Flying Kiwis – August 19
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Champions League or Europa League... Viking FK’s season has reached a fork in the road with those two outcomes pointing in different directions on the street signs. Progress through their UCL playoff round qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb and they’ll be into the League Phase of the Champions League. Lose and they’ll drop into the League Phase of the Europa League instead. Either way they’re getting big time continental footy as a reward for their Norwegian Eliteserien title.
The first leg of that playoff took place away in Croatia this morning. There had been some worries about the fitness of a few Viking players, Joe Bell included, but everyone was fine when it mattered with a full-strength eleven rolled out. Bell’s issue has been a dodgy calf (possibly the same one that was hampering him prior to the World Cup, dunno) but he was back in training last week after missing a couple of games and played 20 minutes off the bench in the Eliteserien match against Rosenborg over the weekend. Not a very good game – they were 1-0 down before Bell and Zlatko Tripic (vice captain and captain) were summoned from the bench. Tripic assisted an equaliser with ten to play but Rosenborg scored a winner in the fifth minute of added time. 2-1 to Rosenborg. Perhaps taking their eye off the ball there, allowing Bodø/Glimt to remain in first place by a single point as Viking slipped up with their game in hand. Bodø/Glimt are also in the Champions League playoff round where they’ve been drawn against NEC Nijmegen of Netherlands.
You can forgive Viking for preferring to focus on what could be a once-in-a-career opportunity for many of these players to try qualify for the Champions League. As soon as that league game was done, they started packing for the flight to Croatia, arriving three days early for extra acclimatisation. Joe Bell and Henrik Falchener, their two World Cup representatives, were fit enough for the starting line-up (both got full games). NZ Olympian/Australian international Gianni Stensness was also in the eleven at CB alongside Falchener. Zlatko Tripic, of course – who was born in Croatia. Bell’s midfield protegee Tobias Moi was picked alongside him in the trio (with Bellinho as the CDM, naturally). Full capacity for the Vikes... and yet they found themselves 2-0 down after 10 minutes.
Fortunately, this Viking side made a habit of come-backs and high-scorers on the way to the league title that earned them entry to this competition so goals from Peter Christiansen (22’) and Zlatko Tripic (39’), both assisted by Moi, got them back in the tie before half-time. By the second half it was clear they were happy with a draw, trying to slow things down against a team that wasn’t giving them anything to work with on the counter attack. Wonderful defence in their own penalty area led by Stensness and Falchener. Dinamo’s two best chances of the second half both came in stoppage time and both went awry. Bit of luck there for Viking but it was earned luck and now they’re in a fantastic position heading into the home leg, where a win by any margin will see them through and a draw would give them extra time in front of their own crowd.
That match is next Thursday. No Eliteserien fixture in between so plenty of time to recover. Only five New Zealanders have ever played in the Champions League proper, Joe Bell is now one game away from potentially becoming the sixth... although to get there his team will need to overcome a Dinamo Zagreb side that played UCL League Phase as recently as 2024-25 and which last year made the knockouts of the Europa League. Then again, most of Dinamo’s success in getting through these qualifiers over the years has come down to unstoppable home form. It’s Viking who’ll have that advantage when it matters most in the second leg after avoiding defeat in Croatia.
Up Next: Viking vs Dinamo Zagreb in UCL qualifying, Thursday at 7am (NZT)
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
That’s not all the European excitement this week because Motherwell are two games away from qualifying from the Europa Conference League’s League Phase. They’d already done the hard yards of getting a draw in the opening away leg, in their case a 1-1 result against HJK Helsinki in Finland, and the task remained to win the home leg back in Scotland so as to advance to the Europa Conference League playoff round. That they did...
It was a 2-0 win with goals from Ibrahim Said (47’, 60’), making for a 3-1 victory on aggregate over the two legs. Alex Paulsen with another clean sheet... not that he had to work too hard for this one with Jake Girdwood-Reich and the defender lads taking care of most problems. Probably his simplest day at the office so far for Motherwell despite this being their most significant result. Paulsen has made six appearances for the Steelmen, four in the ECL and two in the Premiership, with four clean sheets and just two goals conceded (one of which was a penalty). More clean sheets already than he kept in all last season with Lechia Gdansk. His smile has return, his form has been revived, his fortunes have turned around.
And just to emphasise the point, Paulsen was rested for the League Cup knockout match that followed as part of eight changes made by coach Alfred Johannson after the second leg against HJK. The result was a 1-0 defeat in extra time against Championship side Stenhousemuir. The one game that AP didn’t play is the one game they’ve lost this year. Johansson went to his bench very early to try and get his team going but couldn’t prevent them from slumping out of the competition. It was a stinker... although the ECL run did need to take priority.
Motherwell have been drawn against SC Freiburg (Germany) in the playoff round. One last two-legger to get through before the League Phase... and since this is the third-tier competition there’s no fallback option if they fail. Lose and that’s the end of their continental campaign this season. Freiburg will be a massive challenge. Seventh in the Bundesliga last season, the seventh time in a row that they’ve been top-10 in Germany. Even more threatening is the fact that they went all the way to the Europa League final in 2025-26, beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa in the decider (Villa got there by defeating Chris Wood’s Nottingham Forest). Freiburg won all seven home games during that run, beating Basel, Utrecht, RB Salzburg, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Genk (R32), Celta Vigo (QF), and Braga (SF). One advantage that Motherwell has is that they’re seven games into their season whereas this will be Freiburg’s first competitive match. Another advantage is a rejuvenated Alex Paulsen between the sticks.
