Flying Kiwis – July 15
Hannah Blake – Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
You never quite know what the situation is when a player is released by a club. After Hannah Blake was let go by Durham last week, that could have been the English club saying ka kite after two years where she hadn’t been able to sustain a consistent first eleven spot. She’d finished last season in good form but that was with an interim coach and Durham have since hired Willie Kirk to be their new boss (a controversial decision to say the least). It could have been that. But as it turns out, Blake left because she had a much better offer on the table, saying kia ora to Rangers Football Club. One year since Vic Esson left and they realised they couldn’t go any longer without a New Zealander in their squad. A wise course of action on their part.
Esson won multiple cup titles while she was with Rangers but couldn’t ever get over the line in the SWPL. Wasn’t any different last season without her as Rangers finished two points behind Hearts, settling for second place... though with it comes the consolation prize of Champions League entry. So Blake’s got that to look forward to. This will be a very different dynamic for her following two seasons in the English second tier with a club that was losing much more than they were winning. Rangers tend to tally up some pretty massive victory margins given the disparity between the best and worst teams in Scotland and Blake, as an attacking player who is at her best when she’s part of a flowing team rather than being expected to bring out the solo magic, could really thrive playing front-foot footy. We’ve been waiting to see which Football Ferns would make ambitious moves one year out from the World Cup... this is a fantastic way to get that started.
Head Coach Leanne Crichton added: “We're delighted to welcome Hannah to Rangers. She's a player who will add quality and versatility to our attacking options in the wide areas and we're excited to see what she can bring to the squad. Hannah has gained valuable experience across a number of different leagues and has also tested herself on the international stage with New Zealand. Those experiences have helped shape her into a player who is confident, adaptable, and always willing to work for the team. She's an exciting player who likes to be positive in possession, can play across the front line, and has a real desire to continue developing her game. From our conversations, it was clear she was enthusiastic about joining Rangers and embracing the ambitions we have as a club.”
The Champions League draw has already been done and Rangers will be hosting their mini-tournament. Gotta beat Slavia Prague (Czechia) in the first game to progress and then a few days later the winner of that match plays the winner of Ajax (Netherlands) and Brøndby (Denmark). This is the League Path portion of the draw so all four of those teams finished second in their domestic comps. There’s also a third-fourth playoff because while only the winners of each mini-tourney advance to the playoff round, the second and third ranked teams drop into the Europa Cup qualifiers... which is more what Rangers should be aiming for given their limited history of success on the continent (Vic Esson was in goal two years ago when Rangers lost 6-0 to Arsenal at the equivalent stage). Hosting rights will help massively though.
Due to our very limited selection of kiwis at winning clubs in the strongest divisions last season, the only NZer who qualified for UWCL was Katie Bowen with Inter Milan and she’s since left that club (rumour is she’ll be signing with Lazio). Grace Wisnewski and Malia Steinmetz (FC Nordsjælland) narrowly missed out to Brøndby, otherwise they’d have been in this same mini-tournament. Both of them started for FCN in a preseason game this morning, by the way. With luck there’ll be more transfers on this level but for now it’s up to Hannah Blake to fly the flag in the UWCL.
Up Next: Slavia Praha vs Rangers is on 5 August TBD (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
The All Whites World Cup squad fellas are slowly beginning to filter back into their club environments, as you’ll see throughout the rest of this article. Some have been given more of a rest than others – like Ryan Thomas who has been left out of PEC Zwolle’s training camp squad (along with Sherel Floranus who was also at the World Cup with Curacao). Others have eased their way into preseason activities over the past few days, although so far none have been rushed into any friendly games.
Joe Bell isn’t in preseason. The Eliteserien is smack-bang in the middle and Viking have a championship to defend so patience was not an option. Bell did miss a few games leading up to the World Cup as he took care with an injury, with 20yo local midfielder Tobias Moi doing a fine job in his absence... but he’s good to go again after starting all three World Cup games for the All Whites so he went straight back into his usual central defensive midfielder role for VFK as they travelled to face Sarpsborg in their first game after the break, a little over two weeks since he started for New Zealand vs Belgium.
Joe Bell: “My body feels good now. I think I have had an advantage from playing on grass, since it’s less strain on the body. I feel completely healthy now and ready to get started again. I’ve been in a good training and match rhythm. It was important for me to have a short break, to rest my head and body. I needed it because the pressure of playing in the World Cup is very different.
