturally for a dude who was only there on loan. Harrogate have since confirmed that he’s returning to Ipswich Town (who were just promoted back to the Premier League), thanking him for the efforts which saw him play 18 league games for the club, with three clean sheets and only 24 goals conceded. That was 1.33 goals against per game with Gray, 1.57 goals against without him (admittedly their problem was much more to do with scoring goals). All in all, another positive loan move for Henry Gray and his first taste of EFL action having moved from sixth tier to fifth tier to fourth tier in his last three loans. Gray has one more year on his current Ipswich deal.
Not much to mention from the non-leagues. Zac Jones booked promotion from sixth tier to fifth tier last week with AFC Fylde, already wrote about that in the previous edition. Braintree Town were relegated from fifth to sixth with Tommy Smith restricted to 17/46 appearances due to injuries. He captained them in a 5-1 loss to Tamworth in the last game. Also Matt Dibley-Dias joined him there on loan and was able to play eight games at the end of the term after injuries had chopped short his loan at Cheltenham (League Two) at the start of the season. Other sixth tier fellas were: Jago Godden, who earned a transfer to Drogheda in Ireland via Walsall thanks to his work with Bedford Town; Jamie Searle who started the season as Eastbourne’s number one but got dropped after four games and was backup the rest of the way – though did get a start in the 3-1 win vs Chelmsford in the last round after his team had already been relegated in last place; and Jacob Borgnis who is a 21yo defensive midfielder and NZ youth international who spent much of the term at Slough Town on loan from Reading, getting injured in March but returning off the bench in the final match.
That leaves Matt Gould up in the fifth tier. We’ve saved him for last because in keeping with the family tradition he’s more of a player-coach at Yeovil Town sitting on the bench and not expecting to play. He has been an unused substitute on 90 occasions since joining Yeovil... but they subbed him on in stoppage time of their last game of the season, finally giving him that overdue debut as a reward for his mahi. Amazing scenes...
What’s more, they’ve since given him a contract extension for next term.
NZers in the English Lower Leagues 2025-26
| Club | Tier | Games | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Yellows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Garbett | Peterborough | 3 | 30 | 2124 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Ben Waine | Port Vale | 3 | 27 | 1133 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Nik Tzanev | Huddersfield | 3 | 2 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nik Tzanev | Newport County | 4 | 11 | 990 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry Gray | Harrogate Town | 4 | 18 | 1524 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Matt Dibley-Dias | Cheltenham (Loan) | 4 | 4 | 139 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tommy Smith | Braintree | 5 | 17 | 1217 | 0 | 1 | 2 (+1 Red) |
| Matt Dibley-Dias | Braintree (Loan) | 5 | 8 | 525 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Gould | Yeovil | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zac Jones | AFC Fylde | 6 | 46 | 4140 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jago Godden | Bedford Town | 6 | 11 | 935 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Jamie Searle | Eastbourne | 6 | 7 | 630 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Borgnis | Slough (Loan) | 6 | 19 | 1415 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
(Keep in mind that Ben Waine also scored five goals in cup competitions, including three in that glorious run to the FA Cup quarters – these are only league stats).
Up Next: World Cup for some, free agency for others
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Always rate a derby win. Katie Bowen hasn’t actually been playing that much recently, coming off the bench in the last three league games after being an unused sub in the Coppa Italia second leg semi-final defeat to Roma. Mentioned it many times throughout the season but Inter Milan have five international centre-backs competing for three spots in the formation so that’s how it goes. But there might be a reprieve for the last two matches because Marija Milinkovic was red carded near the end of the win against AC Milan and will presumably be suspended as a result of that deliberate last-defender challenge. Probably saved them the victory with that foul just outside the area though, gotta do what you’ve gotta do.
Bowen had already been subbed on at right wing-back by then, filling in for the injured Beatrice Merlo, so that’s two positions where she might be required in the starting eleven next week. As for this week, Haley Bujega scored a very nice winner from the edge of the box just before half-time. That 1-0 win means that Inter are still mathematically in the title race (which is a thing people say when it becomes clear that a team is not going to win the title) and much more crucially, since it’s more realistic, it means the lowest they can finish is second in Serie A. Champions League qualifiers will be returning to Internazionale. Bowen’s contract ends in a month though, gotta wait and see if she’s re-signed.