Elsewhere in Scotland, Kilmarnock edged their League Cup knockout tie 3-2 against Ayr United with George Stanger playing a fully ninety against his former club. They only just squeaked it thanks to a 79th minute equaliser and an 89th minute winner, the latter thanks to a goalkeeping fumble. Stanger went close to scoring in the second minute getting up for a corner. Matt Warbrick was an unused sub for Ayr Utd. As for Dundee United, they got whupped 4-0 by Celtic. Jesse Randall played 71 mins and once again was the last of the front three to be subbed. Dundee Utd have played Rangers (1-1 draw), Hearts (0-4 loss), and Celtic (0-4 loss, League Cup) in their past three matches. Blessedly, they won’t have to face any of last year’s top three again for another two months.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Freiburg on Friday at 6.30am, first leg of ECL qualifying playoffs (NZT)
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
Helena Errington didn’t have a goal contribution in FH’s 2-2 draw with IBV and they had a week off afterwards so obviously she was pretty hungry to get back in amongst it for the trip to Fram. She must have been, because she buried the first goal after barely four minutes, sneaking onto a low cross with a smartly placed finish. Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir did her usual thing by doubling that after half an hour although that leaky FH defence caught them out at corner kick time to concede right before the break. Therefore Errington made sure to set one up early in the second half, lovely finish from Hronn Haraldsdóttir, and then Hermannsdóttir scored her second to make it 4-1.
That was the cue for FH to make four substitutions all at once with Errington among those to get an early respite from the rain. FH would score a fifth ten minutes later although that defence still can’t seem to deal with the direct stuff as they conceded three times in the last twenty minutes, broken up by a Nia Christopher goal, as this game ended with a rather silly 6-4 scoreline. That’s how it usually goes for FH. Unstoppable goal scorers with 52 from 14 league matches... but they’ve also conceded 25. This season their winning scorelines include: 3-2, 6-2, 5-2, 7-3, 6-1, 7-3 again, and now 6-4. No shortage of action with FH Hafnarfjörður are in town.
When a team is that prolific there are going to be lots of contributions. Helena Errington has five goals and five assists, which ranks her third-equal in the team for scoring and first-equal (with two others) for assists. Two more goals in the cup as well, don’t forget. She’s established herself as one of FH’s best but by no means is she the star of the show either. This team is stacked (well, in attack at least).
This victory matched what Breiðablik did with their own 1-0 win against Grindavik/Njarovik, keeping both teams level on points atop the Besta Dielen with FH leading by two on the goal difference splits. Bit of a missed opportunity to stretch that out after conceding all those late goals against Fram, to be honest. Oh well, they had a far more golden opportunity a few days later when FH hosted Breiðablik in their third head to head meeting of the year. Breiðablik won 3-1 in the Icelandic Super Cup back in April (in Errington’s debut for the club) but FH got some revenge with a 3-2 win in the league two months later. They’ll meet again in the Championship Rounds but as for this third contest?
Yeah nah not so good. Breiðablik won 3-0 to break up FH’s 12-game league unbeaten run and take control of the title race, moving three points clear and now with the superior goal difference. Errington played ninety minutes with a yellow card. Tried what she could to get her team back into the contest but it wasn’t to be. They’ll get another chance later in the campaign.
But wait there’s more... by virtue of FH finishing second last season, FH are also in the Europa Cup first qualifying round where they’ve been drawn against Apollon Limassol of Cyprus, a very winnable match-up with the opening leg on the Thursday after next (3am on 28 Aug). There’s a second qualifying round before the round of sixteen begins this competition properly and that second qualifying round is where Rangers (Hannah Blake) and Fenerbahçe (Katie Bowen) both enter it... as well as a few more clubs when they get knocked out of the next round of Champions League quals. Breiðablik are also involved in Europa Cup qualies (having fallen into them from the UCL, same as Rangers and Fenerbahçe) so there won’t be any disadvantage to FH in the league for having these extra games on the calendar.
Up Next: FH vs Vikingur at 6am on Saturday (NZT)
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Now there’s a moment that’s been a long time coming. Not only was that Finn Surman’s first goal in MLS... it was the first goal he’s ever scored at professional club level. It only took him 114 games between the Wellington Phoenix and Portland Timbers. Of course, many still claim he should've been credited with that winner for the Nix against Victory back in April 2024, rudely changed to an own goal a few days later. But the record books say what the record books say and therefore this was #1 for the Surmanator. At club level, that is. Because he’s got three goals in 22 caps for the All Whites. He scored against Tahiti in June 2024. He scored against Norway in October 2025. And most famously he scored against Egypt at the World Cup less than two months ago.
Unfortunately there wasn’t much to celebrate as this goal only ended up being a late consolation in a 2-1 defeat away to Chicago Fire. First game back for the Timbers after the Leagues Cup (where they won 5-2 vs Puebla, lost 3-1 to America, and won 3-1 vs Club Tijuana with Surman playing every minute and captaining in the two victories). First MLS game with new coach Martí Cifuentes too, the Spaniard having officially taken over for the last of those Leagues Cup fixtures.
Both goals were conceded inside the opening twenty minutes as the Timbers made a horrific start (on a horrific artificial turf at Soldier Field which still had most of the NFL markings visible after the Chicago Bears began their preseason recently). Surman had a nightmare for the second goal, missing a clearance as the ball dropped on him and then hitting another attempted clearance straight to Robin Lod in the penalty area. It got much better from there, and Surman did a fine job dealing with Robert Lewandowski for the Chicago Fire, but the damage had been done early.