It’s important that we find a good balance. We are all just really looking forward to [Champions League qualifiers]. With so many matches, it is important to have a broad and healthy squad. We have deep quality in the team across the positions and I think we’re more prepared this year than we were last year. Every game in the Eliteserien is equally important but I think we will handle it well.”
Only for 45 minutes though. They gave him one half then let Moi have the other half so as not to go nuts with it. Sadly, neither half was very good for Viking. They lost 1-0 to snap a nine-game winning streak in the league. With Tromsø beating Vålerenga, that means Viking have dropped down to second... albeit with three games in hand over Tromsø and only one point behind. They were able to get two matches postponed (including one against Tromsø) on account of having a couple of players at the World Cup so Viking have played the equal fewest games in the division – and if they win those games in hand, they’ll be at least four points clear once again. Their other World Cup player is defender Henrik Falchener who was in the Norway squad, making one appearance in the 4-1 loss to France.
Pretty cautious for Joe Bell. Pretty messy from Viking. But remember they suffered a surprise defeat in the first game of the season too and have been excellent ever since. Seems they always just need a rolling start, that’s all. As long as they’re firing in mid-August when the Champions League qualification playoff round takes place. We’re a couple rounds away from finding out who they’ll play but Viking will have two games, one home and one away, in which to try get themselves into the UCL League Phase... and even if they fail, they’ll fall safely into the Europa League. Straight from an Eliteserien title into a World Cup into a Champions League quest... Joe Bell’s doing this football thing right.
Up Next: Viking vs Sandefjord at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Owen Parker-Price - Örgryte IS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Owen Parker-Price spent six years at Torslanda mostly alternating between the third and fourth divisions of Swedish footy. Then roughly 12 months ago he got a long overdue move to ÖIS and the rest is history. Instant impact for his new club as they earned promotion to the Allsvenskan. An All Whites debut, only narrowly missing out on World Cup selection. He’s continued as a first eleven midfielder for Örgryte in the top division and now his crazy rise is threatening to get even more bonkers with rumours that defending champs Mjällby have pinpointed him as a transfer target. If that comes to pass, he could be playing Champions League by the end of the year. Imagine that.
Not to say that it will... he’s been a key figure in the middle of the park Örgryte, who are battling to avoid relegation back down to where they came from. You don’t sell your best players when you’re in that position if you can help it. Every club has that point where the financial trade-off becomes too much to turn down, although Mjällby’s title run was considered a major underdog success story, winning the championship as a small coastal club with a large number of homegrown players... so dunno if they’ve got an Offer You Can’t Refuse in them. See how it goes. They’re also not up to much in their title defence, currently sitting tenth with a 4-4-4 record after losing 2-1 to AIK most recently. The transfer window opened in Sweden on 7 July and carries onwards until the end of August. For the time being, ÖIS are digging in their heels...
Pontus Farnerud, Örgryte football director: “Regarding Owen's status and how he has performed in ÖIS, we saw immediately last season when he came in what an incredibly skilled footballer he is. It's a big step from Division 1 to the Super League and then again to the Allsvenskan, but he has shown that he has qualities to do very well at an Allsvenskan level. We hold Owen very high internally and think we will get a lot out of him both next games and during the season, and also hopefully for a longer period of time.”
His agent was more open-minded...
OOP’s agent: “Owen has done very well in Örgryte and feels at home in the club and in Gothenburg. It would take a lot for him to move now, but we'll see what happens. I am not surprised that there is interest.”
There might be even more interest after Parker-Price had a starring role in Örgryte finally snapping out of their winless streak, delivering a pair of assists (his first goal contributions in the Allsvenskan coming in his 11th appearance – matching what Francis de Vries achieved in the division in the same number of games), including setting up the match-winning goal in the 87th minute as Örgryte won 4-3 in a derby thriller against BK Häcken.
OPP did his bit in a corner kick routine for the first strike, returning the ball to the taker, Adam Andersson, who did the important bit. That guy spent five years playing for Häcken earlier in his career – this was his debut for Örgryte after joining from Aalborg in Denmark during the week. Häcken responded pretty quickly and by half-time were leading 2-1. Two quick goals in the last twenty saw ÖIS flip that around into a 3-2 lead, only for Häcken to promptly respond for 3-3. But Parker-Price’s driven ball towards the feet of Noah Christoffersson led to a fourth for Örgryte and proved the difference between the two sides.
