Flying Kiwis – September 16
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Joe Zen Robert Bell is a Champions League player. He made his debut in the competition last Thursday as Viking FK travelled to Germany and were beaten 3-1 by VfB Stuttgart. This was actually one of Viking’s pot four opponents... which tells you how brutal the Champions League really is when an away game against a Bundesliga side that finished fourth last season is theoretically one of your easier fixtures.
This was the first time that Viking have played in this competition since a first round exit against Barcelona in 1992–93. And for a 33-year UCL drought breaker, it went about as you’d imagine. Stuttgart scored first, Viking equalised, then Stuttgart scored twice more to take control with Bosnian forward Ermedin Demirović netting a hat-trick. Zlatko Tripic, of course, got the goal for Viking. The Norwegian side tried to open things up in the second half which included attacking substitutes that required Joe Bell to be sacrificed – minutes after he’d been booked for a shirt-tug on Morocco forward Bilal El Khannouss. But Stuttgart shut up shop in the second stanza for a 3-1 victory.
Bell didn’t get a heap of touches in a game where his side were largely outplayed (at least once VFK’s initial wave of energy wore off) but he still completed 21/24 passes along with some decent defensive work. Viking’s first shot on target came from a header after Bell had dropped wide to collect a short corner and then curled it into the danger zone. He set up another chance early second half when he pushed up to intercept the ball then cut it back for a teammate whose shot was blocked. As for his yellow card, well that was a funny one...
He originally stuck a leg out to try and halt El Khannouss near halfway but couldn’t manage it. Then another Viking player stepped across to tackle him and El Khannouss gracefully skipped past him too. By then the backline was exposed and Bell had it in his mind to stop him by any means possible... so he grabbed onto his jersey and didn’t let go. The card was out before he even had a chance to get back to his feet (which took longer than intended after the hat-trick hero shoved him over again in revenge). Bell was booked in both legs of the qualifying playoff against Dinamo Zagreb as well, though the accumulation count resets when the League Phase begins so we’re all good there.
Honourable mention to NZ U20s and U23s representative Gianni Stensness who played the full game at centre-back for Viking. He made his choice so he doesn’t get to add to the six-strong list of Aotearoa representatives in the UCL but he’s an important player for Viking. The next UCL matchday isn’t for a month due to the international window... when that one rolls around it’ll be a long-awaited home fixture for Viking in this competition and they’ll host another German team: Bayern Munich. It’ll be the second time in a matter of months that Joe Bell and Harry Kane have come up against each other, following New Zealand’s game vs England prior to the World Cup.
New Zealand Debutants in UEFA Men’s Champions League
Kim Wright (Floriana) – Lost 2-0 vs FC Porto (A) – 15 September 1993
Wynton Rufer (Werder Bremen) – Won 5-2 vs Dinamo Minsk (H) – 16 September 1993
Danny Hay (Leeds United) – Lost 4-0 vs Barcelona (A) – 12 September 2000
Chris Killen (Celtic) – Lost 2-0 vs Shakhtar Donetsk (A) – 18 September 2007
Marko Stamenić (FC København) – Drew 0-0 vs Sevilla (H) – 14 September 2022
Joe Bell (Viking FK) – Lost 3-1 vs Stuttgart (A) – 9 September 2026
In the meantime, there’s still a Norwegian title to defend and it’s safe to say that Viking’s domestic form had dipped during this spell of Champions League excitement. They lost 2-1 to Rosenborg, they needed a stoppage time winner to beat Aalesund, then another stoppage time equaliser to draw with Sandefjord. They’ve had to scrap for it lately... but there were no such dramas against Kristiansund. This was absolute carnage leading 2-0 after six minutes, leading 5-1 at half-time, and ultimately winning 8-1 for a gigantic victory that does wonders for their goal difference in what’s shaping as another neck-and-neck title race between themselves and Bodø/Glimt.
Joe Bell was subbed after 63 minutes with the score at 6-1. Didn’t have anything much to do with any of those goals but he did his job at the base of midfield, nice and imposing like he was throughout last season. He hasn’t always been able to reach that level this year due to some pesky calf injuries and a big ol’ break for the World Cup. The Champions League stuff has been pretty hectic lately too – VFK were at home for this fixture so it was a great crowd there to support them in the wake of that UCL appearance a few days earlier.
That might also explain why he’s skipping out on the next All Whites tour, allowing him a rare fortnight of rest (assuming he doesn’t play the Norwegian Cup game in the middle – it’s a second rounder against Madla so he probably won’t) before a run of 8 games in the space of 31 days which includes Champions League games against Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, as well as a homer against Sabah which shapes as their most winnable UCL fixture. Let alone the fact that they’re in a nervous title challenge too. Let alone that he went straight from the World Cup back into club activities without a break.
Bodø/Glimt won 3-2 against Sandefjord in their game which is terrifying because they’ve now won all nine league games since the World Cup. They weren’t so flash in getting thrashed 5-0 by Bayern Munich in the UCL but can’t be too hasty in criticising them when Viking have to play the same Bavarian folks in a couple weeks. Despite that run, Viking are only three points behind B/G in the Eliteserien and have taken a chunk out of the goal difference margin with the Kristiansund win (B/G are +35, Viking are +31). There’s an 11-point gap between VFK in second and Molde in third.
