Flying Kiwis – September 2
Kate Taylor – Madrid CFF (Spanish Liga F)
Kate Taylor had already made history simply by signing with Madrid CFF. For whatever reason, Spain has been one of the last frontiers for kiwi footballers but KT’s here to change that. Apparently simply playing in Lifa F wasn’t enough though, she had to go and score a goal on debut to mark the occasion...
Clever guided headed. Didn’t try to do too much with it. Very nice.
She’s already matched her tally of league goals for Dijon in France (1 goal in 37 games – although she did also score in a cup game over there). She bagged 4 in 42 games for the Wellington Phoenix so that’ll take a bit longer to match (a month at this rate). And, yes, this also makes her the first New Zealander, male or female, to play in a top tier Spanish league. Amber Hearn almost got there when she signed with Logroño but her ACL injury ruined that possibility. Kate Taylor takes the prize instead.
Taylor’s goal was the second in a 3-1 win against Granada in the opening game of the season for Madrid CFF (not to be confused with Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid – same city, different clubs). She played a full game in central defence and was excellent. Helped cover for a couple of mistakes from teammates around her. Made eight clearances and nine defensive recoveries. The goal they conceded didn’t happen until second half stoppage time and only occurred because of a sudden case of the dropsies from their goalkeeper, nothing to do with Taylor at all. Even if she hadn’t scored a goal this still would have been a really tidy debut.
Interestingly, her CB partner was Romane Lejeune who was also signed from the French league, previously playing for RC Lens. Two of her other teammates in that starting eleven – winger Sakina Ouzraoui of Morocco and fullback Raiderlin Carrasco of Venezuela – are opponents that Taylor has come up against within the last two years whilst playing for New Zealand. Those three games (two vs Venezuela in May-June 2025 and one vs Morocco back in June) were all played in neutral territory in Spain. Now they’re all playing together at club level in that same country. The other two were already playing in Spain before signing with Madrid. Ouzraoui for Adeje Tenerife, Carrasco for Levante.
Ouzraoui scored the first goal against Granada while another Venezuelan international, 18yo Ailing Herrera (newly signed from her homeland) got the third... meaning all three scorers were debutants. Shows how busy Madrid CFF were this offseason. Herrera also featured in those 2025 games against the Football Ferns, albeit only off the bench (she was 16 years old at the time).
Another interesting tidbit is that there were no draws in week one of Liga F. All eight games had victors. By scoring three times and winning by two, that puts Madrid CFF equal second on the ladder at this early - borderline irrelevant - stage. Barcelona are top after a 5-0 win against Adeje Tenerife. Madrid don’t have to worry about facing Barca until November.
Up Next: Valencia vs Madrid CFF at 10pm on Saturday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt – Aarhus GF (Danish Superliga)
Callum McCowatt has been on transfer watch for months now. As great as he’d been to start the season with Silkeborg, that was all merely a continuation of how he’s been playing for at least 18 months now. The club denied any advances for him last season as they fought relegation but hinted that they’d be open to a move after the World Cup. McCowatt then got a bit annoyed when they continued to bat away offers – making a kerfuffle with some postgame comments though bridges were quickly rebuilt with the club and it soon became clear that the offers from Minnesota United weren’t up to scratch financially. Nevertheless, the saga continued into the final days, the final hours, of the transfer window.
The first sign that the impasse was clearing came when McCowatt was left out of the squad entirely for Silkeborg’s 1-1 draw with FC Midtjylland – in which they finally scored a goal that wasn’t directly scored or assisted by CM... it only took them six league games. He’d also been rested from the 3-0 loss to Vejle in the Danish Cup second round although that alone could have been simple rotation. It was missing a league game that got folks talking. Not only fans and media but a few club insiders too...
Jesper Stüker, SIF sports director: “That’s the transfer chaos getting in the way. It does this to people, and the decision made was that they weren’t quite where they needed to be in relation to the match. It is not [imminent]. Or I don’t know, because what’s close? There are some things going on with regards to Callum and there has been a while. It’s been a little difficult for him to maintain his full focus. Therefore, a decision had been made between him and Morten [Dahm Kjærgaard, the coach] that he would not play this game. I’ve read somewhere that Kent Madsen has said it was probably fifty-fifty [whether McCowatt is sold], so I would like to echo that. We’re not trying to send signals to interested clubs but I think it’s fifty-fifty.”