This was a serious win for them, toppling the third-placed team on the ladder. Funny thing about this Örgryte season is that they’ve only won twice but those two wins have come against defending champs Mjällby (another reason why they’ve got their eye on OPP, no doubt) and a team currently challenging for continental footy in Häcken. It had been nine winless games between those two results so safe to say they needed that. Gets them out of last place ahead of Halmstad and within range of climbing out of the relegation zone altogether.
That result was also great news for GAIS who won 1-0 against Elfsborg and are now only one point behind Häcken, sitting fourth and rising as they prepare for their Europa Conference League qualifiers against FC Nordsjælland of Denmark later this month. Goalkeeper Mergim Krasniqi had another superb performance between the sticks in the Elfsborg win. Can’t offer much hope for Kees Sims overtaking him when the team kinda sucked while Krasniqi was injured (2 points from 5 games) and have been awesome ever since he returned (17 points in 8 games with their only loss coming against runaway league leaders Sirius)... although Sims has remained on the bench as Krasniqi’s back-up with Andreas Hermansen (who usurped Sims’ spot as the deputy starter during those early struggles) still out injured.
Up Next: Örgryte vs Djurgården at 5am on Tuesday (NZT)
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
Back in action and resuming their winning ways. Wasn’t a great way for FH to begin their first match in sixteen days as they fell 2-0 down within twenty minutes against Throttur... but when this team hits their groove they score goals for fun so next thing you knew Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir had bagged five in a row all by herself (31’, 33’, 35’, 47’, 57’) – five goals in the space of thirty minutes of game time including a five-minute hatty – and the Hafnarfjörður side were cruising towards another three points.
Helena Errington was subbed after the fifth goal from Hermannsdóttir so she didn’t get herself on the scoresheet as FH settled for a 7-3 victory to stretch their unbeaten streak to eight league games. What she did do was she assisted the first goal then won the penalty for the second (which Hermannsdóttir missed but scored on the follow-up). Then she set up the fifth one too. Not bad for a little over an hour’s work. Errington has 2 goals and 3 assists in her last five appearances (plus another goal and two more assists in the cup).
Meanwhile, Breiðablik were shockingly beaten 3-2 by last-placed Fram, meaning FH have risen into first place with a two-point buffer. Every team has played ten games. From here, there are eight more rounds of the regular stuff before they get five additional games in the championship rounds. We’re not even halfway through the season yet... but FH are going grand and Helena Errington’s been a big part of that.
Up Next: Away to Grindavik/Njarovik at 7.15am on Saturday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Sitting here waiting for Motherwell to sell a New Zealander and they’ve signed one instead. Elijah Just will have some kiwi company for as long as he remains in town after Alex Paulsen was picked up on a season-long loan from Bournemouth.
This will be AP’s third loan since signing a four-year contract with AFC Bournemouth. Last year they kept him around throughout preseason, giving him some friendly game minutes along the way, but this time he’s been shipped off right at the start of that process so we don’t need to expend much energy talking about how this loan fits into his ambitions to play Premier League for the Cherries... it doesn’t. It means something more: this is about proving that he can cut it as a goalkeeper in European club footy beyond the duration of this Bournemouth contract, especially after a very stink time in Poland with Lechia Gdansk last time around.
This loan move is a way better fit than the last one. An English-speaking country with a club that should be finishing in the top half, winning more games than they lose, that likes to play the kind of front-foot passing footy that he does best within. In Poland he was bombarded with crosses, in Scotland he’ll get the ball at his feet. Motherwell have swapped managers with Jens Berthel Askou moving on to Toulouse in France but they hired another Scandinavian coach, Alfred Johansson, to replace him specifically to try keep some continuity with a very popular and effective playing style. It suited Eli Just to a tee last season and it’ll suit Alex Paulsen this one.
That’s supposing he plays, of course. Still gotta earn it. Calum Ward was goalie for the Steelmen last term and he’s been transferred to QPR (for an estimated £800,000 fee) so the number one spot is up for grabs... but AP will face competition from 23yo academy graduate Matty Connelly and 28yo former Norwich keeper Aston Oxborough. Connelly made his league debut late last season while Ox had a 22-game run as the number one during the season before last so neither has much of a backlog behind them but they have both been at the club for several years and will see this as their opportunity to stake a claim on the gloves. Paulsen’s not exactly coming into this in good form either, he’s got a lot to prove. Should be a good challenge for him.
