Flying Kiwis – August 12
Katie Bowen - Fenerbahçe (Turkish Süper Ligi)
When Katie Bowen signed with Fenerbahçe, the lure of continental football had to have been a major factor. Same as how when Fenerbahçe signed Katie Bowen, they were stocking up for those continental games most of all. They didn’t exactly need any more centre-back depth on the domestic front after winning the Turkish Super League with a +127 goal difference last season. The tricky bit there is that those continental qualifiers happen right at the start of the season and if you slip up, it’s gone in a flash before the league season has even begun.
Getting New Zealanders into the Champions League (men or women) is quite rare but less so having New Zealanders in Champions League qualifiers, especially on the women’s side where we usually have one or two each season. There are two this time around (plus Joe Bell for the blokes). Both came in at the second round of qualifiers where the teams are split into groups of four. Win the group and advance to the playoff round. Fenerbahçe were put up against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv of Ukraine in their first game with Katie Bowen named in the middle of a back three.
Lots of touches for KB in that position. Plenty of passes, short and long, trying to get the team going. She also got to go up for attacking set pieces and it was from one of those that she neeearly scored the first goal, shaking her marker back post from a corner but unable to get a proper touch after the keeper got a late fingertip to change the trajectory. Bowen was allowed to do a lot of overlapping from defence in that Inter Milan team but didn’t often get to partake in attacking set pieces (unless she was taking them). It’ll be a different dynamic for Fenerbahçe who tend to dominate their domestic games a lot more. Should hopefully see some goals from her this year after 0 goals in 63 Serie A appearances across the past three seasons... in fact she hasn’t scored a club goal for nine years going back to her FC Kansas City days in the NWSL.
Fenerbahçe threatened from a couple early corners and controlled most of the ball but they conceded on the break after 15 minutes to fall behind. And it’s probably fair to say that Metalist had the better moments from open play throughout that half. Worrisome stuff for Fenerbahçe... until Ece Türkoğlu headed in from a free kick delivery on 42’. Great time to score and with that boost of confidence, the Turkish side stepped it up in the second half. More width, more movement, more expansive passing. After exactly 66 minutes they got their reward when Maria Alves whipped her shot past the keeper at the near post. Fenerbahçe hit the crossbar five minutes later but it didn’t matter because Bowen and company held the fort at the back with Metalist barely creating anything after half-time. KB did have a rough one in the last few seconds when she jumped for a header as the striker ducked, flipping her onto her back in a hard fall. But she was alright. 2-1 final score and Fenerbahçe’s UWCL dreams continued for at least another couple days.
But only for another couple of days. They faced tourney hosts OH Leuven of Belgium in the final and were leading much of the way thanks to a Konya Plummer goal after eight minutes. Beautifully taken effort from one of KB’s defensive partners, chopping infield and curling her strike inside the past. However the game slowly got away from them as they struggled to replicate that early threat. Jada Conijnenberg levelled up for the home side ten mins into the second spell. Two good goalkeepers and some tired legs around them meant this game ended up going to extras... where things only got more sluggish. 1-1 final score, penalties ensued... where Fenerbahçe had two attempts saved as OHL took the tiebreaker 4-2. Full game in defence for Bowen again. 210 minutes over the past week coming straight out of her offseason.
Tell the people there will be no Champions League for Fenerbahçe. Bugger... although their European excursion isn’t over yet. By making it to the final of their tourney, they now drop into the second qualifying round of the Europa Cup. Those games are to qualify for the round of sixteen in the competition proper and won’t be played for another six weeks, by which time they should be underway with their league fixtures – those fixtures don’t seem to have been announced yet, it’s usually mid-September that they get going.
Up Next: To be determined
Hannah Blake – Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
The other NZer to join a Champions League club this window was Hannah Blake. She was one of four new signings to debut in the starting team for Rangers against Slavia Prague. Runners-up in Scotland vs runners-up in Czechia, hosted by Rangers though they were still underdogs as far as the UEFA coefficients go. Challenging game for RFC albeit easier than when Vic Esson was with the club a few years ago and they were drawn against Arsenal at the same stage (losing 6-0).
After a couple of years of Blake mostly being asked to be a winger for Durham, then finding herself in and out of the team as a consequence of playing out of position, it was wonderful to see her picked as the attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 shape where she could push up alongside the striker or drop into the midfield or drift wide to find overloads. It’s the position she looked best in during New Zealand’s World Cup qualifying earlier in the year. This was her first debut so combinations weren’t all there, couldn’t get involved as much as she’d have liked, but there was a lot of good subtle stuff in there with her positioning and awareness. She’s a perennially underrated player for that reason – remember the stats about how much better Durham were with Blake on the pitch last season? Didn’t grab a huge amount of goals and assists herself but usually made the team better with her presence (feels like something we can say about quite a few of these kiwi players).