The “they” referred to in the first sentence includes 20yo forward Alexander Simmelhack who at the time was on the brink of a move to IFK Göteborg in Sweden, a move that has since been confirmed. Mr Stüker did say that it was a joint decision between McCowatt and the coach for him to take a rest (he was at the game watching from the stands)... a curious decision considering he’d been playing brilliantly despite ongoing transfer chat for weeks already. That suggested that something had changed. So while Stüker claimed on the weekend that nothing was imminent and it was still a coin toss as to whether McCowatt stayed or went, it was no major shock when news came through that a bid from Superliga rivals AGF had been accepted for €2m plus another €500k in bonuses (exceeding what Minnesota offered in their improved second bid) and that Callum was already preparing for his medical. Sure enough...
Carsten V. Jensen, Football Director at AGF: “Callum McCowatt has long since proven himself to be one of the standouts in the 3F Superliga. He has made a big difference for Silkeborg IF over several years, where we have come to know him as a technically skilled offensive player with a visionary eye for the game. He is also a skilled finisher, as evidenced by his goal-scoring record in Denmark. We are really pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with Silkeborg IF on a transfer for Callum. He will give us even more strings to play on, and with his knowledge of the league he will be able to step in quickly and make a difference.”
He’s signed a four-year contract with his new club. Including the add-ons (which is a slippery slope, admittedly) that fee could end up rising into a similar zone to what Wrexham paid for Liberate Cacace and what Swansea City paid for Marko Stamenić. Only about a third of what the Swans coughed up McCowatt’s buddy Elijah Just a couple months ago... but roughly eight times what Silkeborg paid FC Helsingør for him three years ago.
Now, if you’re looking at the league table then this will be a head-scratcher because AGF are currently one spot below Silkeborg in the Superliga standings. But here’s what you need to know about that:
AGF (aka Aarhus Gymnastikforening) won the Superliga last season, their sixth league title in their history though the first for 40 years. Similar vibes there to Joe Bell’s Norwegian title with Viking in terms of club stature and history and the slight underdog nature of their league title.
The main reason AGF have struggled early in their defence is because they’ve been playing extra games due to European commitments. They fell out of the Champions League qualifiers when they were beaten by Sabah of Azerbaijan (Viking are playing them in the UCL League Phase) and then lost 6-2 on aggregate to Benfica in Europa League playoffs... but that still lands them safely in the Europa Conference League where they’re guaranteed six League Phase games.
In the ECL League Phase, they’ve been drawn against Braga (Portugal), FC Twente (Netherlands), and Egnatia (Albania) at home; and Gent (Belgium), Brann (Norway), and Inter Escaldes (Andorra) away. At least a couple winnable ones there so a trip to the knockouts isn’t inconceivable... albeit their inability so far to balance domestic and continental footy shows why an extra addition like McCowatt is so necessary.
AGF are only trailing Silkeborg on the ladder because they have a game in hand (which they’re playing on Thursday against Midtjylland)... and by sheer coincidence they’ll meet Silkeborg on Sunday NZT which could even be McCowatt’s debut if he isn’t ready in time for the midweeker.
Also, just randomly, the coach of AGF is Jacob Paulsen who played 36 times for Denmark and finished off his playing career with a short stint at Melbourne Victory in 2019-20... where he twice played against a young Callum McCowatt during his year with the Wellington Phoenix. Coach didn’t seem to remember that fact, though Cal did (as you can see in this clip).
Additionally, it was Aarhus that Silkeborg beat in the 2024 Danish Cup final. CM’s got two goals and one assist in eight appearances against AGF overall, including this ripper last season...
Up Next: AGF vs Midtjylland on Thursday at 6am; AGF vs Silkeborg on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Jesse Randall – Dundee United / George Stanger – Kilmarnock (Scottish Premiership)
Jesse Randall’s off the mark for Dundee United and he just so happened to score that goal against George Stanger’s Kilmarnock. It was our first Flying Kiwis Derby of the Scottish Premiership season (the next one arrives tomorrow when Motherwell face Dundee United)... and gotta admit it was a weird one with both of those fellas left on the bench initially.
Stanger’s dropping was a consequence of Hull City loanee Cathal McCarthy’s arrival and it came amidst transfer speculation linking him to Burton Albion in England – albeit his coach was adamant all along that he wasn’t going anywhere (and nor has he). As for Randall, he missed the first two League Cup games arriving late after the World Cup but had since started all six matches. Nothing wrong with a bit of rotation here and there, especially for a new signing. However there had been a hint that Randall’s spot wasn’t safe when he got subbed off at half-time in defeat against Dundee FC in the derby last week.