Alfred Johansson: “Alex has already shown domestically and internationally that he is an impressive goalkeeper with an exciting career ahead of him. He had a hugely successful spell in Australia and New Zealand, where he received a number of personal accolades, but he was also a part of teams that liked to play a certain style of football and they achieved their targets. His last two loan moves have been successful for him personally and we see this as the next step for his development. He is highly thought of by his country. He has just arrived back from being in the New Zealand World Cup squad so he is ready to hit the ground running. With Calum [Ward] moving on, it was obvious that we needed to recruit in this position. We see Alex as a very similar type of goalkeeper in terms of his strengths. Matty [Connelly] did very well in our friendly match in Denmark and against Carlisle and bringing Alex in will increase competition in this area.”
Lot of weight being carried by the world “personally” in those comments considering how Lechia Gdańsk got relegated (and even then it’s probably not true but hey it’s a signing announcement, gotta stay positive). Anyway, it’s the point about his similarities to Ward that is most enticing. They’ve scouted him as a like-for-like.
Remember also that Motherwell have Europa Conference League qualifiers coming up very soon – they’ve been drawn against Havnar Bóltfelag from the Faroe Islands, home and away, in the second qualifying round. If they play to their capacity then they should win that, which would put them into the third qualifying round with a playoff round to follow before the League Phase. They’ll be busy jetting around the continent trying to take this thing as far as possible and Alex Paulsen could make his debut within the next two weeks, depending on how quickly they integrate him (and how well the other keepers go in the meantime).
Will Elijah Just be part of that? Not if he’s sold before then and everyone seems to be assuming that’ll happen. He’s certainly earned a move up the footballing ranks. But he has checked in for preseason with Motherwell and may still be on the books when those qualifiers begin and if that’s the case then they might as well play him. There are cup-tying restrictions in UEFA but they don’t apply to the qualifying rounds – in other words, he can play qualifiers for one club and then switch and play from the League Phase onwards for another so this wouldn’t limit his transfer options if a move of that calibre came along. It might put him at risk of injury though – and if Motherwell believe he’s leaving then they may not want to risk the hefty fee coming their way. We’ll see how it goes... point being he can play those games if things align that way.
By the way, there’s also a strong rumour that Jake Girdwood-Reich, formerly of Auckland FC, is about to join Motherwell on loan. Paulsen and JGR didn’t overlap at Auckland but that’s still a funky one – those Scottish Prem clubs sure do love their A-League scouting.
Up Next: There’s a friendly vs Genk on Saturday at 6am, might see at least one of the lads involved then (NZT)
Jesse Randall - Dundee United (Scottish Premiership)
Even if Elijah Just leaves, Scotland is still going to be a very busy spot for kiwi footballers this year. Alex Paulsen’s move to Motherwell combined with Hannah Blake getting an NZ presence back in the SWPL with Rangers have assured that. Don’t forget George Stanger entering his second year with Kilmarnock either. And certainly don’t overlook Jesse Randall who announced his move to Dundee United several months ago, another one of those beautiful instances of a local footballer getting given an opportunity and thriving with it. From Wellington Olympic to Auckland FC to Dundee United in the space of a couple years... with a World Cup appearance in there too.
Jesse Randall: “I had a decent experience in the United States playing college football and learning about life as well. But my first pro season [for Charleston Battery in America] was not great, and then I went on trials in the UK with five different clubs: Barnsley, Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday, Torquay United and Dundalk in Ireland. So, a fair few. I was 20, trialling with U21s and it was very difficult because I was a bit on the older side and that gets taken into consideration. Mum and Dad helped me a lot, spending money to get me over here. Then I was paying for hotels and staying with my family down in England between trials. It was a bit full-on – but it really helps with resilience and appreciating everything else a lot more now. It does give perspective and I can really enjoy being at Dundee United and experiencing what it's like here.”
This will be a fascinating season for Randall, who showed some scintillating stuff for Auckland FC last A-League campaign, enough to get himself on the pitch at the World Cup, though he also clearly needs to keep ironing out that final product and finding ways to stay involved with his pace and directness. He made huge strides over the past 12 months and this move should encourage further progress. They’ve already signed a couple strikers (Idjessi Metsoko & Lachlan Rose) and a right-winger (Mehdi Merghem) hence it looks like Randall’s been hired for the left wing. Same as he played for Auckland FC... and he’ll be wearing the same #21 jersey too.
Dundee Utd are two games into their League Cup group with two more matchdays to follow. They won 1-0 against Stirling in the first of those fixtures but then were shocked in a 1-0 loss to Montrose in the second. An all-Aussie strike duo of Zach Sarpsford and Lachie Rose didn’t do much there (they also had Josh Rawlins at left-back... three Aussies and a Kiwi in this Dundee Utd squad) while there was a teenager holding Randall’s beer on the left-wing. The League Cup does have preseason vibes coming when it does on the calendar so there was some minutes management at work. But that’s still a stink result. We’ll see how quickly they work Jesse Randall into the equation since it looks like they could use him.