The pattern was that Rangers had a lot of the ball but, beyond a couple early forays, couldn’t create much with it. As the game went on, Slavia began to turn their solid out-of-possession shape into some threatening moments going forward with the Rangers defence having to scramble more than once. RFC made it to half-time unscathed but then just when they were beginning to find a few entries into the attacking third... they conceded. Close range finish from a low square cross after 57 minutes. Blake was subbed ten mins later as Rangers tried to step on the gas.
It was already turning at that stage and perhaps Slavia got a bit too defensive as a consequence. Nicola Docherty hit an acrobatic equaliser from a corner kick situation on 81’. Laura Berry had two huge chances to win it late that were thwarted by the goalkeeper. Extra time was required... but with Rangers now fully in the ascendency and soon enough (102’) Eilidh Austin got forward from fullback, onto the end of a through ball from Katie Wilkinson, and buried a second to put the home side ahead. Eva Hendle was sent off late for a pair of very soft bookings in a row – a high boot and a foot on the keeper. No matter, Rangers won 2-1 and moved through to the next round.
That Hendle red card worked out alright for Blake because she was the one who’d replaced her in that game. Blake therefore not only started but played the full thing against Ajax in the final where Rangers in all honesty were second best for most of the evening. They were good enough defensively to take it scoreless into the break but when they fell behind after 66 minutes it kinda felt inevitable. Until, just like the other night, RFC flicked the switch in the last fifteen minutes and just like the other night Eilidh Austin scored a crucial goal (88’), this time a header from a corner. Ah but then Rangers conceded a penalty in stoppage time to lose 2-1. No sooner had they gotten themselves back into the game than they’d let it slip away again. Turns out there will be no Champions League for any of the kiwi ladies this year.
However, just like Katie Bowen’s Fenerbahçe, Hannah Blake’s Rangers will continue in the Europa Cup. Same deal here where they’ll drop into the second qualifying round to be played in late September. They haven’t even played the first qualifying round yet. Rangers and Fenerbahçe will both be unseeded teams which tells us two things: 1) they won’t face each other, at least not in that round, and 2) those will be pretty tough games whoever they draw. That’s what you want from continental footy though.
Up Next: Start of the SWPL with Montrose vs Rangers at 0:00 on Monday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
After a week full of drama, with his name all through the transfer gossip columns after Silkeborg rejected a bid for his services from Minnesota United, covered in headlines following an explosive post-game interview, Callum McCowatt responded by scoring the decisive goal as Silkeborg beat Odense 1-0 for their first win of the new season (at the third attempt). He’d assisted a goal in each of the first two games, this time he scored one for himself. Smashed it in from outside the box via a small but convenient deflection. Half his shots last season (and four of his 11 goals) were from outside the box, he’s got licence to let it rip and this is exactly why.
That’s what you’ve gotta do in this situation. Not only the goal but his overall Man of the Match performance. It shows why Silkeborg don’t want to let him go for cheap, it shows why Minnesota United (or whoever) needs to meet the valuation put upon him, and most importantly it shows his own professional dignity. He did wag his tongue a little bit last week but he’s been letting his feet do the talking the entire time. Nobody’s questioned his performances. He’s been brilliant in all three of these games.
Callum McCowatt: “Yes... there was a misunderstanding but it's over now. If the fans show up and come to the game, then of course I will try my best for them. I would think I was unprofessional [to do anything less]. I want to perform at my best level every time. What happened last week happened and I've come through it. I had a good week, spoke several times with Morten [Dahm Kjærgaard, SIF coach], and I just wanted to perform for the team. There is nothing else to say.”
It’s clear that what the sporting director and club chairman both said last week was true: that McCowatt’s outburst has been dealt with via calm mediation and everybody’s moved on. No lingering issues. The win against OB follows a 1-1 draw against Randers and a 3-1 loss to Copenhagen. Three goals in three games and McCowatt has scored or assisted all of them. He’d made two Superliga Team of the Weeks already and sure enough he made a third after this (the only player in the division to be selected in all three). What’s more, he also got the big honour of Superliga Player of the Round...
This the first win of the campaign for Silkeborg and it was the first competitive victory for new coach Morten Dahm Kjærgaard who has taken over from Kent Nielsen who in June left after seven years to be an assistant with the Denmark national team. As for the transfer stuff, there are still three more weeks in the transfer window so plenty of time for further developments. Minnesota’s interest has now been reported on their end too, albeit with a note that “negotiations might prove too difficult over the next few weeks”. Before the game the SIF footy director told media that there have been no additional bids for McCowatt yet...
Jesper Stüker, SIF sporting director: “Not just yet, but perhaps it could happen tomorrow. It is not that Callum is not for sale. Everybody is for sale in football. But there’s also the sporting situation to consider and it is no secret that our beginning to the transfer window has been limited with our top scorers now Austria [Tonni Adamsen] and Callum was number two on that list. Oliver Ross can also score goals and that will help if we do sell one of our forwards.”
But wait there’s more...