Stanger wasn’t on the bench for long because Robbie Deas got injured inside of twenty minutes. By then they were already a goal down after conceding from a corner. It then became two when Zach Sapsford converted from the spot after the other centre-back, new boy McCarthy, gave away a penalty on his debut. Then Will Ferry made it three with a screamer before half-time. This was rare air for Dundee United who been held scoreless for three games coming into this outing. Randall was introduced alongside Lachlan Rose for the last half hour and soon enough he’d added a fourth to the tally. 4-0 to Dundee United – who did this in the absence of their coach Jim Goodwin who was dealing with a medical issue. They’re on the board with their first Prem win of the term and Jesse Randall has broken his goal drought. A timely confidence booster for him, having missed a big chance against Rangers a few weeks ago.
Jesse Randall: “That miss [vs Rangers] was part of football. I made a mistake in that moment. It’s the fine margins, especially at this level. It was in my head for a little bit. That’s only natural as someone who wants to do well at a new club. It does stick around. You only have those moments in games once a week. It’s five seconds, once a week, that you get a chance like that! So, to miss that chance wasn’t good – especially in the first game of the season – but it’s important to move on, keep training and working during the week to get those moments perfected for the game.”
He’s only been at Dundee United for about six weeks and ordinarily that’d be nothing to worry about except that this goal drought travelled much further into the past. This was actually the first goal that Jesse Randall has scored since March when he bagged one for the All Whites in the win vs Chile. His last club goal was a couple weeks earlier for Auckland FC against Melbourne City. He’s played well in games since then for Auckland, New Zealand, and Dundee Utd... but he’d gone almost exactly five months without scoring. Of course, now that he’s snapped it, he’s the type of player who’ll probably grab a whole bundle in a hurry.
It’s much harder to find any positivity around Kilmarnock. In three Premiership games they’ve lost 4-3 to St Johnston (A), lost 5-1 to Celtic (H), and lost 4-0 to Dundee United (H). 13 goals conceded in 270 minutes, the only team to have lost all three games. Robbie Deas is still having scans on that injury so that could push Stanger promptly back into the starting eleven. Either way it’s a long season and he came back stronger after a spell out of favour last campaign. Might have been a favourable time to jump ship for England considering the incoming relegation battle but nope the transfer window closed with Stanger still at Killie just like his coach had promised.
Neil McCann, Killie coach: “Yes, absolutely [Stanger will stay]. I think George was a big part of what we did well last year. I’ve told him that he’s an important part of my squad and until the day comes when somebody’s coming up with deep pockets for our players, then they’ll get told they’re not for sale... the board have been pretty strong: if our best players want to leave, then you’re going to have to pay for them.”
Up Next: Motherwell vs Dundee Utd at 6.45am Thursday; Dundee Utd vs Falkirk at 2am Sunday; Kilmarnock vs St Mirren at 6.45am Thursday; Aberdeen vs Kilmarnock at 2am Sunday (NZT)
Alex Paulsen – Motherwell (Scottish Premiership)
Yup, the European tour is over for Motherwell. They made it past HB Tórshavn (Faroe Island) with a 5-0 aggregate victory in their initial Conference League qualifiers. Very impressive to take a 3-1 aggregate win over HJK (Finland) next up. But their playoff round opponent was SC Freiburg of Germany, beaten finalists in the Europa League last season and a regular top-half club in the Bundesliga, and that one proved too much for them with a 3-1 defeat in the home leg and a 4-1 defeat in the away leg.
Didn’t help that they played roughly 58 combined minutes of those two games with ten men after Martin Moormann was red carded in the first leg and Jake Girdwood-Reich was red carded in the second leg. JGR’s was a last-man tackle, tumbling down to prevent winger Derry Scherhant getting through on Paulsen’s goal (Girdwood-Reich has mostly played CB for Motherwell but they put him at right-back for both the Freiburg legs). But despite conceding seven goals across the two matches, there’s a solid case to argue that Alex Paulsen was Motherwell’s most impressive player in each of those games. He made 13 saves including seven from shots inside the box. He swept the space outside his area extremely well against a team with serious pace. It’s amazing how suddenly he’s rediscovered his best form after making this loan move.