Elijah Just debuted for Motherwell in this competition twelve months ago (and the rest is history) but the Steelmen aren’t in the League Cup group stage this time. They qualified for Europe and those teams get to skip straight through to the knockouts hence Alex Paulsen will have to wait a stretch for his first game. George Stanger was straight back into it for Kilmarnock though. He played the full game at centre-back in a 0-0 draw against Raith Rovers, with Killie winning the penalty shootout to earn a bonus point (Stanger didn’t take one). That was their first game and next he’ll get to mark a fellow kiwi in Oli Colloty when they face Elgin City. More on him in a sec.
There’s also been a sighting of Matthew Warbrick on the bench for Ayr United in both of their League Cup games thus far. They never seem to want to play him when he’s available but that does at least confirm that the 25yo winger remains with the Scottish Championship club, having joined a year ago after a successful trial. So far he’s only played three minutes of competitive footy in an SFA Cup game but here’s hoping for a fitter and more fruitful second season.
Up Next: Dundee Utd vs Arbroath at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Oliver Colloty - Elgin City (Scottish League Two)
Yeah go on, get in. First proper game back at Elgin City, where he spent a few months on loan last season and has now returned on a permanent basis, and Oli Colloty got his name on the scoresheet. Elgin City lost 3-1 to Raith Rovers but that’s to be expected against a team two divisions higher. Good to see Colloty hunting in the penalty area. Good to see him starting not only this game but also the 3-1 loss against his former club Peterhead (who are in League One) a few days later.
One thing about Colloty is that despite struggling for fitness and selection at times since moving to Scotland, he has pretty consistently been able to find the back of the net with 12 goals in 1900 minutes across the various competitions (and we don’t really need a concession for cup footy here since he’s only been at League One/Two clubs where they’re usually the underdogs in those comps). We need more striking depth in the All Whites player pool and OC is a bloke who could be poised to offer something.
And if he needs any inspiration about moving up the divisions in Scotland he need look no further than the fella who’ll be marking him in his next game: George Stanger. That guy did admittedly begin his career at a Premiership club (Hamilton Academical)... but as recently as five years ago he was playing non-league football and has worked all the way back up to the Prem from there.
Up Next: Elgin City vs Kilmarnock on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Lawton Green - Alloa Athletic (Scottish League One)
Alloa Athletic: “Alloa Athletic are pleased to confirm the signing of goalkeeper Lawton Green. The 22-year-old New Zealand shot-stopper was a graduate of the Motherwell academy in 2021. Lawton later signed for Greenock Morton then a stint abroad in Indonesia with Kuala Lumpur City. Lawton spent last season as the understudy to Ross Stewart at Queen of the South. The move to Alloa ensures the two keepers will continue their close working relationship.”
There ya go, another one for the Scottish contingent with Tauranga-born goalkeeper Lawton Green making the shift from Queen of the South to Alloa Athletic, a parallel move within League One. Green, who turns 23yo in a month, was the back-up goalie for QOTS last year where he made one appearance off the bench when the main man got injured. That main man was Ross Stewart who has since joined Alloa Athletic and now Lawton Green has followed him. Sweet as. Definitely a back-up goalkeeper situation again but perhaps he’s ready for a few more rotational opportunities. He’s already had one of those, lining up in the League Cup as Alloa Athletic lost 2-0 to Edinburgh City. Not ideal to go down to a team a division below but oh well.
Up Next: Alloa vs Stanraer at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Suya Haering - Montpellier (French Première Ligue)
Here’s another Football Fern making an exciting move ahead of a World Cup year. Suya Haering came up with Auckland United and was a pretty decorated NZ youth international. Shades of a young Ali Riley in how she works up and down the left edge as a defender. A couple years ago she made the switch to Germany where she teamed up with Maya Hahn at Turbine Potsdam and then one year later she swapped to Carl Zeiss Jena. At 21yo, Haering has already spent two full years in the Bundesliga at a time when we’re struggling for NZ internationals in the very top leagues around the world... but there’s a catch.