That’s a first appearance of the term for Dalton Wilkins in the Superliga, getting five minutes off the bench for Sønderjyske in a 0-0 draw against Viborg. They’d lost their opening two games so they needed that point... though they did have chances to triple their reward. Wilkins came on at right-back and had a couple of nice moments helping his team drive forward.
Across the strait into Sweden, Kees Sims wasn’t on the bench as GAIS won 2-0 away against Halmstads. He’s been in and out due to injuries these past couple weeks. Not sure if this was the same injury or a recurrence or something different but the club website said he was out with “a low-grade sprain in his right foot and is rested for safety reasons”. With their other back-up still recovering from a knee injury, that meant another call-up for 18-year-old Adin Tihic to sit on the bench.
Örgryte weren’t able to repeat the party trick in their rematch against AIK. Last week they beat them on the road with Owen Parker-Price setting up two goals in a 3-0 win. This week ÖIS scored three goals again but lost 4-3. They were leading 2-1 after 70 minutes and from there they conceded on 74’, got a red card on 77’, conceded again on 84’, and then again on 87’... before getting a very late one back with almost the last kick of the match. OPP was subbed after the fourth goal was conceded. No assists, although he did cover the most ground of any player on his team (11.7km).
Joe Bell missed another game as Viking FK scored a last-minute winner to beat Sarpsborg 2-1. Keeps them second by one point with a game in hand on leaders Bodø/Glimt. That’s good stuff but the main focus right now is the Champions League qualifiers coming up very soon. They’ve been drawn against Dinamo Zagreb with the first leg away in Croatia next Wednesday at 7am NZT. Gigantic occasion for the club. Bellinho has been dealing with a calf complaint but according to the local papers he’s back in training already and should be available not only for the trip to Croatia but potentially the league match against Rosenborg beforehand.
It’s also the case that Sarpreet Singh was left on the bench for Farense’s season opener in Portugal’s second tier (a 2-1 win vs Torreense). They’ve signed ten new players this season and most of them are attackers which means plenty of competition for places. Would imagine Singh’s simply being eased in after arriving late from the World Cup though.
Up Next: Nordsjælland vs Silkeborg at midnight on Sunday/Monday (NZT)
Luke Brooke-Smith - Portsmouth (English Championship)
Luke Brooke-Smith started Portsmouth’s final preseason game, a chance to dive straight into the deep end in a game of no consequence with the coast having been cleared by all the injuries within Pompey’s wing contingent. That alone was amazing. But one week later the competitive stuff began with a trip to face West Ham United in the first round of the EFL Cup. Huge crowd at the London Stadium supporting a Hammers team still mostly full of last year’s Premier League squad. And Pompey still had just as many injuries... so guess what happened?
It’s absolutely bonkers to think that the last two games of professional football that Luke Brooke-Smith has started were for the Wellington Phoenix vs Nunawading City in the Australia Cup and then Portsmouth vs West Ham United in the EFL Cup. Didn’t start at all in the A-League last season – though that’s old news now, in fact it might even serve him well as prep for what’s expected to be a sporadic bench role for Portsmouth once everybody’s fit and available. His coach has made it clear through both words and actions that he won’t hesitate to pick LBS if he’s the best option. He’ll play as often as he earns it.
And thus his Portsmouth debut saw him walk on at left-wing where he was marked by two-cap England international fullback Kyle Walker-Peters. That’s about as heavy an introduction as he could possibly hope for and the honest reaction is that he did play like a teenager in his first game at this level. There were some sloppy passes and a few spots where the pace of the game got the better of him. No doubt there were nerves involved. Hasn’t had much time to learn the system so he was overly conservative with some of his decisions trying not to make mistakes in his 51 minutes of action. No dramas there. The more he plays, the more comfortable he’ll get. The important thing is that he put in a good shift, that he wasn’t overwhelmed, and that he’s now got this game as a reference to work from. You could sense his confidence growing as he made a few positive contributions. His coach definitely liked what he saw...
John Mousinho: “I thought that if you consider that Luke has only just turned 18, he signed recently, not played many senior games at all and he was up against a full international at right-back, I thought he did very, very well. I think Luke will have an excellent career. This was definitely throwing him in at the deep end here, probably much quicker than we anticipated, starting him away from home against an opposition who were in the Premier League last season. Overall really pleased.”
Choice. Pompey had a great start to the game, shading the first 40-odd minutes to be leading 1-0 thanks to a deflected volley from Adrian Segečić. But they slacked off to concede twice in two minutes before the break and then again shortly after it on the way to a 3-1 defeat. It was hot enough for drinks breaks but this was more a case of West Ham having the class to turn it on in an instant and Pompey not being ready to cope with that. So it goes. It’s sure given LBS a jump-start with his Pompey career – it might reasonably have taken him a month or two to log his first fifty minutes for the club and here he was ticking that off in game one.