Up Next: Viking vs Lillestrøm at 3am on Monday (NZT)
George Stanger – Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
There are good weeks and then there are great weeks and George Stanger just had one of the latter. He was on the wrong side of a penalty shootout defeat for Killie against ten-man Aberdeen in the League Cup on the weekend so we’re not counting that (Stanger played the full 120 minutes and didn’t take a spot kick). But since then he’s been recalled to the All Whites where he should make his senior international debut later this month – Stanger expressed his aim of making the World Cup squad several times last season when talking to Scottish media and he did get as far as a couple of call-ups, though wasn’t able to get on the pitch for a cap. However, at 26 years old and now established as a centre-back in the Scottish Premiership, he ought to have a much more prominent role in this next cycle.
But wait there’s more...
Strange goal there, having to avoid his own teammate to whip that thing home. Did the trick though. Keeper couldn’t get enough of a hand on it and that goal, five minutes before half-time, turned out to be enough for Kilmarnock to win 1-0 away against Hibernian. It’s the first time since 1920 that Hibs have lost six home games in a row which caused them to be booed off the pitch by their own fans. Convenient time to face that lot... though remember Killie had been equally shocking until very recently. It’s only in the last few games as they’ve switched to a back four with Stanger partnered by Hull City loanee Cathal McCarthy that they’ve found some grounding. 13 goals conceded in the first three losses... just one conceded in three games since (for a loss, draw, and win). Choice.
No game for Dundee United this week. Already out of the League Cup and didn’t have a midweeker in the Prem. They’re now only one point above Kilmarnock so Jesse Randall’s lot are going to need to sharpen up pretty soon. Meanwhile, Motherwell had a shocker losing 4-0 at home to Aberdeen this morning. Alex Paulsen made a big mistake for the decisive goal as the Steelmen lost 1-0 to Rangers last week but he’d also made some crucial saves in that game, responding well and earning the full backing of his manager (who seemed offended to have even had the question posed). This was different in that none of the goals were his fault. Maybe reacted a bit late to the first but that was still a banger finish, while the second took a big deflection off Jake Girdwood-Reich. Third was a thumping hit and the fourth sweetly placed off the inside of the post. You get the idea. No mistakes... but also no saves. He conceded from all four shots on target that he faced, including two from beyond penalty spot depth. Not a very enjoyable evening. Hopefully that’s an anomaly – it certainly is compared to his season thus far.
Up Next: Killie vs Hearts at 4.45am Sunday (NZT)
Marko Stamenic & Elijah Just – Swansea City (English Championship)
Following Swansea City’s 3-1 defeat against Southampton in the midweek (their first loss of the season), there was a little bit of criticism directed at Elijah Just. He’s had lots of minutes as a new signing but is still clearly trying to find his feet. The ball’s been getting stuck to his feet too often and he’d not yet contributed anything major going forward. Part of that is because he’s being used deeper in the midfield rather than out wide of as a false nine as he often was for Motherwell. Part of that is because at Motherwell he quickly established himself as a key player and guys would go out of their way to get him the ball which isn’t really happening in Wales. But mostly it was a natural case of adapting to a more intense league at a more demanding level than what he’d played before (outside of World Cup action).
One website was stupid enough to label him a “transfer risk” (that website’s got some priors when it comes to braindead clickbait) but that vastly missed the point that he must have been doing something right to keep getting minutes for a winning team. Well, the tide is turning now. Just and Marko Stamenić were once again picked within the midfield three as the Jacks chased as rebound performance against Burnley and you know what? They smoked them 3-1 in one of the best displays we’ve seen so far from Vitor Matos’ side.
They’d already taken the lead after Adam Idah tackled the goalkeeper on 14’ and converted into an empty net. Then it was Elijah Just on the counter-press who intercepted the ball and kept on running alongside Moussa Yeo (or as close as he could get to him, at least). Yeo made good use of the space created when EJ’s run dragged the second defender away from him, chopping infield and scoring after 32 minutes. Two similar situations where Swansea City’s off-ball energy created chances from turnovers. The Just instance wasn’t even a deliberate pass but it has been credited as an assist, making that his first goal contribution in a competitive match for Swansea. We’re on the board, baby!
(We did have a better clip than that on our socials but it got shot down by the copyright police so sadly there’ll be no more Champo vids forthcoming... but Swansea’s YouTube channel is one of the best for extended highlights and full replays so you’ll always find it all there).
They’d concede to make it 2-1 about a dozen minutes into the second half – a goal that might have been disallowed for offside if they still had VAR in the Championship, though the camera angles weren’t definitive. Could simply been a perfectly timed run. But a clinching third goal was to follow for Žan Vipotnik (68’), tapping home when Ronald unselfishly squared for him after running onto a sumptuous pass from Marko Stamenić...