Finn Surman: “Yeah, it's a little bit of relief. It's been a long time coming and that moment was pretty cool. So I'm really happy with that. The results result puts a cloud over it so that's disappointing and yeah, we'll just move on to the next one. Try and score again next next game on Wednesday.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota United got a late goal for a 1-1 draw away to Real Salt Lake. Conceded after 81 minutes, equalised after 88 minutes. That at least avoids another defeat for coach Cam Knowles but it remains that case that his Loons have not won for eight straight in MLS (though they did win one of their Leagues Cup outings – Boxy only played one of those three matches as they gave him a bit of a rest). In isolation, that was a decent result away against a higher-placed opponent. In the fuller context of their season, they need wins if they’re going to get back into the playoffs. They also need attacking reinforcements but that’s a whole other issue.
Michael Boxall celebrated his 38th birthday yesterday. Apparently they put on a small celebration for him prior to training, then afterwards he had to hang around for some additional festivities as the Loons prepare to celebrate the team’s tenth anniversary with the midweek game vs Atlanta United. Boxy has been named in the All-Decade Minnesota United Eleven... fitting since he’s the only dude left from year one in 2017 (he joined midway through the season). Not that he’s ever keen to stand in the spotlight.
Boxy: “No, not a huge fan of those thing. I just like to get on with the work.”
Up Next: Portland vs San Diego at 2.30pm Thursday; Minnesota Utd vs Atlanta Utd at 12.30pm Thursday (NZT)
Hannah Blake – Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
Following a couple of Champions League qualifiers (one win and one loss), Rangers began their domestic season with a 4-1 win against Montrose. The goal they conceded was a goalkeeping error. They should have probably scored more but they did what was required, scoring three times in the last 22 minutes to get the win. Key thing here is that Hannah Blake started this game same as she started the two UWCL matches. No goals or assists but that was due to bad luck rather than a lack of chances. They seemed to use her deeper in midfield this time with a lot of her touches coming in her own half.
Blake was one of three new signings who made their SWPL debuts from amongst the starters – the others being Kirsty Smith and Bailley Collins – with Collins scoring a brace. There was a time when we had three or four kiwis employed in the Scottish Women’s Premiership but that ended a year ago when Vic Esson left Rangers for the Wellington Phoenix so it’s cool to see this link revived and cool to see Hannah Blake immediately stepping into a starting role for Rangers, showing she can play a couple different roles, and already having a bit of success with it too.
Up Next: Rangers vs Spartans at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
We were back to looking at screenshots of Tim Payne sitting on the bench with a bib. Not even a good screenshot either – apparently the Copa Sudamericana broadcasters didn’t get the memo to keep T-Payne in focus throughout. This was the first leg of the round of sixteen of that secondary continental competition and Olimpia played it extremely conservatively, setting up to defend for a clean sheet away against Vasco da Gama in Brazil. We can snivel about Payne not getting a chance in some of those league games but it’s pretty reasonable stuff to stick with the tried and true in a situation like that... and it worked because they escaped with a very boring – yet very helpful – 0-0 draw from this match.
Ah but the short turnaround back in the Primera División allowed for some rotation and that’s what we’re here for. In amongst the changes, Tim Payne was given his first start for Olimpia. Hooray for that. He had a solid outing too. No major highlights for Payne... but lots of impressive smaller efforts, holding his own defensively whilst getting forward often enough to swing some mint deliveries into the middle.
The closest Olimpia came to a goal in the first half was when Rubén Lezcano thumped a half volley that glanced off the crossbar, fetching onto the second phase after a tasty Tim Payne cross. The closest Sportivo Ameliano came to a goal in that half was when they scored one... only for an offside to correctly rule that the winger down T-Payne’s side had strayed, with Payne himself having stepped up just in time to catch him. Like, juuuuust in time. A split-second later and he’d have been at fault for a goal. Meanwhile, a split-second later and this bloke still would have been about a week too late with this shoulder charge. You’d get a two-week suspension for that in the NRL...
(About 30 seconds into that Tigo Sports compilation, T-Payne absolutely cleans out the same #9 that later dropped a shoulder on him so that probably explains that whole situation).
Despite conceding with twenty mins left, Olimpia scored twice in the time that remained thanks to a pair of substitutes and with that claimed a 2-1 win. Full game for T-Payne. Five games into the season and they’ve won the two matches that Payne featured in while losing the three that he didn’t. Plus a draw in the Copa Sudamerica without him too. Zero goals scored in the four games that he watched from the sideline. Hmmm.
Up Next: Olimpia vs Vasco in the second leg, Friday at 10am (NZT)
Elijah Just & Marko Stamenic - Swansea City (English Championship)
With all these New Zealanders in the English Championship this season, it’d be choice if at least of their clubs promoted. It’s been a long time since we last had a Premier League debutant and we’ve seen in recent years that signing with an EPL club does not necessarily equate to playing for them (Alex Paulsen, Marko Stamenić, Tyler Bindon...). The best bet for promotion might be Swansea City. Not only because it’s double money since they’ve got two NZers... but also because there’s genuine buzz around this team. First full season under coach Vitor Matos, lots of exciting additions, an enjoyable playing style. The days are as early as they get on that front but they’ve begun in the right fashion with a 2-1 victory against Stoke City.