Haering’s teams were both relegated with wooden spoons. Turbine Potsdam went 0-1-21 with a -68 goal difference in 2024-25. They only scored five goals in 22 games. The following year she moved to the club that finished directly above them and Carl Zeiss Jena went 2-5-19 with a -60 goal difference in a slightly longer season. Better... but still dead last. Haering made 32 appearances across those two seasons with one assist and three yellow cards. Good experience but it’d be nice not to play for the worst team in the division for once. So she’s left Germany and signed with Montpellier in France.
Montpellier is the club where Mary Fowler spent her first two seasons outside the A-League prior to joining Manchester City. She said she hated it so fingers crossed that environment has improved since. You’d imagine it has given how the club is under completely new ownership these days, a move that saw the women’s team split from the men’s club to become an independent entity under the Crux Football banner. Montpellier was the first club acquired by the venture who have since added FC Rosengård in Sweden (long time home of Ali Riley). Oh yeah and who should happen to be the Founder and CEO of Crux Football? That’d be former Football Ferns captain Bex Smith.
That takeover happened after last season had already begun so now’s about when any changes should start to take hold. And there should be a few because Montpellier only avoided relegation by goal difference last season (granted, they’d have been reprieved anyway due to Dijon being kicked out). Haering leaving Germany means that New Zealand’s 18-year streak of having at least one player in the Bundesliga Frauen (a streak that began with Bex Smith) is under serious threat... we’ve already seen similar streaks end in the top divisions of England and USA over the past two years. But it will keep up a presence in France beyond Kate Taylor’s two years at Dijon FCO. All the Dijon players have been signing elsewhere since that club lost its licence. We’re still waiting for word from Kate Taylor, though it sounds like she may be heading to Spain.
Up Next: The new Première Ligue season starts in early September
Nik Tzanev – Huddersfield Town (English League One)
There we have it, Nik Tzanev has indeed signed an extension with Huddersfield Town. One year with a club option for a second. When he first joined the club in January to be the third choice keeper as insurance for what they hoped would be a playoff run (they didn’t make it), it was only for the remainder of that campaign. He ended up making two unexpected appearances as the two blokes ahead of him both got injured and then when the Retained/Released list was revealed afterwards it was claimed that Tzanev was in discussions over an extended stay.
Lots to unpack here because staying around as a third-choice keeper in League One as a 29-year-old could smell like a lack of ambition... although on the same day as this deal was announced, it was also announced that Lee Nicholls would be joining Championship side Preston North End for an undisclosed fee and that Aussie keeper Jacob Chapman has also been sold, in his case to St Mirren up in Scotland. Jak Alwnick remains around while Huddersfield have also picked up 19yo Sunderland prospect Matty Young on loan, an England youth international who has played 64 League Two games on loan at Salford City over the previous two years and apparently that kid is tremendous. Lots going on in that Terriers goalkeeping department.
Lee Nicholls had been the main keeper for the previous five seasons and now the three competing keepers (assuming there’s no more business) have a mere seven club appearances combined, as two January signings and a 19yo loanee compete for number one status. Jacob Chapman was out on loan with Crawley Town last season but played quite a bit for Huddersfield the season prior and yet he specifically said that he left because he wanted a better shot at regular footy. Obviously they’d given up on him. Fingers crossed Tzanev can lodge an application for starter’s duty during preseason, you never know, although the signs point towards Matty Young being The Guy with Alnwick and Tzanev on board as experienced alternatives. Not hard to read between the lines when the comments in his extension announcement refer to “the goalkeeping department” and “strength and depth”.
Head coach Martin Drury: “We’re pleased to extend Nik’s stay with the Club. We want players that show how much they want to be here and what a privilege it is to be at Huddersfield Town. Nik shows this every day in how he conducts himself, in his character and with his hunger to keep improving. We look forward to seeing Nik continue his work with our Head of Goalkeeping Chris Elliott and the goalkeeping department over the coming season.”
Sporting director Chris Markham added: “I’m pleased that Nik has chosen to extend his stay at Huddersfield Town. It’s obviously important to have real strength and depth in our goalkeeping with it being such a specialist position, and we saw in the final six months of last season that Nik gives us that on a daily basis.”
Further to all that, you can’t read tooooo much into preseason stuff but Huddersfield Town did lose 3-1 to Birmingham City in their opening friendly. Matty Young was the goalkeeper in the first half – saving a penalty, although it was scored on the rebound – then Jak Alnwick got the second half with no sign of Nik Tzanev at all. That’s looking a lot like Tanz has re-signed to be GK3 at 29 years of age... which either means he loves the struggle or he couldn’t find anything else that he preferred. But it’s early days yet.