And there was more of that on display in an insane 3-3 draw against St Mirren back in the Premiership, where Motherwell went 2-0 up after 24 minutes (could have been three except they missed a penalty) only to be trailing 3-2 at half-time. Then Jardell Kanga (90+3’) scored right at the very end to salvage a point for theh Steelmen after all of that. It was a point earned the hard way and it was a point that was only possible because Alex Paulsen made several critical saves to keep his side within range...
Should have done better with the second goal that beat him at his near post, staying too deep against a 1v1, but the other two were helpless ones caused by slack defending. No Girdwood-Reich in this game, he wasn’t even in the squad (his red card suspension shouldn’t have carried into a domestic game so maybe the former Auckland FC defender simply had an injury). Motherwell have done great to stay undefeated through their first three league games considering they’ve played six ECL qualifiers in amongst. Still too early to start comparing AP’s stats from last year to this year but with only four goals conceded from 5.30 xGOT in the Premiership it’s suddenly all looking a whole lot brighter for him.
Up Next: Motherwell vs Dundee United at 6.45am Thurs; Rangers vs Motherwell at 2am Sun (NZT)
Helena Errington – FH Hafnarfjörður (Icelandic Besta Deild)
Again and again and again. This goal follows Errington’s strike in the Europa Cup qualifier against Apollon four days earlier (second leg is on Thursday) and brings her up to 7 goals and 6 assists in her past 14 matches for FHingar. That’s some hot form that goes back a lot longer than just the past month although her August stuff was sizzling enough on its own for Errington to be awarded the club’s Player of the Month title.
Only problem there is they weren’t able to seal the deal against Valur. Errington’s goal was followed by an olimpico equaliser straight away but they retook the lead even quicker than they’d lost it... thirty seconds after they’d kicked off, Errington tried a few shimmies on the edge of a crowded area before laying the ball off to Birna Kristín Björnsdóttir who slammed it into the net. Let’s go ahead and count that as an Errington assist too (most stat websites don’t track the Icelandic league very closely so it’s hard to get definitive assist counts).
2-1 up after 16 minutes and it was still 2-1 when Errington was subbed after 82 mins. However they conceded in stoppage time to have to settle for a 2-2 draw. That follows on from defeats against Breiðablik and Víkingur prior to their Europa Cup game. Fortunately, Breiðablik are also doing Europa Cup things which is probably why they’ve lost their last two league games. A win would therefore have brought FH back level at the top, instead they gain one point on the leaders but still sit two behind. There’s one more round of Besta Deild footy before the league splits into top six and bottom four the rest of the way. Before that, FH have gotta take care of business at home against Apollon Limassol to progress to the second qualifying round... which is when Fenerbahçe (Katie Bowen) and Rangers (Hannah Blake) enter the hat.
Up Next: FH vs Apollon in the UEC first qualifying round, second leg at 4am on Thursday (NZT)
Tim Payne – Club Olimpia (Paraguayan Primera División)
Tim Payne did score a beautiful goal on debut but most of what he’s done to impress the locals in Paraguay (and with every subsequent game his doubters are getting quieter and quieter) has been to take care of the basics. He makes smart decisions on the ball. He muscles up defensively. He works hard up and down the right edge. He doesn’t make mistakes. That kind of high-quality reliability is quickly expanding his reputation from The Social Media Guy to a genuine talent for one of the top sides in the Paraguay. It also helps that he can hit passes like this...
He was involved in the move for Olimpia’s earlier goal away against Recoleta too... and while they did concede near the end, they still won 2-1 to continue their perfect record in games in which T-Payne takes the pitch. Four wins from four games. So far he’s been alternating starts with incumbent right-back Raúl Cáceres but there was another encouraging twist in Payne’s favour from this game: he was subbed off. Might not sound encouraging but his previous starts had both been full games on short turnarounds after Cáceres had played in Copa Sudamericana fixtures. Payne being subbed after 65 minutes could suggest that he’s in contention to play the next game too, seeking to make consecutive appearances for the first time.
The trouble is that he seems to have convinced everybody except for one last holdout: his own coach. It Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez who signed Raúl Cáceres in January to be his guy at right-back only for Tim Payne to be thrust upon him by the club president (we know this by the admission of el presidente himself). Coach Vitamina has had to answer regular media questions about Payne and he usually goes out of his way to praise Cáceres in the same breath. Same deal this week too...
Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez: “In the last matches of the previous tournament and in qualification for the round of sixteen, we achieved it with Raúl Cáceres who played the most minutes along with with Fer [Cardozo]. [Payne and Cáceres] are two players who are giving us a lot, who are evenly matched, and it’s great that way because it gives me the feeling that neither feels like the starter. Yes, I see in public opinion, and maybe a little bit also in the press, the weight of Tim Payne’s name and everything it means. I’m very happy with Tim, he’s an intelligent player. Today he was very important in the second goal where he found Fernando making a great run forward. But Raúl is also a good footballer and as I already told you, the truth is that we hardly find any difference between the two and we are very satisfied.”
Alright pal, be that as it may. Cáceres did play heaps during their successful Apertura phase and Copa Sudamericana group stage with three assists in 24 matches across those two competitions. But he couldn’t stop them being eliminated from the Sudamericana in the first knockout round and since the Clausura began there’s been daylight between the two right-back candidates...
Olimpia in the 2026 Clausura with Raúl Cáceres
374 MIN | 3 GF (0.72 G/90) | 5 GA (1.20 GA/90) | -2 GD
Olimpia in the 2026 Clausura with Tim Payne
265 MIN | 8 GF (2.76 G/90) | 2 GA (0.69 GA/90) | +6 GD
Let’s not get too attached to that idea of “hardly find[ing] any difference between the two”. But they do have another midweeker coming up so it’d make sense to give the pair alternating starts for those. Meanwhile here’s T-Payne presenting the matchworn jersey from his debut to the fella who won the auction, bidding US$3,285 for the famous threads...
Up Next: Olimpa vs Guarani at 9.30am Thursday; Trinidense vs Olimpia on Monday at 1am (NZT)
Tyler Bindon – Charlton Athletic (English Championship)
Congratulations to Charlton Athletic for winning the Tyler Bindon sweepstakes. All throughout preseason it was expected that Bindon would eventually end up back in the Championship on loan and there was no shortage of interest. Last week it sounded like Watford were on the verge of getting a deal done. Sheffield United never closed the door on a return. The likes of Swansea City, Derby County, and Burnley have all been searching for centre-backs (the latter two were directly linked with Finn Surman so it’d make sense if Bindon was on a few shortlists too).
But it’s Charlton who got him in for a medical and had him sign the papers. Charlton who only finished 19th/24 last season and were thumped 5-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup second round... but who have won 3/3 in the Championship thus far – the only club in the EFL with a perfect record after three games (though there are a couple Prem clubs who might match them, having started a week later than the lower divisions).
That Spurs loss in the League Cup was rough on the scoreboard and even rougher for seeing Kenyan centre-back Collins Sichenje stretchered off with a knee injury while his French defensive partner Billy Koumetio also limped off early. The latter was more a cautionary replacement but the former is expected to be a long-term absentee. They’ve got a couple others around so it’s not quite bare bones (Lloyd Jones captained them on the weekend, while Ivan Mesík was voted Man of the Match – Mesík and Koumetio are also new additions) but clearly they needed reinforcements... step up Tyler Bindon.
Charlton coach Nathan Jones: “We’re delighted to welcome Tyler. Obviously we had to be reactive with certain injuries that we had, but Tyler is a player that I’ve known for a long, long time and have tried to sign. I’m delighted to have been able to do it now. He’s a player that comes with real good pedigree. He had a fantastic time at Reading and then got the move to Nottingham Forest. He’s a player that will add to us and improve our squad, so we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Charlton managing director James Rodwell: “Tyler is an outstanding young player who has been on our radar for some time. Following the long-term injury to Collins Sichenje last week, we needed to adjust and have moved quickly to secure Tyler’s arrival. His qualities and playing style align closely with the way we want to evolve as a team this season, and we’re confident he will make a strong contribution to that.”
The three teams that Charlton have beaten – West Ham, Derby, Preston – are all winless after three rounds so it’d be a good idea not to overreact to their fast start. But they’ve clearly stocked up for their second season back in the Championship after gaffer Jones guided them to promotion before that (he’s been in charge since February 2024). Jones sounds pretty chuffed to have signed Bindon, not only mentioning that nugget about trying to sign him previously but also telling local media that Bindon “improves the squad significantly” and “is probably somebody we couldn’t have afforded to buy”. That’s all lovely. They didn’t get a deal done in time for him to feature against Preston North End but there’s a midweek fixture followed by an early weekend kickoff coming up so he’ll surely debut in the coming days.