Up Next: Championship season begins with Portsmouth vs QPR at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Elijah Just & Marko Stamenic - Swansea City (English Championship)
The EJ x MS era of Swansea City football has begun with a 1-0 defeat against Birmingham City in the EFL Cup. Could have gone better, to be fair. Nevertheless there were plenty of signs of encouragement as the Swans lined up with both kiwis in their midfield three, Just playing centrally albeit with the freedom to switch around with his wingers, as one of three new signings in the starting team (alongside wingers Moussa Yeo and Joseph Opuko). Definitely looks to be the plan from coach Vitor Matos to put speedy wingers around a fluid midfield, giving his team comfort on the ball but with runners in behind to stretch things out. Just is coming from a Motherwell team that was joyful to watch last season... early indicators are this Swansea City team could be plenty of fun as well (respect the common denominator between the two).
It was a bummer that they lost because Swansea City only really looked like they might concede from their own mistakes or from set pieces... it was a long free kick squared back across for a close finish that did it. August Priske with the goal late in the first half (44’). Eh, the EFL Cup a secondary competition and it this was the first competitive match of the season with Swansea still implementing a new-look attacking system. And it’s not like they didn’t have chances. Just curled one wide from penalty spot depth after 27 mins. Ten mins later he ran onto a flick and dribbled across the defence only to slice his shot wide from just outside the box. Stamenić punted a difficult volley wide with fifteen to go. He also had a shout for a penalty but despite a tug on his shirt he went down a little too easily. Couldn’t quite get onto a header back post a few phases later either. Chances for both kiwis. Chances for others around them too. On another day it might have been a comfortable win.
Just was drifting around and linking up, looking hugely influential with his ability to shift the tempo. Never afraid to carry the ball into space. The connections need time but the physicality was no issue. Stamenić began in a lone holding midfield role where he was free to pump a few long diagonals or shift the ball from side to side with his short passing. He’s always aggressive in the challenge but his timing was better here than it often was last season (when he was one of the most booked players in the whole division). Coach Matos made a triple-change after 64 mins that included Jay Fulton coming on at CDM and Stamenić moving into a higher role, with Just sliding out to the right-wing. Stamenić was later subbed after 82 minutes at which point Just moved back into the middle. Couple different looks there for the lads. Versatility is always helpful.
Exciting stuff from Luke Brooke-Smith, Elijah Just, and Marko Stamenić despite EFL Cup defeats. The rest of the numerous kiwi players involved in the first round of fixtures had a mixed set of fortunes. Max Crocombe was on the bench for Millwall as Lukas Jensen got the start for a 1-1 draw away to QPR. Not being the cup keeper might turn out to be a good thing as it’s often the back-up who gets those matches... although Jensen, who’d had a pretty quiet game otherwise, made quite a statement in the penalty shootout. Hewent went absolutely nuts and saved all four attempts he faced to take Millwall into the next round. Coach Alex Neill said before the game that he hadn’t yet decided who his number one will be. Gotta see how this goes but Jensen’s case just got a lot stronger.
Alex Neill: “Nobody doubts how good Lukas is at shot-stopping. When you come back [from injury] you’ve still got that quality, it’s just decision-making and game-time and things like that for him. It’s just getting exposure, that’s why I picked him. It wasn’t really a case of Lukas over Max, it was a really difficult decision to make. The two of them are very different in terms of the strengths and qualities that they have but what I think with Lukas is that he’s exceptional at stopping shots. Max is probably better with the ball at his feet, he can pick things out and different things. It’s dependent on the game, it’s dependent on how we feel the game is going to go. I needed to see Lukas. He’s not played a competitive match for fifteen months and these games are very different from pre-season matches. It only made sense to put him in.”
Liberato Cacace was absent from Wrexham’s 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough. Coach Phil Parkinson put that down to “a bit of fatigue in his calves” after a heavy travel schedule during their recent tour of America (not to mention his World Cup efforts before that). Parkinson had already spoken about treating this EFL Cup game as another preseason hit-out... and not the last one because they also had a closed-door game against Wigan on Tuesday morning NZT which Cacace was likewise rested from. Libby’s problem is that he’s gotta get fit enough fast enough to convince Wrexham that they don’t need to sign anyone else in his position. They’ve finally confirmed a deal for Anthony Patterson, the Sunderland keeper who kept Max Crocombe on the bench while on loan at Millwall in the second half of last season, and if Cacace’s availability is going to keep flickering then they’ll need additional cover. Fingers-crossed this is nothing more than the fatigue that the coach spoke of.
Phil Parkinson: “[Cacace] just had a bit of fatigue in his calves after the game on Sunday. Where we are in the season, we hope it is just that, and we've just got to make sure that we give him plenty of time because he's had a busy summer in the World Cup, come back and done pre-season. We gave him 60 minutes on Sunday and we just want to make sure him, Sheafy, and Windass are right.”
Ben Waine got a dozen minutes for Port Vale as they lost 3-0 to Wolves. Really nasty draw pitting the League Two club away against a side recently relegated from the Premier League. All three goals were scored in the first half. The only one of the starting front four who is a new signing was striker Mo Faal (on loan from Wrexham) so it seems coach Jon Brady temporarily forgot how much of a beast Ben Waine becomes in cup competitions by only chucking out there after the game was gone.