This was extra fun because Swansea brought defensive midfielder Jay Fulton into the line-up (he got man of the match in an excellent performance) which meant Marko Stamenić and Elijah Just were paired together in the more advanced midfield roles. More so with Just, obviously, but seeing Stamenić with licence to push up into the attacking penalty area is always an enticing prospect. The game didn’t start so great with Swansea’s initial possession spoiled by a single lapse with Eric Mocat thumping in a goal off the crossbar for Stoke. But some clever retention out near the sideline by Stamenić sparked a move that ended in Joseph Opoku slamming home a deflected effort from close-ish to make it 1-1 (22’) and with Swansea continuing to boss possession and win duels around the park, eventually Adam Idah bunted in a winner with his first touch after being subbed on (66’). Again Stamenić was involved in the build-up, splitting a pass through pressure to find space.
Eli Just was subbed as part of the triple change that saw Idah introduced. Quieter game from him here as he continues to work on his combos with these new teammates, with couple instances where he was open in the middle and guys didn’t look in his direction. Still heaps of drifting around and getting things rolling for his team but not one where he had any major highlights... which was all good because it allows us focus on a tremendous Marko Stamenić performance.
Stamenić was a late window transfer last season, having done preseason with Nottingham Forest, and then lost his father a few months later. Chuck in a managerial change and the shadow of the World Cup and while he was good last season... there’s every reason to think his second season is going to blow the first one out of the water. He flexed a fair bit of that against Stoke where he played the full ninety, was involved in the early phases of both goals, dominated his duels on the ground and in the air, had a header on target from a corner... and most enthralling were the occasional little flair touches that suggested a player full of confidence, comfortable with the tempo, and ready to make a mark. Stamenić was the first player embraced by his coach after the final whistle with a big ol’ bear hug.
Vitor Matos on his midfield: “Yeah, we thought that could be an important change to give a little bit of stability, a little bit more security in the building phases. I think they were both brilliant [Stamenic & Fulton]. I’m really happy with both, I think they had a really good game.”
One other thing to be aware of is that Aussie centre-back Cameron Burgess ruptured his Achilles tendon in the EFL Cup defeat to Birmingham City last week. Burgess, who was part of the Socceroos World Cup squad, has been a key player in central defence alongside club captain Ben Cabango... but he’s now set to miss most if not all of the Championship season. Stephen Welsh was signed from Motherwell in the summer, (beating Elijah Just by a few weeks in his parallel move) so he lined up with Cabango for the Stoke game. But they’re probably going to need to find another senior CB from somewhere if they’re going to make it through a gruelling Championship season with their playoff hopes in tact. Only mention that because they’ve already got two New Zealanders on the books so a third wouldn’t go astray with both Finn Surman and Tyler Bindon potentially available for Championship transfers. Surman permanently, Bindon on loan.
Up Next: Swansea City vs Sheffield United at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Luke Brooke-Smith - Portsmouth (English Championship)
Guess who held their place in the Portsmouth starting eleven for the Championship opener? Luke Brooke-Smith got 52 minutes on the left-wing against West Ham in the EFL Cup defeat. He then got 45 minutes against QPR in a very similar game to get the Champo rolling. In both games, Pompey started brightly and scored first... only concede goals late in the first half on the way to a 3-1 defeat.
Not a great start for Pompey and we know that LBS is only starting because of injuries elsewhere. Even still, it’s hard not to be fizzed about an 18yo kiwi starting in week one of the Championship regardless of the circumstances. He showed a bit more in his second competitive outing, with his very first touch seeing him drive straight towards his marker to take him on. He was tackled and then conceded a foul... but his big effort to rush back and make a challenge near halfway got a loud cheer from the home fans. Plus he mustered a pair of shot attempts: one angling inwards popping on target from 20 metres out, the other attempting to turn home a low drilled cross from the middle of the goal but getting blocked by a defender in close attendance. The main thing is the confidence. He already looks like he feels he belongs. You can catch a full replay over here if you wanna compile your own scouting report.
The fact Brooke-Smith only played half a game is because reinforcements are arriving. The lad who replaced him was Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, newly on loan from Chelsea, who is actually six months younger than LBS. That was his debut for Pompey. Another new addition, Marko Milovanović, got about twenty minutes off the bench later on. These are bonus minutes for LBS early in his Pompey tenure and eventually he’ll settle back onto the bench, although hopefully he’s doing enough to ensure he keeps getting cameos.
Luke also did a few media duties through the week, including an extended chat with Portsmouth’s in-house media team. In that he mentioned how former Wellington Phoenix forward David Ball has been helping him settle – Ball is involved as a Player Liaison Manager for GSW Football, the agency that represents LBS. Matt Garbett and Xuan Loke are also repped by those fellas. Brooke-Smith also confirmed that his parents and sister have moved to England (though he has an apartment of his own) and that around 20 of his English-based whanau were there at London Stadium to support him on debut last week. He called his All Whites debut the best day of his life and spoke about how from that moment he was determined to test himself overseas, mentioning the likes of Chris Wood and Elijah Just as inspiration. And he also affirmed his desire to be the kind of player who gets the fans up out of their seats when he’s on the ball.
LBS: “I started at a club called Hora Hora at the top of New Zealand in Whangarei and then moved to a couple of clubs around there. Then when I was around 11, I moved six hours to the middle of the North Island and played for Cambridge for about four years, my local club. Played six months with the first team at 15 and then moved on to Hamilton Wanderers, about half an hour away, at the semi-pro level. From there I got asked to come down to trial, July 2024 just after my sixteenth [birthday], at the Wellington Phoenix. Got offered a three-year contract with them and started playing at a young age which maybe caught the eye of a few people and I got lucky enough that Portsmouth reached out and as soon as I talked with them I knew I wanted to come here.”
Up Next: Lincoln City vs Portsmouth at 11.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Millwall (English Championship)
For the fourth year in a row, Max Crocombe has begun the season as the back-up goalkeeper for his club.