The consensus is that this was Elijah Just’s best game yet for the club. The consensus is that Marko Stamenić is among the small number of players who could confidently be argued as Swansea City’s early doors Player of the Season. Curiously, with Just and Swedish midfielder Melker Widell both named in the team, it had initially appeared that Just would finally be used as an inverted right-winger. Usually Coach Matos likes speed and directness out wide (Moussa Yeo, for example) but EJ is a clever player who’d offer something different there on occasion. Instead it was Widell who played wide with Just continuing through the middle. And fair play, it worked. Widell was man of the match while Just was very good himself. Given how he was helping trigger the press with his workrate, it looks like he’s getting to grips with Championship intensity. He’s also got views on housing in this kiwi election season so watch out folks...
That clip’s from the video above where he and his old Motherwell teammate (now Swansea City teammate) Stephen Welsh visited a castle and had a good yarn. EJ lists Ryan Thomas as the best player he’s played alongside. He reckoned Bryan Ruiz for Costa Rica against NZ was the best performance he’s been on the wrong end of. His ideal dinner party guests are Callum McCowatt, Pep Guardiola, and Declan Edge. He put forward Dire Straits as his favourite band. And so on, watch the vid for the rest.
Up Next: Sunday at 2am, Lincoln City vs Swansea City (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Charlton Athletic (English Championship)
Wouldn’t say that Tyler Bindon has looked completely settled at Charlton yet. He had a poor start to his loan at Sheffield United last season, though that was exacerbated by the terrible results under Ruben Selles who was promptly sacked. At Charlton there’s been nothing egregious like that although he hasn’t come in and immediately hit the heights he’s capable of, with some slippery moments in alongside the commanding ones.
There was one such instance in the midweeker against QPR where he got caught on the ball trying to carry out of the high line and it took a 1v1 save from his goalkeeper to save the blushes there. Granted, that game was a weird one because Charlton began with a back four and Bindon as the LCB but in the second half they switched it up to a back three with wing-backs and Bindon moved across to RCB (where at times in possession he was positioned more like a fullback, such are the demands of that role). Anyway, QPR kinda bossed that game despite it being a Charlton home match yet there weren’t a whole lot of chances to show for it. Charlton had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside in the first half. It ended 0-0 to put both sides on 11 points.
Then they did the same thing again with a 0-0 draw against Portsmouth. No Luke Brooke-Smith there for reasons to be explained shortly. This was a much more evenly balanced contest with Charlton having marginally more shots but marginally less possession. Wasn’t much of a spectacle though. One of those ones where a single goal was always going to be decisive. Nobody got it but that’s okay, it means another clean sheet for Tyler Bindon who joined this team at the end of the window after they’d already been playing games and went straight in without any time to get acclimatised. There’s more to come from him but all things considered he’s done pretty well so far.
Tyler Bindon: “Everyone in the stadium and us as players and all the staff, we wanted wanted the three points today and we were gutted that we didn't get that. But you always take a clean sheet and a point. We're still undefeated at home. We can take that positive and keep moving on. Everyone's got an amazing work-rate, all working hard to keep a clean sheet together, and that's hard to find these days. You don’t keep clean sheets often in the Championship.”
Charlton won three in a row before Bindon arrived and have gone draw, loss, draw, draw since he arrived... though that’s way more to do with the teams they played rather than any Bad Luck Bindon stuff. Even the win against West Ham was catching them at a good time – the Hammers took a couple games to find a groove but they just beat Wrexham 6-0 (and it could have been more). Bindon was on the wrong end of a 4-0 loss to Stoke... however Charlton have only conceded once in the other three games he’s played. They’ve also only scored once during his 360 minutes but the blame for that lies elsewhere.
Speaking of Wrexham, no new updates on Cacace. This is a repeat of what coach Phil Parkinson said last week...
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham coach: “He's a great lad; he's honest. He's just been really, really unlucky and sometimes pushed himself too quickly after an injury. He's getting there but we've just got to be patient. Sometimes you can overanalyse injuries, but of course we have looked into the reasons for it. Libby came with no injury record at all; that's the frustrating thing. The intensity level is greater than Serie A in a lot of the games. The bottom line is he has had a few muscle injuries so we need to now give him plenty of time. Make sure he's got the right amount of time training to give him the best chance of being a part of it.”
Up Next: Saturday at 11.30pm for Cardiff City vs Charlton (NZT)
Max Crocombe – Millwall (English Championship)
Then there’s Max Crocombe who responded to a tough reintroduction with an impressive clean sheet in a 4-0 win against Bolton Wanderers last week. Needed to see that from him under pressure for his position... unfortunately things weren’t so flash in a 3-1 loss against Blackburn Rovers on the weekend. Crocs was beaten by a diverted touch from six yards out to be 1-0 down at the break. Millwall levelled up from a dodgy penalty. Then they fell back behind when a dribbler went unchecked from halfway before slamming one into the bottom corner. A disallowed goal from a long throw prevented a second equaliser, hence Blackburn instead clinched it deep in added time with a slicing counter-attack goal as Millwall pushed numbers forward.