Up Next: A very, very important preseason
Jack Perniskie - Milton Keynes Dons (English League One)
As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Jack Perniskie was lining up for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in a 0-0 draw against Waterside Karori in the Central League. Then suddenly on the weekend there he was playing the second half for Milton Keynes Dons in their first preseason friendly... and not only playing but getting a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Maidenhead. Those early preseason games are often showcases for the youngsters and Perniskie was definitely not the only one given an extended run. We’ll get a better idea of where he sits at the club as preseason continues but he’s off to a great start. Doesn’t appear that the game was recorded so you’ll have to imagine what the goal looked like based on his image and a press description...
MK Citizen: “Jack Perniskie was the beneficiary of a well-won ball by Kazungu, neatly picking his spot five minutes after the restart. A minute later, Maidenhead had one back when keeper Seb Stacey, on at the break, was caught in possession by striker Alfie Pendlebury on the edge of the box, leaving the striker with a routine finish to roll into the empty net. But Dons saw their two-goal lead restored just a couple of minutes later when Perniskie flicked the ball to the waiting Rushian Hepburn-Murphy to blast home.”
The coach spoke afterwards about how the young fellas that got an opportunity in this game all did well, adding that Perniskie took his chance nicely. Next step is off to Croatia for a training camp where they’ll ramp take up another notch. Perniskie was in that travelling group, you can see him top right in this collection of action snaps in the shadow with the black band around his left arm...
While in Croatia, MK Dons have scheduled a friendly against NK Istra which is the club that Stipe Ukich plays for. He’s seeking to crack their first team after showing some promise last year at the feeder club. Two teenaged kiwi forwards both on parallel quests.
Okay but how did Perniskie end up in Milton Keynes in the first place? Sounds like he spent some time over there on trial a wee while ago and now they’ve brought him in properly as the new campaign gets underway. No announcement or anything. That means we’re still in the dark about what kinda terms he’s agreed to. Could be a first team deal, could be an academy deal. Just gotta keep an ear to the ground as new information comes to light. And if you wanna know more about the player, well, it just so happens he was highlighted as one of TNC’s Top WeeNix Prospects a few months ago.
Up Next: Saturday at 5am, NK Istra vs MK Dons in a preseason outing (NZT)
Nathan Garrow & Dublin Boon – Stellenbosch (South African Premiership)
An interesting thing happened at the end of the last PSL season when Stellenbosch concluded their campaign with a 0-0 draw away against Marumo Gallants. Very good result for Gallants, who with that point were able to avoid relegation (had they lost by three goals they’d have gone down)... but that’s not the interesting bit. The interesting bit is that Dublin Boon was on the bench for Stellies. Former Nomads United, Roda JC, and Wellington Phoenix goalkeeping prospect – wrapping up his first year in South Africa with a spot in the matchday squad.
Boon spent most of that season in the reserves and it’s now looking like that bench spot was a tip of the hat for the following season because since then Lee Langeveldt has retired and Oscarine Masuluke has been released which only leaves club captain Sage Stephens, at 35 years of age, to wear the gloves. Suddenly Dublin Boon is staring at a promotion, although he’s got some compatriot competition coming his way for that seat on the bench...
Stellenbosch FC CEO, Rob Benadie: “We are delighted to welcome Nathan to Stellenbosch FC. He is a talented young goalkeeper with outstanding potential, and his performances over the past year have demonstrated that he has the quality to succeed at a high level. He has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and we believe that he will benefit from the opportunities for growth that exist at the Club, while simultaneously helping to improve our goalkeeping department.”
There’s a twist here in that it had been heavily rumoured about a month ago that Dublin Boon was being scouted by Orlando Pirates – the same club that signed Andre de Jong from Stellies back in January – with an impending swap deal on the cards that would send Dublin Boon and winger Faiz Abrahams to Pirates with attacking midfielder Kabelo Dlamini joining Stellenbosch in return. One less attacking midfielder in that Orlando squad would also be a boost for ADJ. Pirates don’t actually need any more goalkeepers... but then they didn’t need any more forwards when they signed De Jong either, that just seems to be how they operate. Also gotta mention that Brendon Fourie who was the head of recruitment for Stellenbosch when both De Jong and Boon were signed... is now one of the top scouts at Orlando Pirates. Pretty direct link there. In fact, ADJ was his first signing after getting that job at Stellenbosch.