In 2023-24, he sat on the bench for Burton Albion behind Jamal Blackman. Blackman got injured in the third game of the campaign and Crocombe went on to start 42/43 of the remaining League One matches (the only one he missed was for All Whites duty).
In 2024-25, he say behind Harry Isted for Burton Albion’s season opener. Benched despite being the reigning Player of the Year, since the coach wanted someone who’d play out from the back more efficiently... well, that only lasted one game before Crocs regained his number one status, making another 43 League One apps that term.
By the 2025-26 season, he’d moved to Millwall where Steven Benda was between the sticks for the first nine Championship matches. Inconsistent form from that on-loan rival meant that Crocombe got his chance in October and held it for the next four months with some quality performances. But then we all remember what happened next. This graphic from The Athletic helps illustrate what rough luck Crocs had last season where he was excellent but they signed someone even better, who’d worked with their coach before, on loan in January...
One of the ten best shot-stoppers in the division last season yet not even the best at his own club. As harsh as it was, Anthony Patterson genuinely was an upgrade and with the club challenging for promotion they took the opportunity to find marginal improvement in that position. Didn’t stop them from getting dumped out of the playoff semis 2-0 on aggregate against Hull City but so it goes.
And, yes, the 2026-27 term has begun with Lukas Jensen being given the gloves after his heroics in the EFL Cup last week, completing his very long journey back from an achilles tear. It’s a situation that Max Crocombe is very used to – everywhere he’s gone he’s had to prove himself over and over again. This dude is built for these challenges... now he’s got another one on his hands. Millwall won 2-0 away to Bristol City in Jensen’s first Championship appearance since April 2025.
Lukas Jensen: “I think that’s what a Goalkeeper’s Union is. As much as you are teammates, you’re competitors, but it’s the opposite way around as well. If I’m not playing, I’m going support Max and Max is going do the same thing. We’ve actually spoken about this because, you know how it is going into a new season, both want to play. I want to be the one starting, I’m coming off a long-term injury, you never know what’s going to happen, but all I can do is put myself in the best place possible. Me and Max, we spoke about how we are going to support each other because that’s what the GK Union does, and how you’re going to get the best out of the starting keeper is if he has supporting keepers around you. So that’s what we’re going to do. Max is a great guy, as much as he’s a great keeper. We sit next to each other in the changing room, we’re really good friends. And even in training we talk about all the stuff going around in the football world so we can have some really good conversations. I don’t have a bad word to say about Max and he’s a great guy as much as he is a great keeper.”
There was also a frustrating absence for Libby Cacace. He’d missed the tailend of preseason and the EFL Cup game with what was described as fatigue in his calf and during the week Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson addressed various fitness areas in his squad with the update on Cacace being that he “has continued to work on the training ground on a fatigue issue that kept him out of our Carabao Cup tie against Middlesbrough”. Yet when their Monday night (local time) league opener came around he was nowhere to be seen.
It does sound like they’re being extra cautious with him, fingers crossed that’s all it is. Wrexham drew 1-1 away to Cardiff City. They scored a very early goal via Kieffer Moore (3’) and led for more than ninety minutes worth of football only to concede on 90+8’ and get stuck with just a point. At least Cacace did make one appearance this week, showing up for That Wrexham Podcast...
Mad that Ben Foster thinks that Winston Reid is the Premier League kiwi that people often forget... the real ones know about Danny Hay and Lee Norfolk (and no, Rory Fallon never played Prem, unless you’re speaking of the Scottish variety). The full list of NZers in the EPL in order of debut goes: Lee Norfolk (1995), Danny Hay (2000), Ryan Nelsen (2005), Simon Elliott (2006), Chris Wood (2009), Winston Reid (2010) – incredibly we’ve had at least one player, usually Woodsy, in every season since then without actually getting another debutant since Winston Reid 16 years ago.
Anywho, good insight there from Cacace on battling through an injury ravaged season in his first year at a new club in a new country after never having had to deal with muscle issues before in his career. Trying to find info about what’s up with him means sifting through countless Wrexham fans convinced that he’s made of glass or that he doesn’t care or that they oughta just get rid of him. Crazy how fans speak about athletes sometimes. He also talks about the decision to swap from Serie A to the Championship, Italian cuisine, and his Premier League ambitions with the Red Dragons.
A random bit about Wrexham is that they’ve just, finally, completed their long-rumoured move for goalkeeper Anthony Patterson from Sunderland – the same fella who kept Max Crocombe on the bench for Millwall last season after joining on loan for the second half of the term. They’ve also been revealed to have made a pair of unsuccessful bids for Norwegian international centre-back Henrik Falchener who plays for Viking FK alongside Joe Bell and Gianni Stensness (JB, GS, and Libby Cacace were all NZ U20s teammates once upon a time). Another strange coincidence is that Steven Benda, the bloke that Crocombe began the season behind but overtook at Millwall, then got recalled from loan by Fulham in January, has signed with Nottingham Forest to be their third-choice keeper. The more kiwis in high-end club situations we get, the more these little coincidences will keep happening.
Good news at least for Nik Tzanev who was on the bench behind Huddersfield Town’s young gun prodigy loanee from Sunderland for game one, giving hints that perhaps he might have crept up to second choice for the Terriers. Or so it seemed. But nah it turns out that Jak Alnwick just welcomed a new baby and has been on paternal leave for a few days and Tanz will probably return to GK3 status by the next game. It’s unlikely you’ll hear a lot about him in these articles for a wee while but you never know. As for Ben Waine, he was an unused substitute as Port Vale began their League Two existences with a 2-0 loss away to Oldham Athletic.