Next up was a midweeker away to Middlesbrough, where Crocombe retained his starting spot amidst some mild surprise from the fanbase. Middlesbrough were the dominant team for most of the game but Millwall were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to a counter-attack (11’) and a set piece (36’). That’s how you do it. Didn’t last though. Boro made three subs at HT and ramped up the intensity, soon getting on the board when Crocombe was beaten by a close range deflection (50’). There was a very good save from Crocs to repel a header off a free kick and preserve the lead... but only until he got caught in no-man’s land, unsure whether to attack a deep cross or hold back, and it was headed past him to level the scores (61’). Ah but despite only having 19% of possession and being out-shot 24 attempts to 8... Millwall knuckled down for a 2-2 draw on the road. Some good and some bad in there but a reasonable result on the whole.
Crocombe has played five Championship games this season. He’s made 13 saves and conceded 13 goals (from 8.94 xGOT). The numbers look worse because of those first two matches, he was okay despite a few concessions he might’ve done better with in these two most recent outings. The questions are whether that’s enough to keep Lukas Jensen on the pines when he returns (it’s not) and whether he can remain the preferred option to Filip Marschall in the short term (debatable).
Crocombe’s been bumped around throughout his time at Millwall. He was initially made the backup behind a loan keeper, then earned his starting stripes, then lost them when they signed a new keeper in January. He started three games at the World Cup only to return to his club and get stuck behind a different goalkeeper... who then got injured and now Crocombe’s starting except they made another new addition in the position at the end of the transfer window as cover and now that fella’s being talked as a contender to overtake him. When Anthony Patterson came in, it took a couple weeks of adaptation before they were ready to deploy him. We could be in a similar overlap period with Marschall, who knows. The difference is that, unlike the harshness of the Patterson switch-up, this time Crocombe’s own sketchy form is leaving the door open. He’s skipping out on the upcoming All Whites tour (a decision that may have been made for him) yet the last game before the window is against arch-rivals West Ham who just put six past a good Wrexham defence so that could be make or break for Max.
Here’s how the table currently looks in the top half...
Portsmouth and Wrexham are each on 7 points. The other relevant clubs are all in that top half, including Swansea City in a four-way split for first place. It’s a 46-game season and remember they’ve expanded the playoffs this year to include the teams in seventh and eighth.
Up Next: Millwall vs West Ham at 11.30pm Saturday (NZT)
Luke Brooke-Smith – Portsmouth (English Championship)
Awful news for Luke Brooke-Smith. Last week he was left out of the matchday squad for Portsmouth, nothing dramatic about that – that’s just how it goes for an 18yo in his first few months at that level. But he’s going to stay out of those squads for a long while now because a few days later in training he suffered a very serious ankle injury that’s going to require surgery and potentially up to three months of recovery time.
John Mousinho, Pompey coach: “Unfortunately we’ve picked up a new injury in training - a really unfortunate one. Luke Brooke-Smith has dislocated his ankle and it’s quite a severe dislocation. Off the back of that there’s a fracture to his fibula and relatively significant damage to his ligaments as well. It was just a really unfortunate incident in training. It was dealt with really well and swiftly by the medical department. We got him up to QA and he was discharged relatively late last night. We’re going to wait two or three days and he’s getting an MRI and CT scan tomorrow. He’ll probably go in for surgery off the back of that.
It’s a really unfortunate one for Luke and we’re all willing him to get back quickly. Luke’s exceeded expectations from where we thought he’d be, coming in as a young lad who’s just turned 18. He’s been playing games and looking really effective, so we’re gutted for him first and foremost because of the injury and it restricting his playing time. But I think he’ll be back, hopefully quicker than we initially thought when we first saw the injury - because it didn’t look great. He’s a young lad who’s fit, young and strong - he’ll come back a lot stronger.”
Sadly that’s also going to keep him out of contention for the next two All Whites tours. LBS was shaping like one of the likely beneficiaries as Darren Bazeley makes a few subtle refreshments to his squad post-World Cup (instead that mantle seems to have shifted to his U20s teammate Stipe Ukich). The move to Portsmouth would have sent him soaring up the depth chart... but he’ll have to wait until next year for a second international cap now. Bugger.
Just make sure that, in amongst the stinkness of that first Mousinho paragraph, you don’t ignore the second paragraph one about “exceeding expectations” and “looking really effective”. Brooke-Smith is already a popular lad at Portsmouth. This is a set-back but it’s only a temporary one.
Up Next: Recovery... and hopefully a return before Xmas
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Super League 2)
It was more enjoyable last week when Katie Kitching scored and assisted in a victory, rather than this week when Kitch missed a few chances and left it to others to do the winning stuff for Sunderland away against Burnley. She had the first major chance of the game when she touched one wide at the near post from a low cross, glancing it across the face of goal. Then again when she got in front of her marker about eight yards out except she couldn’t get her body in the right position and pushed her heavy touch wide again. By the second half it was 1-1 and Kitch had the chance to restore the lead for Sunderland. She’d created the move by driving forward out of the midfield and slipping a perfectly timed pass to an overlapping winger. The ball came back to her via a deflection... and she completely whiffed on it.