No sign of Jack Perniskie for MK Dons in their 4-1 defeat against Norwich away. That’s no surprise given how he’d faded out of prominence as preseason went along, as is usually the case with academy players in those situations. A few good runs early on and then the top dogs return. Perniskie has been given a squad number though: #39. Fine striker’s areas get a number ending in nine. Realistically, he’s 18 years old and hasn’t made a professional debut yet so no need to lump any expectations on him in year one. It’s all beneficial.
On the topic of jersey numbers, curious to see that when Peterborough announced theirs they didn’t give one to Matt Garbett. There was a note that “players who are currently injured” can be registered with a number at any stage and that obviously applies to Garbs, who wore the #28 jersey last season (which has been left vacant). Thing is, Garbs usually tries to get his hands on the #7 jersey and they’ve given that one to a new signing from out of the Sunderland academy. Could be an indicator that they don’t expect him to stay beyond this window. Or it could mean nothing at all. He’s still at least another month away from getting on the pitch, far enough away that there’s no set timeline yet. Peterborough won 1-0 against Bristol Rovers in their EFL Cup first-rounder.
Nik Tzanev was on the bench for Huddersfield Town as they drew 1-1 with Preston North End away and then lost on penalties with Sunderland loanee Matty Young saving one of the five shootout kicks that he faced which wasn’t enough. No repeat of any Lukas Jensen-esque heroics here... though it wouldn’t have mattered with Tzanev probably set to be the third-choice keeper for league games. Finally, West Brom won 4-1 against Rotherham though neither Noah Dupont nor Joe Wallis was in the matchday squad. Both made first team benches last season but are yet to debut. Wallis has been given a first team jersey number (#30) and was part of the procession on club media day. Dupont is still technically with the U21s although he’s one of the standouts from that group.
Up Next: Stoke City vs Swansea City in the Championship opener at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood & Tyler Bindon – Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Nottingham Forest had a preseason double-up in Italy over the weekend when they played 45 minutes against Udinese and then 45 minutes against Barcelona. Chris Wood was due to start the Udinese portion of that game, interesting in itself because the Barca eleven looked much closer to NFFC’s best group. Can’t read too much into such things during preseason though. Anyway, he was due to start but he didn’t. Pulled up a bit sore in warm-ups and was scratched... then the same thing happened to Taiwo Awoniyi who would have been his replacement.
Oliver Glasner: “[Wood] felt a little something in his thigh when he had a shot in the warm-up and then, of course, it was precautionary, we can't take any risks. So Taiwo should then have started but he also felt something in his groin. Maybe it's because of spending a long time sitting on the bus or the plane and in the hotels. We didn't want to take any risks with them but it should be fine.”
Very much precautionary, nothing to panic about. He was perfectly fine to go swing some willow around at Trent Bridge before a Hundred game after landing back in England. Not a lot of footwork about the cover drive he played off the bowling of NFFC midfielder Ryan Yates but it sure sounded good off the bat. Didn’t hesitate with the four signal either. Woodsy went to high school with Blackcaps batter Daryl Mitchell so maybe he got a few cricketing tips beforehand.
Chris Wood in 2025: “Coming from New Zealand, everybody plays cricket, rugby, and a bit of football and things like that. So yeah, I grew up playing cricket all the way up until I was 11 or 12 before I had to make a decision to show I was crap at it and move onto football.”
Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of central defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP for a very hefty fee. That guy will go directly into the starting back three alongside Nikola Milenković and Murillo, supposing all three are fit, and his arrival could be what prompts a loan move for Tyler Bindon. With Morato, Jair Cunha, and Zach Abbott also around that puts Bindon at seventh on the list (he’s a similar age to Jair and Abbott but they’ve gotten more preseason opportunities – and have already played Premier League). Bindon’s had an immeasurably beneficial month training full time with Nottingham Forest throughout preseason but it’s fully expected that he’ll be loaned down to the Championship to continue his development at some point soon.
Up Next: Still a couple more preseason games before the real stuff begins for NFFC
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Mate, it’s just been positive after positive for Alex Paulsen since joining Motherwell. All the bad vibes of his time in Poland seem to have been karmically aligned by his latest loan move. Check out these highlights as we dip back into the continental stuff...
This was the first leg of the third round of qualifying for Europa Conference League where Motherwell were away against HJK of Finland, a very difficult outing against a team with a lot more experience in these kinds of games. But Motherwell came away with a 1-1 draw thanks in large part to AP making four high quality saves during a difficult first half, putting his team in a position to have a crack in the second half. That led to a Tawanda Maswanhise penalty for the lead (64’)... although they ran out of steam and couldn’t hold on.