Up Next: Juventus vs Inter at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
These bloody guys lost again, beaten 2-1 by Rodez to make it three defeats in a row right when they had promotion within their sights. Full game for Ben Old but it would be useful if he started getting goal contributions from left-back because the forwards aren’t doing it very consistently at the moment. Old got a goal and an assist in the first match of the season and that’s still the extent of his haul. The only good thing to report is that Le Mans only drew so ASSE can still finish second if results go their way in the final matchweek... they could also finish as low as fifth. Second place is automatic promotion, if they finish any lower then they’ll be doing playoffs.
Over on the women’s side, Dijon lost 2-1 to Paris with Kate Taylor playing 80 minutes in central defence. Expected outcome against a team above them on the ladder. Dijon face champions Lyonnais in the last set of fixtures so it seems they’ll be settling into sixth place. Bit of a drop after being fourth last season.
Up Next: ASSE vs Amiens at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - Lechia Gdansk (Polish Ekstraklasa)
AP turned up at Lechia when they were dead last with a points reduction and having conceded the most goals in the league through the early rounds. They battled their way up the table from there and for a small window of time were even pondering if the European spots were in reach. Now they’ve lost three of the last four and suddenly they’re only two points above the relegation zone again. This latest defeat was a 3-1 scoreline away against Radomiak Radom despite their opponents getting a red card after only 36 minutes while it was only 1-0. Paulsen was not without blame either, being slow to react to all three goals with the second one being the most save-able.
In many ways this has been an excellent season for him adapting to European football in a tough environment... but not stastically. He’s only kept two clean sheets in 22 matches, conceding 1.64 goals per game with a save percentage of just 62.9% and quite a number of concessions that the A-League version of AP would have been expected to save. 36 goals conceded from 30.16 xGOT. No stress in the long run... however his wobbly form could tip the scales when it comes to World Cup playing time. The flipside is that Max Crocombe isn’t playing at all for Millwall right now but when he was he was superb. Depends whether Darren Bazeley prioritises momentum or prioritised the entirety of the season. Hmm.
Up Next: Widzew Lodz vs Lechia Gdansk at 12.45am Sunday (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Not a lot going on there from the kiwi perspective. Grace Wisnewksi missed the 1-1 draw with leaders HB Køge while Malia Steinmetz had another wee cameo off the bench. Wiz has had a run of starts in central defence but did get subbed with a couple mins to go last week, suggesting there may be an injury at work here. Nevertheless, this was a very good result which, combined with another defeat for Fortuna, raises FCN up to third in the standings and puts them on course to return to UEFA competition next season if they can see it through. Elsewhere, Ally Green had her best game yet for FC Copenhagen, though it wasn’t enough for them to find a winner against Odense. They drew 0-0 to remain one point outside the promotion spots with four games remaining. Still everything to play for there.
Over in Sweden, Eskilstuna United won 2-0 against Norrköping for their second win in three games after promotion to the Damallsvenskan. Gabi Rennie played 72 minutes and her cross helped set up the second goal. Vittsjö were also victorious beating AIK 1-0 thanks to a goal from their Aussie striker Daniela Gali, with. Milly Clegg getting five minutes at the end in place of Galic. That was Vittsjö’s first win after three straight defeats so a much-needed result there.
Up Next: Kolding vs Nordsjælland at 10am on Saturday (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Boeung Ket (Cambodian Premier League)
That’s the way to do it, a goal and as assist for Myer Bevan as his Boeung Ket team beat Moses Dyer’s Phnom Penh Crown 2-0, with both goals coming inside the last five minutes plus stoppage time. For PPC, this continues a horrific end to the season where everything just collapsed upon them. Two months ago they were in the hunt for a league, cup, continental treble... and since then they’ve lost 9/10 games. They’re still somehow hanging onto second place in the league despite that capitulation but Moses Dyer will be getting no silverware to go with all his goals – he only played off the bench in this game as they rotated the squad with nothing to play for over these final few weeks.
Great stuff for Myer Bevan though. His team are into the semis of the Hun Sen Cup (having drawn 1-1 with Svay Rieng in the first leg at home) and with two CPL games to go they sit fourth with a chance of climbing as high as second – only three points behind PPC after this result. Bevan scored four times in an earlier round of the cup but other than that he’s not actually been very prolific despite starting regularly for Boeung Ket. Prior to this match he only had one goal and no assists from 14 league appearances, adding up to more than 1000 minutes. But he was absolutely decisive in this one, much more like the bloke who has been a perennial Golden Boot threat in the NZ National League and the Canadian Premier League for several years.
Up Next: Svay Rieng vs Boeung Ket in the CPL at 11pm on Thursday (NZT)
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