Nevertheless, if Kitch is this involved every game then she’ll score plenty. She was getting into great positions and those through balls for teammates were on a string too. Only the end product was lacking and that’s a rarity for her. In the end, Sunderland grabbed a 2-1 victory when Elise Hughes flipped home a very late winner (90+8') to complete an odd afternoon in which she scored twice and contributed an own goal in between. Sunderland join Leicester City and Newcastle United as the three teams to have won both games thus far.
Elsewhere, there’s still no sign of Alina Santos for Southampton, who drew 0-0 with Ipswich Town. Grace Neville was on the bench for Watford’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest but went unused for the second week in a row after her loan move late in the window. And that’s that.
Down a division, Olivia Page gave away a penalty for Huddersfield Town although it was a very unlucky one, hit at her from point blank plus there was some suggestion it might have been outside the area (hard to tell from the highlights). No worries, the Terriers still won 2-1 against Derby County. Page has quickly settled into a some big minutes there as Huddersfield have won three and drawn one to begin the term. Second on the ladder in the National League North.
Liv Page: “It definitely felt good to get the three points. I thought that we definitely came out strong, and had a lot chances. We definitely wanted to put away a few more, we were unlucky with the penalty, but I think it was a good performance. We created some good opportunities. Aimee (Kelly) and Laura (Elford) did really well today and with Rhema (Lord-Mears) in the midfield as well, we created a lot of chances. So we have a good little trio up there.”
Up Next: Sunderland vs Southampton at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Dalton Wilkins – Sønderjyske (Danish Superliga)
It’s been a long time since we last saw that name in a starting line-up. Not since Midtjylland 2-2 Sønderjyske on 25 August 2024, soon after Sonders were initially promoted. Many injuries later, Wilkins has been building up his fitness again with a series of consecutive and extended substitute runs over recent weeks and this weekend that took him into the walk-on side for a 1-1 draw away against Lyngby, where he played an hour as Sonders earned just their second point of the campaign. Lyngby took the lead in the sixth minute and Sønderjyske didn’t equalise until after Wilkins had been subbed.
Returning to the first eleven in a Superliga match after 25 months between drinks is significant enough but there was another twist here in that Wilkins was picked as a right-winger. Not a wing-back but wide right in a 4-2-3-1 shape. He’s a good attacking fullback and his coach suggested he wanted some extra defensive cover on that side. DW got through the match without worry, mostly staying wide and sending in some tasty crosses. The bloke who replaced him scored the equaliser with a burst of lighting dribbling pace taking him into a 1v1 where he beat the keeper near post.
Dalton Wilkins: “It’s strange. Two months ago I was completely out, now suddenly I'm in the starting eleven. Having achieved that is fantastic and I’m really happy about it. The boys showed me a lot of respect for that. I can rely on my body again after being injured a lot last season and I'm just going to keep working hard now. I am versatile [said Wilkins, laughing]. I have always been a forward-thinking player but I play where I am needed. Whether it's left and right at the back or right at the front, the only position I steer clear of is goalkeeper!“
Coach Fatah Abdirahman: “I wanted more compactness in the team and better defensive organization, and 'Dolli' fulfilled that role well. We should have gotten all three points. We started badly, the quality was lacking, but we fought our way back into the game and had plenty of opportunities to score more than one goal. It pains me that we didn't increase the chances in the crucial situations, but I'm pleased with the mentality of the players who were able to strike back despite the difficult situation we're in, because this is not an easy place to score. Top teams have already struggled here.”
Also making a milestone start in Denmark was Callum McCowatt. His second appearance for AGF was his first start, playing 77 minutes away against FC Nordsjælland in what turned out to be a 2-0 defeat. He was subbed promptly after the first concession and then the second came deeeeep into stoppages as FCN ran clear into an empty net after the AGF goalkeeper went up for a corner. Close game that they were poised to get something from until they bottled it in the last quarter of an hour.
McCowatt had one shot, angling into the box after a turnover and drilling his attempt across the face of goal from an awkward angle. Very good with his passing links though unable to get as involved as he’d have wanted. To be expected in his early days at a new club. Defending champs AGF are now winless after eight matches and the only team below them in the standings is Sønderjyske. Seems like it’s about time those fortunes turned, especially now with their kiwi players more prominently involved.
Meanwhile, Owen Parker-Price has had a wonderful individual season but Örgryte are struggling and were on the wrong end of a 4-1 loss away against Malmö this week. There was even a scare when some outlets initially classed the fourth goal as an OPP own goal... but fortunately Jovan Milosavljevic got the official credit. As is usually the case, Parker-Price covered more distance than any other player on the pitch (13.2km). That result leaves ÖIS four points adrift in the relegation zone. Much work to be done and there’s not a lot of evidence that they’re capable of it... though OPP should be alright as he’s likely to command transfer interest if his team goes down.
No sign of Kees Sims on loan at Haugesund in Norway yet. He was on the bench for one game but then dropped out of sight again this week. He has been dealing with an ankle injury of late which could be the explanation. It’s annoying though – he went there for game time and so far hasn’t had any.