Teemu Pukki slammed one home to equalise (71’) – a former English Premier League striker who also spent some time as a teammate of Michael Boxall’s in Minnesota – but a draw is still a cracking result. Puts them in a great position to target the home leg on Friday morning NZT. Also happy to relay that after some sketchy moments under the high ball in his Premiership debut, Paulsen was absolutely flawless with those ones in this game. Particularly late on as HJK kept whacking the ball into the mixer seeking a winning goal. The confidence is brimming.
Only drawing 0-0 with Falkirk afterwards wasn’t nearly so great from the team’s perspective. Unable to find a winner at home against a team they should probably have beaten having hit the crossbar in the first half and produced the majority of the chances. From Alex Paulsen’s perspective though, that’s another clean sheet. Didn’t have a lot to do but he did what he needed to...
That’s five appearance for Alex Paulsen in a Motherwell jersey and he’s yet to lose a match: 2-0 and 3-0 wins against HB Torshavn (Faroe Islands) in the second round of ECL qualifying; 2-1 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Prem; 1-1 draw away to HJK in the third round of ECL quals; 0-0 draw with Falkirk back in the Prem. He’s only conceded twice in five matches and one of those goals was a penalty. Three clean sheets. Lots of good touches playing out from the back in possession. All that’s missing is a few penalty saves and we’ll have fully revived the A-League version of AP. Keep in mind that Max Crocombe may or may not be the starting keeper for Millwall and there are (at least) four All Whites games coming up before the end of the year. Crocombe earned the World Cup starting spot on merit heading into that tournament. Crocs also has experience and incumbency on his side... but if we’re going purely on merit again then we’re getting closer and closer to Alex Paulsen tipping those scales.
Can’t say much about the other two lads in the Scottish Premiership because they both got thrashed in week two. George Stanger played ninety in central defence for Kilmarnock in a 5-1 defeat against Celtic where they conceded in the second minute of the match and never recovered. Their keeper made a couple great saves initially but was to blame for several other bad moments, including an awful intercepted pass for the fourth goal. Celtic also hit the woodwork three times. It was a thorough hiding... although Stanger was part of some decent scramble defence on a few instances, he did alright under the circumstances. Killie are the only club to have lost both games. Manager Neil McCann said he’s heard nothing about any transfer bids for Stanger despite the rumours last week (adding more fuel to the idea that his agent is simply trying to barter for a new contract).
Similar story for Dundee United who conceded within four minutes away to Hearts and ended up losing 4-0. 73 minutes for Jesse Randall on the wing, no shot attempts but he put in a decent shift including plenty of defensive work and was the last of the front three to be replaced. Mostly used on the left wing this week. It only gets rockier for Dundee Utd from here with a visit from Celtic next week as the League Cup knockouts begin. That’ll also be a big one for George Stanger with Kilmarnock hosting his former club Ayr United.
Up Next: Motherwell vs HJK in the second leg of ECL quallies at 6.30am on Friday; then Stenhousemuir vs Motherwell in the League Cup at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
That there is Ryan Thomas posing with the new Man of the Match trophy for PEC Zwolle home games this season. They’ve got a new sponsor on board for those and it was the captain’s duty to take a few photos for the socials. He hasn’t won one of them yet... though if it’s anything like last season he’ll have a pretty extensive collection by this time next year.
Not this week though. This week PEC Zwolle began their Eredivisie campaign by losing 2-0 against Ajax... though admittedly they were going quite well until Sherel Floranus got a straight red card after 57 minutes – Floranus was the club’s other World Cup representative, having been part of the Curaçao squad. Ajax took full control after the send-off and scored twice in the last fifteen minutes via Jorthy Mokio (76’) and Julian Brandt (90+5’) to give them a slightly flattering final result. Thomas captained Zwolle like he always does. He was subbed with five to go as they sought an unlikely equaliser. Lots of defensive actions from him. Not much on the ball given the state of the game.
Ryan Thomas: “[PEC Zwolle] gave me a ton of space last season. Even when things may not have looked very good physically for me, they let me go [to All Whites camps] anyway. Since I returned to PEC there have been a lot of questions about my fitness but the club has always supported me in that. I'm a football player, you know, so you always want to get better. If something comes along [in the transfer market] then I'll definitely have a look. But I’d do that together with the club. I wouldn't be leaving for free or anything. If something comes, it has to be good for the club as well. If that’s not the case, I will focus entirely on PEC Zwolle. I’d love to stay here another five or six more years if I can.”
Thomas did another interview recently where he admitted that he probably pushed himself too far last season and needs to be more “sensible” this season. Obviously that was because of the World Cup and making sure he was available as much as possible leading up to it... so don’t be shocked if he tones down his All Whites involvements, at least in the short term. He was battling through minor injuries for a couple of months leading up to the World Cup and ordinarily he’d be resting in those scenarios. But he has reiterated his commitment to the national team in the bigger picture.
Ryan Thomas: “Sure. Now that I've achieved this [playing at a World Cup], I really just want more. But first the full focus is on PEC Zwolle. I will stay at the club this season anyway and want to be sensible with my body. Last year I asked too much about my body. First have a good season with PEC, then we'll look further.”