Up Next: Millwall vs Norwich at 11.30pm Saturday... but the one to watch for Crocombe’s sake is the EFL Cup second rounder vs Cambridge United at 6.45am on Weds (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
About a week after Mickey Foster revealed her own ACL injury, now we’ve got an explanation as to why Grace Wisnewski wasn’t involved in the first few games of Nordsjælland’s season. This is the second ACL tear that she’s had to go through after also suffering one during her time with the Wellington Phoenix. Awful news. We have seen Marisa van der Meer bounce back strongly from a second ACL tear so she’s got a role model to lead upon but this’ll probably rule her out of this season and the World Cup beyond it.
Nevertheless, the football world doesn’t stop and we’ve still got Malia Steinmetz at FC Nordsjælland, who played the full game as FCN won 3-1 away to Aarhus for their first victory of the new campaign. Loss, draw, win... it’s gotten a little better each time. This was the first time Steinmetz has played a full game since her own ACL recovery although there was a catch to it: they put her at centre-back.
Grace Wisnewski had a run playing CB last season too, seems to be something this club is happy to try with their defensive mids. Not sure if it worked because Steinmetz scored an own goal to make it 1-1 with quarter of an hour to play. Stuck out a boot and diverted a low cross past her own keeper from outside the near post, plus there was an earlier instance in the highlights where a bad header led to an Aarhus shot. Luckily, FCN scored twice in the time that remained and still won. If this was a way to build up Steinmetz’s minutes in a less arduous position then fair enough. If it’s a longer term plan then nah mate the Football Ferns need to see her back in that CDM role. Tusind tak.
Over at FC København, Ally Green played 77 minutes as her team were beaten 4-1 by Fortuna. That’s three defeats out of three for the promoted Copenhagen side – who play Nordsjælland in their fourth match. Green has made two starts at left-back and been subbed on at half-time of the other. It’s tough work for any club in season one in the top division. Their three defeats have come against the top three clubs in the standings, admittedly.
Up Next: Nordsjælland vs Copenhagen at 5am on Friday (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - SC Farense (Portuguese Liga 2)
There are worse places to be employed, aye? Subbed on for a Farense debut with the Iberian sunset in the distance, only getting on in the 89th minute... but it’s clear they’re easing Sarpreet Singh in slowly after he was an unused sub in their season opener. He’s wearing the #10 jersey and that oughta be a sign that they’ve got fine intentions for him. Farense won 3-2 against Porto B. That makes them one of six teams (in an 18-team league) who have won both their opening two fixtures. Solid start to what’ll hopefully be a promotion quest for Farense this season.
Up Next: Farense vs Felgueiras at 5am on Tuesday (NZT
Stipe Ukich - NK Istra 1961 (Croatian Nogometna Liga)
Been waiting for this one. Stipe Ukich has made his league debut for NK Istra (only his league debut – since he did appear in a cup game last year), subbed on for the final five minutes of a 3-0 win against Slaven Belupo. Came on as a striker and managed to get a yellow card in his short cameo. Ukich is probably more known as a winger although he certainly got some reps at striker for Auckland City and with his combination of speed and strength (and a bit of mongrel too) he’s entirely capable of continuing to play that position in the pro ranks. Always helps to be versatile when you’re competing for opportunities.
This was a pretty straightforward win for Istra. Slaven Belupo were reduced to ten men in the third minute of the match after a last-man challenge – unlucky for that bloke since there was no intent, he simply ran across the heels of the attacker having been beaten for pace. The Istra dude who got fouled, Nik Skafar Zuzic, scored the first goal (16’) before Hamza Jaganjac (35’, 56’) got a brace. It was Jaganjac that Ukich replaced. Ukich has been there for a year and a half now, progressing through the U19s and into their lower-league affiliate club and recently got some good minutes in preseason. Now, after two unused substitute appearances, he’s made that Nogometna Liga debut in game three (which was also Istra 1961’s first win of the campaign) and with luck he’ll be hanging around that first team from now onwards. Big milestone there for one of Aotearoa’s top attacking prospects.
Up Next: Rijeka vs Istra 1961 on Monday at 4.30am (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
A 3-1 defeat against FC Twente in game two. Ryan Thomas played 78 minutes as captain, subbed only as it became clear they weren’t getting back into this one. Zwolle did take the lead through Elias Sørensen after 21 minutes, capitalising after some heavy pressing saw a defender bounced off in the penalty area. Claims of a foul which were denied by the ref which infuriated the home fans when about two minutes later Ryan Thomas did win a foul after being nudged over on the edge of his own area. Didn’t matter because FC Twente were too good on the day and won it handily. PEC Zwolle are one of five clubs to have lost both games to start the new Eredivisie.
Up Next: Heerenveen vs Zwolle at 7am on Sunday (NZT)
Andre De Jong & Dublin Boon - Orlando Pirates (South African Premiership)
Took a couple of attempts but they got it done eventually. The initial Boon to OP move was going to be a player trade but the fella going in the other direction didn’t fancy it, however once fellow kiwi Nathan Garrow turned up on the Stellenbosch bench instead of Dublin Boon as the PSL season got underway it was pretty obvious that Boon’s departure was imminent. Now it’s done and the young goalkeeper has signed a three-year deal with the defending champions where he follows the path walked by Andre de Jong who also moved from Stellenbosch to Orlando Pirates.