Up Next: Wilkins is a shout to feature in the Danish Cup third rounder between AB and Sonders at 4am on Thursday, while they also host Randers at 0:00 Monday back in the Superliga (NZT)
Kate Taylor - Madrid CFF (Spanish Liga F)
A 1-0 win for Madrid against Sevilla. This time they closed it out for a clean sheet when it mattered. Full game for Kate Taylor in central defence as an excellent finish from Emilie Holt (7’) proved enough for victory... appeared to be something they drew up on the training pitch with the short corner routine and Holt wheeling around into space. Sevilla did think they’d equalised later in the half when the Madrid keeper misjudged a long ball and palmed it back into danger. The header was good but Taylor was obstructed from making a goal-line clearance by an offside player so they (correctly) ruled it out. Likewise, Madrid had one chalked off second half for a foul as players jostled for the header at the back stick.
That’s three wins from three for Madrid – only Barcelona have matched that, with Athletic Club drawing 2-2 against Espanyol to spoil their perfect start. Taylor’s played every minute of these three rounds. She ranks seventh in the division for completed passes (fourth if you discount Barcelona players). She’s also first for defensive recoveries and fifth-equal for defensive clearances, although those don’t get fancy graphics on the league website. Bottom line is that it’s been a superb introduction to Spanish football from Kate Taylor. Don’t forget she scored a goal on debut too.
Up Next: Espanyol vs Madrid CFF at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
We’re back in Newcastle Woodsman territory now. Subbed on in stoppage time to protect a lead in a defensive-minded striker role just like those boring old days. Nottingham Forest did win 2-1 against Aston Villa with Igor Jesus scoring the winner after 88 minutes so that bit was great. Jesus was seen as Wood’s main number nine challenger throughout last season but to be honest he’s mostly been used as an attacking midfielder since Wood returned from his knee injury. That’s not a factor. But unfortunately for Woodsy, the first goal was a ripper scored by Liam Delap whose NFFC performances seem to be picking up where he left off with Ipswich Town rather than carrying on from his low-confidence Chelsea form.
Sorry to say that’s just not a goal that Chris Wood would have scored. The finish maybe... probably not but maybe... however the way he collects the ball and immediately gets on the charge, skipping past a tackler and angling for a shot, that’s a primo example why Delap was signed. Wood’s tendency there would be to stay back-to-goal and look for a lay-off. Might be that they would have scored from that decision too but it’s clear that Oliver Glasner wants a dynamic centre-forward. He tried to sign Delap at Crystal Palace. He has signed him at Nottingham Forest. He’ll trust Chris Wood if Delap gets injured or needs a rest... for now though, he’s going to be stuck as the back-up.
Take note of the smile on his face as he applauded Delap being subbed off – that’s a great teammate for you. He’ll be desperate for more minutes yet he’s not going to let that stop him from supporting the bloke who just knocked him down a spot in the pecking order. S’pose you can’t really be shocked when a £50m club record signing comes in and plays well. Glasner spoke afterwards about how Delap seemed to be so much more energetic and involved after scoring that goal, breaking a drought of 18 Prem games without a goal (not quite as bad as it sounds if you take into account the small sub cameos – it was 586 minutes all up). Former Brentford/Tottenham coach said some interesting things about him on Match of the Day, worth relaying because those runs in behind are not part of Wood’s game but they do seem to be pivotal in Glasner’s system.
Thomas Frank: “[Delap]’s a very good signing for Nottingham and I think Glasner has played a big role in wanting him in. The way they set up, he's very good to create chances. The goal is excellent; it's a brilliant strike. That’s one of the more difficult ones to score. Delap is very to stretch teams, using his pace and physicality. His positioning in the box in general is also good. I really like Delap and I think with more confidence and more game time, and if he’s injury free for the season, I'm very comfortable he will score a lot of goals, like 12 to 15. You can runs in behind are so crucial for Glasner and for Delap.”
Up Next: Nottingham Forest vs Coventry at 4.30am on Sunday (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - SC Farense (Portuguese Liga 2)
It was a 0-0 draw between AFS and Farense but the Sarpreet Singh trend continued: with each subsequent appearance for his new Portuguese club he’s gotten more minutes than the previous one. This latest game was a huge acceleration for that trend because after being a stoppage time introduction, then getting quarter of an hour, then getting half an hour... he skipped a few steps and went all the way to 90 minutes against AFS. Helped that there was a week off in between fixtures but yeah mate, full game for Sarpreet.
Singh was yellow carded during the second half. Didn’t do anything that made the highlights package but there were two shots from distance (one blocked, one on target), he completed his passes at 88% as an attacking midfielder, and put up some good defensive numbers (albeit with three fouls in there). The last time he played a full game in any context was New Zealand vs Ecuador last November. Alas, he has since withdrawn from All Whites selection with an unnamed niggle (per Stuff reportage). Not worth aggravating anything – though that is a risk for Singh, leaving room for others to potentially impress in his position.
By the way, the same minutes-expanding trend is true of Ben Old at St-Etienne since his injury. He’s made three appearances off the bench for 24 minutes, 32 minutes, and 37 minutes after missing the first three matches. Little bit longer each time. ASSE suffered their first defeat of the campaign going down 2-1 to Dunkerque away in the latest of those but they remain top of the table. Farense are tenth in the Portuguese second tier with a game in hand. Only five games deep but this was their first clean sheet.