Up Next: Monday at 12.30am away to FC Twente (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Solid start to the new season over here with FC Basel winning 2-1 away against Luzern. Scored after 33 minutes, scored after 70 minutes... conceded one right at the end but too late to do anything other than spoil the clean sheet. Jacqui Hand started and got all but the last couple minutes of added time, subbed off to get an extra defender out there after conceding.
Hand wasn’t involved in either goal aside from having taken the original corner kick that led to the opener. The second was also from a corner but from the other side where someone else (a left-footer) took it instead. They should have let her take the penalty they won with ten to go because they missed it which allowed the game to get slightly slippery towards the end. Goals and assists are bound to follow for Jacqui Hand, don’t worry about that. She’s settled and it seems she’ll be playing big minutes again. That’s what we wanna see.
Meanwhile one division down, Lara Colpi played a very clean 66 minutes as FC Thun won 5-0 against Etoile Carouge. Big win fresh from relegation. They were four up at half-time so by the time Colpi was subbed they were in cruise control. Colpi didn’t score but she did hit the crossbar.
Up Next: FC Basel vs YB Frauen at 5am on Saturday (NZT)
Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
Well that sucks. Out for the season before the season has even begun and in a World Cup year as well. Not much else can be said on that except Kia Kaha to Mickey.
Up Next: The road to recovery
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Ykkösliiga)
Two goals, one from the penalty spot, in a 3-0 win for FC Haka against Jippo. Big victory against a team that was level with them on points heading into the match. That’s three wins on the bounce for Haka in which they’ve scored at least three goals. They had a stumble a wee while back with consecutive defeats against KTP and MP but since then have taken 13 points from a possible 15 and Ollie Whyte himself has three goals and one assist in the past four. 18 rounds into the season, Haka are in third place – five points behind leaders KTP for the automatic promotion spot and three points behind PK-35 for the promotion playoff spot. Much work to be done but they’re in a good space.
Up Next: JäPS vs Haka at 3.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Meikayla Moore & Tilly James – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
Good lord they did it: the Calgary Wild have won a football match in the year 2026! It only took them 15 attempts to finally do so – every other team in the NSL has at least five wins so they were long overdue. Nor did their 3-2 victory against Vancouver Wild come comfortably either. They scored first early in the second stanza but were 2-1 down when Tori Tumeth got a red card (83’) for the Wild and then Jorian Baucom (90’) and Keelyn Stewart (90+6’) provided the dramatic finish against the ten women.
Tilly James returned to the starting team at right-back (she’s now started games at RB, CB, and LB this year), though was subbed after 73 mins hence she missed all the fun stuff. Meikayla Moore got the full game (and a yellow card) in central defence. She’d been playing LCB but kept up the kiwi combo by switching to the other side with new signings Taylor Otto (LCB) and Madison Pogarch (LB) now with the team. James benefitted from last week’s right-back, Grace Stordy, being suspended after her red card so she’s the one with the most to prove from that back four combo.
Up Next: Calgary vs Ottawa at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
Thomas Raimbault - Carolina Core (American MLS Next Pro)
Our non-resident French-Kiwi footballer does love a goal contribution. The 25yo attacking midfielder began the season with a flurry of assists and lately he’s been doing it himself with three goals in his last six appearances in MLS Next Pro. All combined that’s 4 goals and 5 assists in 22 matches for Carolina Core – one of the few teams in Next Pro that doesn’t have an MLS affiliate but the scouts should be watching nonetheless.
It’ll be educational to see what happens with this guy because MLS Next Pro hasn’t done a whole lot for the careers of other NZers who’ve passed through. Jay Herdman was awesome for Vancouver Whitecaps 2 but only ended up signing in the Canadian league, where he had a bright championship-winning start but has mostly been stuck on the bench for the past year and a half. Ronan Wynne played a year for Atlanta United 2 after being drafted and then the released him and it took a season of Oceania Pro League to get his career going again, since earning himself an A-League contract with Auckland FC. Troy Putt does seem to have put himself around the wider Minnesota United first team squad so there’s potential there. But, again, Raimbault’s team doesn’t have an MLS affiliate. Uncharted territory.
Up Next: Carolina Core vs FC Cincinnati at 11.30am on 23 August (NZT)
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
They’re auctioning off the match-worn jersey from Tim Payne’s club debut yet the man himself was back to unused substitute duties this week as Olimpia reverted to how they began the season by losing without scoring. A 1-0 loss to 2 De Mayo on this occasion. Same thing that happened the other two times he sat on the bench. There’s a pattern emerging here, right?
They won 5-0 in the game that T-Payne played and have been beaten to nil in the three that he didn’t... so the natural inclination is to say that they only win when Payne has a say in the matter (No Payne, No Gain). But remember they were already 3-0 up when they subbed him on against Rubio Nu. The more accurate state of affairs would be to say that they only sub him on when they’re winning. At least that’s been the case so far but the more they struggle without him, the more it should accelerate his cause.