As for the comrade he’s left behind at Nottingham Forest, the £50m arrival of Liam Delap has certainly complicated things for Chris Wood. Forest had their best performance of the nascent Oliver Glasner era with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on the weekend which featured Igor Jesus starting up top and then Liam Delap replacing him for the final 25 mins with the Woodsman left on the bench unused. He’s missed a lot of games due to injury but he’d never before been an unused sub for Nottm Forest. Gotta go back to 2 October 2022 and a 4-1 win for Newcastle United vs Fulham for the last time he had to watch a Premier League game from start to finish on the bench. That’s concerning... but it’s early days with this new dynamic so let’s let it simmer for now.
Up Next: West Brom vs Charlton on Thursday at 6.45am; Stoke vs Charlton on Saturday at 11.30pm (NZT)
Max Crocombe – Millwall (English Championship)
Four seasons in a row, Max Crocombe has been on the bench for the opening league game. Four seasons in a row, he’s kept himself ready and pounced when the opportunity arose to claim number one status. Admittedly he did lose it again last season due to a January loan transfer but the situation was still the same up until then. Those four seasons include this one because it looks like Max Crocombe could be back in those Championship line-ups for the foreseeable future after sitting on the bench behind Lukas Jensen for the first couple matches.
Crocs was solid yet unchallenged in the 1-0 League Cup win against Cambridge last week but that’s not what changed the situation. What changed it was that Lukas Jensen (who missed all of last season recovering from an achilles tear, including a set-back midway through) lined up a goal kick at training during the weak and ripped his quad muscle.
Alex Neill, Millwall coach: “We lost Lukas Jensen yesterday. He was doing a goal kick, pulled his quad, so he’s going to be out for a considerable period. He’s not going to be back any time soon.”
Two things have happened since then. The first was that Millwall faced Southampton and got thrashed 5-1 with Crocombe between the sticks. Not the best showcase for Crocs after Jensen had kept consecutive clean sheets – they’d been 1-0 up after Mark Sykes converted after 15 minutes too. In Crocombe’s defence he didn’t get a lot of help – there were some very sloppy moments from his backline and who knows it could’ve been a different tale had Kyrell Lisbie not hit the post at 2-1 just before half-time. The third goal was a penalty that Crocs dove the right way for but couldn’t reach. He saved a 1v1 as the game was getting away from them, that was good stuff. But the fifth goal squeezed under him (after a weak defensive clearance) and that was not good stuff.
The second thing that happened was that Millwall responded to Jensen’s injury by signing 23yo Filip Marschall from Stevenage who kept 19 clean sheets in League One last season. He’s a former Aston Villa junior. Never played Championship (though he did make one Conference League appearance three years ago, his only senior appearance for Aston Villa) so all things being fair this should be a case of ensuring Crocombe has a decent back-up ready to go rather than seeking to replace him. But it does mean he’ll need to perform to keep his spot. As it should be.
Up Next: Millwall vs Wrexham on Thursday at 6.45am and then Millwall vs Bolton on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Marko Stamenić & Elijah Just – Swansea City (English Championship)
Two games for Swansea City this week. Two wins for Swansea City this week. They won 3-0 away against Derby County on the weekend with Marko Stamenić playing the full thing (getting a yellow card) and Elijah Just getting 25 minutes off the bench. First game that Just hasn’t started for the Swans but that’s fine, it was a double matchweek and he’s still settling in as a new signing. He also hasn’t provided any goals or assists yet so it’s not like he’s commanding permanent selection, even if he has been very good in subtler ways within a Swans side that is playing some sumptuous footy. The Derby win was good for that but the 2-0 win against Watford this morning was even better, with the Jacks dismantling them in the first half (and Elijah Just back in the starting line-up).
Just played about an hour of that one. Stamenić was also subbed later in the second spell. Just had a shot deflected wide in the early phases while Stamenić also hit the post with a header from a corner (that somehow wasn’t scrambled home on the rebound). Both had solid games. Stamenić began at CDM though alternated in that role with new Canadian signing Stephen Eustaquio – who will probably settle at CDM in the long run but it’s easier to break him in from a more advanced role with a bit more protection around him.
Swansea have been busy in the transfer window so there’s plenty of competition for places, something that probably affects Just a lot more since there hasn’t been any indication yet that EJ is an option on the wing - where coach Vitor Matos seems to prefer pacey direct options. Stamenić is one of the first names on the teamsheet these days, he’s been incredible this season. But Just has still done his part within a team that’s begun 3-1-0, scoring seven goals and conceding only one. These two wins have sent the Swans top of the table for at least 24 hours... depending on what Tyler Bindon’s Charlton do tomorrow.