Up Next: Sacavenense vs Farense at 10pm on Sunday (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - FC Basel (Swiss Super League)
Six games into the Swiss Super League season. Jacqui Hand did miss the second of those matches, presumably a minor injury, but otherwise she’s started each of the other five and has played full nineties in the past three. No goals or assists yet though it’s not like there’s been a whole lot of those to go around with Basel only scoring eight times in those six matches. Three wins, two draws, and one defeat. The latest was a 1-1 draw with Luzern where they were leading until the 78th minute and had their keeper to thank for the fact they didn’t lose, making two really good saves from 1v1 situations. Highlights here.
Up Next: FCB vs Rapperswil-Jona at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
PEC Zwolle don’t necessarily win when Ryan Thomas plays, they’re a lower-half Eredivisie team whose first objective each season is to avoid relegation so of course they don’t. But they’re a whole lot better with him than they are without him. Last season, the games that he didn’t play at all were a 2-2 draw with NEC Nijmegen, an 8-2 loss to Heracles, a 4-1 win vs Telstar, 1-1 draw vs Utrecht, a 5-0 loss to Go Ahead Eagles, a 3-2 loss to Fortuna, and a 2-0 loss to Feyenoord. Well, he just missed his first game of this season and Zwolle got pumped 7-0 by Feyenoord. Nothing’s changed.
PEC Zwolle with Thomas on the pitch (since 2025-26):
2579 minutes | 36 goals scored (1.26 G/90) | 50 goals conceded (1.74 GA/90)
PEC Zwolle w/o Thomas on the pitch (since 2025-26):
1021 minutes | 14 goals scored (1.23 G/90) | 38 goals conceded (3.35 GA/90)
According to De Stentor: “Captain Ryan Thomas sustained a minor injury on Friday and is expected to be back next week against FC Groningen”. Doesn’t sound like anything to worry about. He has skipped out on the All Whites squad but he’d already hinted that he’d need to take a step back in the short term after playing through injuries during World Cup prep. That was a workload decision not an injury decision.
Up Next: Groningen vs PEC Zwolle at 6am on Saturday (NZT)
Stipe Ukich - NK Istra 1961 (Croatian Nogometna Liga)
A 3-2 win against Rudeš was room enough to give Stipe Ukich an extended run for his second Nogometna Liga appearance and fourth first team game overall at NK Istra, this following his goal in the Croatian Cup last week. Istra were 3-0 after 72 minutes thanks to a hat-trick from Emil Frederiksen (and looking likely to score more) when Ukich was chucked on... they’d go on to concede to a couple of very sharp finishes but they still held on for the victory. Ukich went close to as assist in stoppage time, slipping a clever ball infield for his striker who blazed it off target.
And now he’s got an opportunity to maybe make an All Whites debut later this month. Ukich’s international call-up has come very early. Darren Bazeley spoke of him getting minutes at a very good level – he’s gotten less than 25 minutes of league action for NK Istra which is great for a 19-year-old from New Zealand but isn’t really national team stuff... though Ukich has likely benefitted from the injury to Luke Brooke-Smith opening up a spot. They were already going to pick one teenager so they swapped him for another. Ukich and LBS were starters at the U20 World Cup last year and are both still young enough to return for another crack at that age next year (Ukich is eligible by three days). Very much one for the future but nobody should doubt the potential. Strong, quick, skilled, and can play across the frontline. Brooke-Smith is more of a known quantity thanks to his Wellington Phoenix days but Ukich is in the same tier of kiwi attacking prospects.
By the way, Ukich is believed to be the first New Zealander to play in the Croatian top flight. As you can tell by his name, his dad was Croatian (he came up through Auckland City after all) so he’s dual eligible and these friendly games won’t tie him permanently to the All Whites. Only competitive matches can do that, either major tournaments or qualifiers, and we won’t have any of those until the 2028 Oceania Nations Cup. That’s nothing to stress about. Adrian Segečić still can’t get into the Croatian senior side after switching allegiances from Australia last year despite 10 goals and 5 assists in the English Championship with Portsmouth last season.
Up Next: NK Istra vs HNK Gorica at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Andre De Jong & Dublin Boon - Orlando Pirates (South African Premiership)
If you’re wondering what’s become of Andre de Jong, he’s still yet to feature for Pirates a month and a half into the new campaign after barely being involved in preseason before that. There’s every reason to think he’s simply not a preferred player in his position, given how it went for him last season, but it’s also true that he’s currently injured. Sporadic updates from the club prove as much...
16 August 2026: “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.”
25 August 2026: “Andre de Jong also remains unavailable for selection as he continues his recovery from injury.”
29 August 2026: “Andre de Jong continues his recovery from a strain and is nearing a return to full fitness.”
12 September 2026: “Andre De Jong, Thalente Mbatha, Evidence Makgopa, Gampani Lungu and Sihle Nduli remain sidelined as they recover from their respective injuries.”