It’s been weird for ADJ though. After transferring in January, he only appeared in 9/17 league games from his debut onwards with just two of those being starts and he was subbed at half-time of one of them. He’d joined a squad already on course for a championship so it made sense that he’d have to be patient. But he was also out of sight for most of preseason and hasn’t been involved in any of the four matchday squads since the proper stuff began, across the Premiership and the MTN8 Cup. At least some of that (hopefully all of it) was injury related. The most recent game definitely was...
Orlando Pirates: “Pirates will also be without Andre de Jong for this afternoon’s encounter. The midfielder has been ruled out after picking up a quad strain and will not be considered for selection against the Chilli Boys.”
Dublin Boon never played for Stellies, though he did sit on the bench for the final game of the last Premiership season and obviously won a few admirers playing for their Challenge League team. Some of the reports around this move have highlighted his South African eligibility with unnamed sources hinting that he has Bafana Bafana potential down the line... but for now he’ll be part of the backup crew at Pirates. The club didn’t even announce the signing, leaving that up to Boon’s agency.
Boon has previously spent a year with Roda JC in the Netherlands, a year with the Wellington Phoenix as a development player, and a year with Stellenbosch. Got on the bench for all three of those teams though to date his only senior first-team footy has come for Nomads and the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the NZ domestic scene. Normal areas for a young goalie, to be fair. You don’t get scouted by the reigning champs of South Africa if they don’t see something special about you.
Up Next: MTN8 semi-final first leg, Sekhukhune vs Orlando Pirates at 1am on Sunday (NZT)
Olivia Page - Huddersfield Town (English National League North)
Olivia Page has signed with Huddersfield Town after her season with the Newcastle Jets. Page came up with Eastern Suburbs where she was part of an NZ National League winning side under coach Stephen Hoyle, who recruited her to Newcastle following two years working up the ranks with Sheffield United in the English second tier. She was one of four NZers signed to visa spots by Hoyle’s Jets but all four (Olivia Page, Anna Leat, Kelli Brown & Charlotte Lancaster) were released at the end of the season. Hence Page has gone back to the north of England where she’s linked up the Terriers.
Page is 21 years old, a defender capable of playing through the middle or out wide (Sheffield Utd mostly used her as a CB, Newcastle Jets mostly used her as a RB). Age grade rep for Aotearoa at both U17 and U20 World Cups. She’s got a fair bit of promise about her as a tall, powerful presence with plenty of mobility but so far in her career she’s mostly been a bench player. Between Sheff Utd and Newcastle she’s made 17 league apps to date adding up to less than 700 minutes of action. Gotta get those reps in.
More recently she’d had a stint in the NPL with NWS Spirit where she played 12 games and scored two goals. Now she’s moving to the third tier of English footy, down a division from where she was with the Blades (albeit Sheffield United finished last in her second season so the level is probably similar). However, she’ll be joining a team that’s just experienced promotion and a lot more used to winning football games.
Liv Page: “I came here for a trial a couple years ago and really liked working under Glenn [Preston], so I thought it'd be good to work with him again. It's happened really quickly but as soon as I spoke with him, I knew it was the right decision. I like the way that the club's moving forward for this season and I'm really excited to get started.”
The Terriers drew 1-1 with Norwich in their opening fixture in the Northern Premier Division before Page’s transfer got finalised. Same tier as Rebekah Trewhitt was playing with Lewes last season (she was in the Southern section), though she hasn’t returned with them this year. Also the same club that Nik Tzanev is employed by on the men’s side.
Up Next: HTAFC vs Loughborough Lightning on Monday at 1am (NZT)
Finn McKenlay - Finn Harps (League of Ireland First Division)
Finn McKenlay has signed with Finn Harps for the remainder of the Irish season. The 20yo midfielder was released by Auckland FC after two years as a scholarship player, having formerly played for Birkenhead United and Eastern Suburbs. Only made two A-League appearances but did sit on the bench for a few playoff games... plus he was brilliant for the AFC Reserves in National League and was one of NZ’s better performers at the last U20 World Cup. He joins Finn Harps at the same time as 19yo Scottish youth rep Ronan Ferns, fresh from the Celtic academy.
Interesting landing spot because the contract, at least to begin with, is only for the rest of the 2026 campaign and McKenlay is linking up with a team that sits bottom of the Irish second tier having lost their last five games in a row (including consecutive 5-0 defeats against Longford Town and Bray Wanderers in the most recent outings). Still nine games left and there’s no relegation so he oughta get a decent run over these next couple months. McKenlay certainly has the talent to play higher than this but first he’s gotta get his footing in professional footy, play some games and show what he’s worth. Corban Piper spent a year with Wexford in this division a few years ago.
Up in the top division, we’ve currently got Jago Godden’s playing regularly off the bench for Drogheda in the top division. McKenlay’s old AFC teammate Max Mata is with St Patrick’s Athletic in the Premier Division too but has hardly played due to injuries and in-form teammates. Norman Garbett re-signed with Dundalk at the start of the year but hasn’t played all year due to injury.
Up Next: Finn Harps vs Cobh Ramblers at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Jay Herdman – Bali United (Indonesian Super League)
Jay Herdman is heading to Bali... and not for a holiday. The NZ U20s international and Olympian has transferred from Calvary FC in Canada to Bali United FC in Indonesia for an undisclosed fee. Another step in a pretty weird career that began with some hugely exciting stuff as a playmaker in the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, making one MLS appearance for the first team, but didn’t earn a senior contract. They loaned him out to Cavalry for the back-half of 2024 where he promptly won a Canadian championship, then re-signed permanently and played some CONCACAF Champions Cup. Yet by the end of 2025 he’d fallen out of favour and been loaned out to a rival CPL side. Bit surprising to see him return to Cavalry after that but he had a go... and didn’t really do anything. Two assists in a start in the opening round but in and out of the team since then. Mostly out in recent times, as this transfer was no doubt building in the background.