But that swap deal fell through when Dlamini decided that he didn’t want to play for Stellies. They might revisit it later in the window though now it also sounds like Abraham might go to Durban City instead. It’s a weird one... not that Stellenbosch will be too sad since all indications are that they rate Dublin Boon very highly and with his dual-South African eligibility they even see him as a possible Bafana Bafana player down the line. What’s more, Nathan Garrow was born in Cape Town so he’s eligible for South Africa too. We may have to be careful here. Or, given the calibre of young goalkeepers in the NZ system (neither Boon nor Garrow ever made the cut for any age grade World Cup squads), perhaps we don’t need to be greedy. We can let that idea simmer since we’re still a long way from that being a relevant decision for either of them.
As it stands, Dublin Boon and Nathan Garrow will be competing for the bench goalkeeper spot at Stellenbosch. Both are 21 years old. Garrow has joined from Auckland City where he made a name for himself with bundles of saves at the Club World Cup last year, playing in the 6-0 loss to Benfica and the 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors. He then continued that form into the NZ National League looking far more confident and assured as a young keeper (as you would after that experience) and now here we are. Fascinating situation. Meanwhile, Andre de Jong should be playing CAF Champions League for defending PSL champions Orlando Pirates and ought to be a bit more prominent in his first full year at the club after a few outgoing transfers between seasons.
Up Next: Must be preseason time
Chris Wood & Tyler Bindon - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Chris Wood signed for Nottingham Forest on 20 January 2023 and three and a half years later he is about to meet his sixth permanent manager. Steve Cooper was the one who signed him. Then Nuno Espirito Santo turned up and coaxed career-best form out of the Woodsman until he fell out with the hierarchy and was out the door. It got really weird last season when Nuno was followed by Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vitor Pereira in quick succession. It seemed that Vitor had settled things down, helping Forest to avoid relegation and charge into a Europa League semi-final. The good vibes were restored. Chris Wood, once he returned to fitness, promptly became a hugely valuable starting striker for them again. They even brought Tyler Bindon in for a few weeks of training after he wrapped up his loan move at Sheffield United, giving him a jumpstart meeting the coaches and players at NFFC ahead of a possible audition window in preseason.
But now Vitor Pereira has gone. There was an out-clause in his contract that expired at the start of July and they reportedly activated it at 11.58pm on 30 June. By email... because, well, if they’d tried to call him then he might not have answered and they’d be stuck together. It seems that what happened is that former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, having missed out on any of the bigger jobs that were going in the Premier League, was offered to NFFC by his representation and they decided that was too good to turn down. In fairness, Glasner is seen as more of a long-term option (with a three-year contract coming his way) and also has the experience of guiding Crystal Palace to a Conference League title after losing England defender Marc Guehi without even signing a replacement. Pretty handy for a club that just had Elliot Anderson poached away by Manchester City’s big bucks.
Chris Wood scored his first Premier League hat-trick against a Nuno Espirito Santo coached Wolves team and you’ve gotta imagine that helped his cause when Nuno became his NFFC coach. Therefore it’s worth mentioning that he did score in two of the four matches he played against Glasner’s Crystal Palace side (for one win and three defeats). Glasner was famous for his 3-4-2-1 formation and frankly that should suit Woodsy quite nicely. Having Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus playing as tens behind him was what they were already doing under Vitor Pereira.
Guts to the several wingers on the books, they’re in trouble if they can’t also play wing-back, but Wood has a similar enough profile to Jean-Philippe Mateta (who did that job for OG’s Palace side) to remain a key figure next season... as long as they don’t go and sign Mateta or someone else of that ilk, since they were rumoured for him in January while Woodsy was injured. This is also good news for Bindon’s chances of sticking around since a back three would require keeping more CBs around the scene. Bindon sits around fifth or sixth in the pecking order at the moment (behind Milenkovic, Murillo, Jair Cunha, and Morato in that order, competing with Zach Abbott). Again though, the transfer window could change that state of affairs in a hurry.
Nottingham Forest began preseason over the last couple days and while Chris Wood is still on holiday after the World Cup, it looks like Tyler Bindon has checked back early to run beep tests and whatnot as he battles for a spot in the Premier League squad...
Up Next: There’s a friendly game against Notts County on the weekend, then it’s off to Portugal for a training camp with a couple more games... all planned before Vitor got sacked obviously
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
He has arrived. Even had media (or at the very least one bloke with a camera phone) meeting him at the airport. Medical has been done. Contract has been signed. First training session is in the bag. It’s all real now. They even named a cow after him in Argentina.
Up Next: Olimpia vs Libertad is on Saturday 25 July so not long to go (NZT)
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