Nothing from Dublin Boon yet either, though that’s expected since the 21yo only recently joined the club (from Stellenbosch, same journey as ADJ). He’s seen more as one for the future. Without any input from their kiwi cohorts, Orlando Pirates have safely progressed through the first round of the CAF Champions League and have begun with four wins and a draw in the PSL.
Up Next: Orlando vs Durban City at 5.30am on Friday (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Calgary Wild (Canadian Northern Super League)
The sudden awakening of Calgary Wild did begin with Tilly James playing a big role. She started both of their first two wins back in August, playing 70+ minutes at right-back on both occasions. Problem is they’ve made a bunch of midseason additions and that’s knocked James down the queue so those two starts were followed by a pair of substitute appearances in draws against Vancouver and Montreal and since then she’s been an unused sub on two occasions: a 0-0 draw vs Toronto and a 1-0 win vs Halifax.
James had started every game except one until then... covering every position across the backline. In the interests of honesty, it does also have to be said that the two games she didn’t play at all (the two most recent ones) were the first two clean sheets of the entire year for Calgary. Fortunately, this six game unbeaten streak has seen Meikayla Moore play every available minute. Forget about the midseason additions, the Wild have gotten stronger and stronger the more that Meikayla Moore has featured. It’s probably too late to avoid the wooden spoon but this win against Halifax does at least keep the possibility alive: they have five more games to make up a 10-point gap.
Up Next: Ottawa vs Calgary at 11am on Monday (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Two games for Minnesota United this week and both were defeats. They went down 2-1 at home against FC Dallas and then were beaten 4-2 by St Louis FC on the road. Full games for Michael Boxall in both, captaining as always (although the broadcast incorrectly gave Jefferson Diaz the armband on the graphics in the Dallas match). But jeez this isn’t going good for them.
The Loons have won once in their last 14 games in MLS and while there have been six draws in that time, they’re not trending in the right direction having allowed 13 goals in the past four fixtures. Boxy will be suspended for their next outing having gotten another booking against St Louis. Cam Knowles is going to have to figure something out fast because there are a lot of teams competing for those Western Conference play-in spots and the Loons aren’t doing much to suggest they’re worthy.
Portland Timbers have been much better since dumping coach Phil Neville... though they also had a stinker week. Against the same two opponents, funnily enough: drew 2-2 with St Louis at home, lost 2-1 to FC Dallas away. Kristoffer Velde scored in the 89th minute to salvage the draw against STL for a point that they more than deserved on the face of things but which they very nearly missed out on.
There aren’t a lot of criticisms to be thrown Finn Surman’s way, even his bananas on pizza thing got vindicated last week, but the one that sticks is that his superb personal performances this year haven’t come within a successful overall team defence. The Timbers have kept one clean sheet all year (in a 6-0 win vs Kansas City in May) and the All Whites have also shipped too many goals of late. Surman’s style of play lends itself to highlight moments and hefty stats but it might be that his next development is to reduce those blocks and clearances by avoiding preventing those situations in the first place.
Finn Surman is in the All Whites squad, Michael Boxall is not. Pretty sure Boxy will play for the AWs again – he hasn’t retired or anything – but his team has games during the international break and they need all hands on deck for those. Plus remember that MLS picked up again pretty soon after the World Cup (same as Joe Bell in Norway) so he hasn’t any rest. Neither has Finn Surman and Portland also play during the break... but there’s 15 years between those two and Surman’s partnership with Tyler Bindon is going to be integral in the next World Cup cycle hence he’s gotta be there, fair enough.
Up Next: Sunday at 12.30pm for Minnesota vs LA Galaxy, sans Boxall (NZT)
Moses Dyer - Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodian Premier League)
Consecutive goals for Moses Dyer... also consecutive 2-2 draws for PPC. Not exactly a perfect start but at least they’ve got Dyer up and running. After this they begin their Asian Champions League Two campaign by hosting Kuching (Malaysia). Dyer scored bundles of goals in the third tier confederation tournament last season, this time he’ll be playing in the second tier comp.
Up Next: Friday at 12,15am, PPCFC vs Kuching in ACL2 (NZT)
Ollie Whyte – FC Haka (Finnish Ykkösliiga)
Same deal as Dyer over here. Not the highest quality league, Whyte having rejoined Haka to try help them get promoted back to the top flight in Finland, but there’s no denying the form. Whyte has five goals and three assists in his past nine matches. This one, from the penalty spot, helped them to a 2-2 draw away against Ekenäs IF which was not the win they wanted but it did snap a two-game losing streak that’s seen fall further back in third (top two spots are the promotion ones – one automatic and one playoff). Gotta get a move on now... only four games left and seven points to catch up to PK-35 in second. PK-35 face leaders KTP next so they could take a chunk out of that margin next week. If they don’t then another year in the second tier will soon be in the mail.
Up Next: Haka vs Klubi 04 at 3.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Jack Perniskie – Milton Keynes Dons (English League One)
Up Next: Keep on doing the good work behind the scenes
The Niche Cache can only do what we do thanks to the fine folks who support us on Patreon, Substack, and Buy Me A Coffee... don’t be shy if you appreciate the yarns
Also helps to tell your mates about us, whack an ad while you’re here, and do the social media stuff for the algorithms