Doubtful they chuck him straight in for a Copa Sudamericana knockout game in Brazil against CR Vasco da Gama on Friday but maybe a run off the bench, perhaps? That’s the second tier continental competition in South America and he’d be the first New Zealander to ever partake. Marco Rojas played a couple of Copa Libertadores games with Colo-Colo in the top tier competition a few years ago. As for the jersey auction, the bidding closes at midday on Thursday NZT and has already surged past US$3000 so you might want to double check with your broker before having a go. She’s getting rather pricey.
Up Next: Vasco vs Olimpia in the Copa Sudamericana R16 first leg at 10am on Friday (NZT)
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League)
Ten seconds into the new season and already Zac Jones had to make his first save, scraping that one away from disturbing the cobwebs in the top corner. He’ll do well to make a better save than that all season. AFC Fylde drew 2-2 with Wealdstone, scoring a banger on 69’ to open the scoring, conceding ten mins later with Jones almost diving into the post in an unsuccessful attempt to keep it out, retaking the lead with what they hoped would be a winner on 84’ after the oppo keeper lost possession with a crap pass, only to concede against on 89’ with a back-post finish. Highlights here.
AFC Fylde were promoted from the sixth tier where Jones played 46/46 league games in his first year with the club. They probably should have won this game but it was a point against a midtable team from 2025-26 that shows they’ll be pretty good at this level. Zac Jones included. As it stands there are three other NZers in the English fifth tier. Matt Gould is a player/goalkeeping coach with Yeovil Town so don’t stress about him, he won’t play much if at all. Luke Supyk had a golden preseason with Gateshead so it was a bummer that admin issues prevented him from being involved in their 2-1 defeat away to Eastleigh. Here’s hoping the red tape gets cleared up soon. But Jacob Borgnis did get 81 minutes on debut for Aldershot in a 1-0 win away to Boston United. Borgnis joined from out of the Reading academy, having impressed on loan at Slough Town last season in the division below this. Midfielder who can also play in the backline. He’s a sneaky one to watch out for.
Up Next: Tamworth vs Fylde at 2am Sunday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Bury Town (English Southern Premier League)
Ah there he is. If you were worried about the level that Matua Smithy was playing at last year, with Braintree Town getting relegated from the fifth tier, well he’s now dropping down to the seventh tier to join Bury Town. But that’s not something to worry about. Realistically, Smithy’s All Whites career is over. He went to the World Cup in what was effectively a non-playing capacity so that they could keep his experiences and leadership around the group, but we’d already seen Darren Bazeley shift away from that selection in previous friendly game windows. His last international cap was in September 2024. Any All Whites context is irrelevant here.
There was some thought as to whether he might retire after the World Cup. This isn’t that, although it’s definitely a move of convenience. The 36yo has taken a couple steps down the ladder in order to link up with Bury Town for two main reasons. The first is that they’re coached by Cole Skuse who was a long time teammate of Smithy’s at Ipswich Town and the two remain good mates. Skuse gave him a call and Smithy answered, playing as a trialist in their last friendly match and then signing properly in the days after. The other reason is that this allows him to move back to Suffolk where he’s lived most of his life.
Remember he left Auckland FC for family reasons. Braintree is only about an hour’s drive away from Ipswich. Colchester, whom he spent three seasons at, is even closer. MK Dons is a bit further down the line but still nearer than most. When he played half a season at Macarthur in the A-League, that was a precursor to signing with Auckland FC in his Aotearoa hometown. Aside from some early career loans, a short covid-affected spell at Sunderland, and his two years in America with Colorado Rapids, the destinations have always been crucial in selecting his clubs throughout his career. Now he’s in a different phase of his career and it’s more important that ever.
Tommy Smith: “I’m excited to be here. I know a lot about the club, having had friends that play here currently and have played here in the past. They have all had nothing but good things to say about the club as well. It’s mainly through Cole [Skuse] that I have come here, having obviously played with him for a number of years, and having maintained a good relationship with him off the pitch. It was a bit of a no-brainer for both of us really, being local to Suffolk. Cole was kind enough to invite me in to see what the club was all about and he’s a big part of why I have signed for Bury. You know he is going to do things properly and bring in as much professionalism as possible, and that’s a massive factor in why I am now here.”
And they won their first two games! With clean sheets! It was Bury Town 1-0 Halesowen with Sam Ford scoring the decisive goal after 71 minutes as they got things underway on the weekend... then a few days later it was Stamford 0-1 Bury Town. Tommy Smith played the full ninety in central defence against Halesowen but it looks like he had a rest for the Stamford match. So there you go. That’s what Smithy’s up to.
Up Next: Stratford vs Bury Town at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
The Niche Cache is made possible by the good sorts who support us on Patreon, Substack, and Buy Me A Coffee... please get amongst if you appreciate the yarns
Also helps to tell your mates about us, whack an ad while you’re here, and do all those liking and commenting and sharing things that the algorithms demand