A move to Indonesia doesn’t exactly signal that he’s getting things back on track... but it doesn’t come as a surprise either considering how his father, John Herdman, is the current coach of the Indonesian national team. He’ll also link up there with Aussie midfielder Brandon Wilson who played a few games for the Wellington Phoenix a few years back. Bali United have finished eighth in each of the past two seasons. They won the Super League as recently as 2021-22 though. The knock on Herdman seems to be that he’s not particularly creative as an attacking midfielder... and lacks the physical traits to make up for that. He can cross and he can shoot but he doesn’t dribble or play incisive passes. In a league like Indonesia’s, he should have the freedom to be himself rather than getting pigeon-holed into a predetermined role that doesn’t fit.
Up Next: Indonesian season kicks off in a couple weeks
Meikayla Moore & Tilly James – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
After 13 games without a win, Calgary Wild have had two victories in a row. Both have come with the remastered back four of Tilly James, Meikayla Moore, Taylor Otto, Madison Pogarch. This 4-3 win over Ottawa was a crazy one where Calgary went 2-0 up after half an hour, Ottawa hauled it back to 2-2, Calgary scored just before half-time to retake the lead, Ottawa got a red card, Calgary scored again, Ottawa scored again, and it was all very exhausting. But that’s back to back wins for the Wild. They’re now only 11 points adrift in last place (with a game in hand).
Up Next: Montreal vs Calgary at 7am on Monday (NZT)
Oliver Colloty - Elgin City (Scottish League Two)
Up Next: Spartans vs Elgin City at 2am Sunday (NZT)
Zac Jones - AFC Fylde (English National League)
He’s good, this fella. After a 2-2 draw with Wealdstone in week one, AFC Fylde won 2-1 away to Tamworth so these big saves that Jones has been making have been super crucial for his team. Really tidy start after promotion for Fylde. Elsewhere in the National League, good to see that International Clearance come through for Luke Supyk after it cost him a chance to play in Gateshead’s season opener...
And with that he went straight into the starting team and played 76 minutes of a 2-0 win against Woking. Looked like they played him on the wing rather than striker. Gateshead have had a loss and a win to get underway.
Up Next: Woking vs Fylde at 11.30pm Saturday (NZT)
Chris Wood & Tyler Bindon - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Nottingham Forest wrapped up their preseason calendar with a game against Stade Brest which they won 2-0 and which Chris Wood played a significant part in. He’d skipped last weekend’s friendly but that was only a precautionary thing in light of his shortened training schedule (due to the World Cup) and also his long injury absence last season. The gaffer already explained why we didn’t need to worry...
Oliver Glasner, during the week: “We don't take any risks after a really difficult last season. It was a very long injury and he had a very minor muscle injury, but he trained already today, so it was more or less precaution. Let's see if he can do the sessions on Friday and Saturday without any issues and he will play on Sunday. But Chris Wood is so experienced, I don't need to tell him how the Premier League works, he knows that it's just to keep him fit and that's why we didn't take any risk.”
True to his word, the Woodsman did play on Sunday. He played seventy minutes and he scored a goal from the penalty spot. Could have had more, getting on the end of several crosses especially in the first twenty mins. Perhaps a bit of rustiness there although none of them were clear opportunities. And there was no question about him scoring from twelve yards like he always does...
A gentle reminder that Chris Wood has not missed a penalty kick for club or for country for over a decade. He’s converted 34 in a row, including shootouts, spanning the various teams he’s played for in that time. And that doesn’t include this one since it wasn’t a real game.
There is a twist here though. The eleven that started this game looked very much like a second eleven with the top choice fellas having played a closed-door friendly against Coventry two days earlier (Coventry is also the club that has spent a very surprising amount of money to sign Taiwo Awoniyi, one of Woodsy’s fellow NFFC strikers over the past couple seasons). So on the one hand, that might suggest that Wood is in line to sit on the bench for the Premier League opened against Leeds United. On the other hand, it might be that his (minor) injury scare last week meant that it made more sense to play him in the later game with more recovery beforehand. He needed the minutes after his truncated preseason. S’pose we’ll just have to wait until next week to find out where Oliver Glasner’s head is at.
With Awoniyi leaving, there’s a decent chance there might be another striker in the doors within the next two weeks. That’s life in the Premier League, gotta continue to fight off new challengers. Glasner told media after the Brest game that he reckons there are 2-3 new signings in the works. One guy who’ll surely be going the other way is Tyler Bindon. Another loan move to the Championship has always been the most likely outcome although it’s huge for his development that he’s been able to have a full preseason with Nottingham Forest beforehand - including a dozen minutes at the end of this last friendly game.
Another consequence of Awoniyi leaving is that the number nine jersey has been vacated. Arise, CW9. First time he’s had the #9 shirt since his Burnley days. Maybe they’ll sign another striker in the next fortnight but there was only one man ever deserved this jersey...
Respect to the Woodsman. Any quick perusal of social media will uncover countless NFFC fans out ready to write him off, thinking they’re playing Football Manager in real life or something, but there are plenty of goals left in the big man yet. Not to mention the positive impact he has on the team with his hold-up play and aerial presence. You can tell his teammates love him by the way they talk about him.
Up Next: Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United at 2am on Sunday, matchweek one of the 2026-27 English Premier League (NZT)
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