There’s a Welsh derby coming up for Swansea City against Wrexham on the weekend. Doubtful that Libby Cacace will have any involvement there though – he’s still not back in training and has already been ruled out of Thursday morning’s game against Millwall. Unlucky though it may be, all those injuries have consequences hence Wrexham have signed Gabon international Jacques Ekomié as another left wing-back option. He debuted in the 2-1 defeat against Birmingham on the weekend. The Red Dragons have drawn two and lost one to begin their Championship efforts.
Stink week for Portsmouth with a 2-1 defeat against Bristol City followed by a 2-0 defeat against Derby County. Luke Brooke-Smith was an unused substitute for the first time in that Bristol City game although the short turnaround allowed him to get a busy 25 minutes off the bench in against Derby. They put him on the right-wing this time (he was starting on the left a few weeks ago before reinforcements arrived) where he tried his best to whip crosses into the box. Decent signs that LBS will remain in and around that Pompey matchday squad even now that they’ve got a few extras on board. Some games he’ll play, some games he won’t... but it’s all good for an 18yo kiwi in his first year overseas.
Up Next: Swansea vs Wrexham on Sunday at 7am (NZT)
Matthew Garbett – Peterborough United (English League One)
In other news, Matt Garbett’s been back in Aotearoa for a while rehabbing the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. It’s also an injury that’s cost him and his club some coin since it was anticipated that he’d be sold this transfer window, probably to a Championship club, had he been fit enough to pass a medical.
The Peterborough chairman loves a yarn so we’ve been able to get pretty regular updates on the situation with Garbs. A month ago the story was that Peterborough had been anticipating a £3m transfer fee following the World Cup until the injury but that there were still clubs interested in negotiating despite his hamstring surgery, with Garbett expected back on the pitch some time after the next international window (aka early October). That was then. This is what the bossman’s been gabbing about more recently...
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony: “We have discussed getting a new number 10 in but Matty Garbett is due back in the country next week. We’re not actually playing with a 10 right now as it’s more of a 4-3-3, but I’d love to see the best version of Matty playing behind Harry Leonard. One club does want to buy Matty but I’m not sure they’ll pay enough so we will probably keep him and he could be fit to play at the end of September. I’m sure Matty would be incentivised to get the move he wants by playing well for us for three months until the next transfer window. Or if we are flying and he is flying he could stay until next summer. He’s on a three year contract so there’s no rush for him. If he does go we will have something up our sleeve. It’s just a case of reacting to anything that happens.”
Probably cutting it a wee bit too fine for him to be in contention for the All Whites after several months off but remember that League One clubs like Peterborough play through the international window. And if MacAnthony’s now talking about a return in late-September during that window that means that Garbett is progressing slightly quicker than previously assumed. Obviously that’s a chairman’s opinion not a physio’s but MG is heading back to England this week so all is on track.
Meanwhile in League Two, Ben Waine has started the last two games for Port Vale after being stuck on the bench through the initial weeks. He got 70 mins in a 0-0 draw against Crewe Alexandra and then 45 minutes in a 3-1 loss against Swindon Town. It was a triple HT change in the Swindon game which may have been a bit hasty because it was 1-1 at the break and things only got worse from there. Waine was on the wing in both matches. The Vale did have a few attacking injuries which is probably why Waine was promoted. They’re currently last in League Two with two draws and two losses and only two goals scored from four games.
Matt Dibley-Dias has made a couple of hearty substitute apps for Newport County already, keeping it steady in the midfield and willingly ripping into the physical stuff. He looked a bit bulkier during Fulham preseason and he’ll need that in League Two (as he’s found out in previous loans). Promising initial signs.
Up Next: Gotta get back into training first
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Four days after clinching their spot in the UEFA Champions League, Viking had to be very careful not to get stumped back on the Norwegian front. They’d lost their previous Eliteserien game and were down 1-0 after only four minutes at home against Aalesund. They were still down 1-0 after 62 minutes when Joe Bell was subbed off as part of an attacking double change... which worked brilliantly because one of the guys who came on at that time was Simen Kvia-Egeskog who scored twice including a stoppage time winner as Viking took the points with a 2-1 comeback victory. Would say that was a game that displayed an emotional hangover from the UCL stuff except that they did the same thing in both legs against Dinamo Zagreb, starting slow then roaring back to win anyway, and frankly they did this many times on the way to winning the league in 2025 as well. Viking are one point behind leaders Bodø/Glimt after 18 fixtures each.
In other news, the draw for the Champions League League Phase was conducted roughly 24 hours after Viking FK secured their qualification and it served up a tasty concoction for the Norwegian club. The draw is seeded with the 36 teams split into four different pots based on their club coefficients... Viking’s coefficient was the second lowest due to them only occasionally having qualified for any form of UEFA competition in recent years, and until this year always slipping up in qualifiers when they did. The only team below them was Sabah of Azerbaijan... and that was the home game that Viking were gifted from pot four. How good’s that? You get two games from each pot (including your own) with one home and one away from within that. Here’s Viking’s UCL draw, including the seedings of those opponents...
Home Games: Bayern Munich (1-GER), PSV (2-NED), Feyenoord (3-NED), Sabah (4-AZE)
Away Games: Atletico Madrid (1-ESP), Aston Villa (2-ENG), Napoli (3-ITA), Stuttgart (4-GER)
Gotta figure that the Aston Villa away game must stand out for Bristol-born Joe Bell.
Helpfully, the transfer window has closed without them losing Norwegian international defender Henrik Falchener who was the subject of bids from both Wrexham and Southampton in recent weeks but Viking rejected all of those – reportedly the Southampton bid was in excess of €9m. But they couldn’t say no when West Ham bid €12.9m for the services of winger Edvin Austbø, who scored in the second leg against Zagreb in what proved to be his final appearance for the club. He debuted for the Hammers this morning.
Couple other quickies from the continent to roll through here, including the fact that Owen Parker-Price remains with Örgryte, playing a full game in a 1-0 loss against IFK Göteborg on the weekend. There had been some chat about interest from Swedish champs Mjällby some weeks back but all indications from ÖIS were that he was too important to their relegation battle to consider selling him (or a few others in similar situations). This was their coach speaking about approaches for his players last week (Parker-Price is mentioned specifically in the article alongside Benjamin Laturnus, Noah Christoffersson, and Michael Parker)...
Andreas Holmberg: “There is interest. We have many who have progressed and developed during the year. We haven’t received anything that we know is really concrete yet, so it’s nothing to worry about over.”
Dalton Wilkins got another 25 minutes for Sønderjyske in a 3-1 defeat against FC København. That’s three appearances in the last four, including 25+ minutes in each of the last two fixtures. Last game they subbed him onto the left side of defence, this game they chucked him on as a right wing-back. Love to see that.
PEC Zwolle lost 3-1 to NEC Nijmegen in the Eredivise with Ryan Thomas playing the full ninety as captain. Not much to say about that. Over in Portugal, Sarpreet Singh continued his snowballing presence at Farnense. Game one he was an unused sub. Game two he was subbed on for a cameo at the very end. Game three he got quarter of an hour. Game four he got half an hour. Game four was also Farense’s first defeat of the new season, going down 2-1 to Sporting B.
Up Next: Brodd vs Viking in the Norwegian Cup at 4am on Thursday, that’ll be a rotated team, but Sandefjord vs Viking on Saturday at 7am is one to grab a stream for (NZT)
Suya Haering – Montpellier (French Première Ligue)
Starting debut for Suya Haering at Montpellier FC, there we go. Picked in her best position of left wing-back for the League Cup game against Olympique de Marseille. They lost 3-0 and Haering only played the first half but she’s working her way in there having been on the bench for the 2-0 win over Lille in their first League Cup match. Not sure if she got on or not, the websites don’t offer that information.
Montpellier are a club with big ambitions after being bought out by the Crux Football group led by Football Ferns legend Bex Smith... funnily enough, they’re now coached by the esteemed Patrice Lair who won multiple Champions Leagues with Lyon and most recently coached Abby Erceg at Toluca in Mexico (before having a meltdown and quitting when they got knocked out of the playoffs). Lair coached Montpellier (in their former incarnation) from 2005 to 2007 early in his managerial career.
Up Next: The league season begins with Montpellier vs Toulouse at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 2)
When Ben Old tore a ligament in his ankle during preseason, he posted that he was going to be out for at least six weeks. Well, he made his return on the weekend after barely a month. Rapid recovery. Needless to say, he played left-back... and they scored a winner while he was out there, beating Dijon 3-2 on the road. That makes it four wins from four for ASSE to already be four points clear atop Ligue 2. They did that without Ben Old so now it’s time to go to the next level with their best fullback available again.
Up Next: ASSE vs Montpellier at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Kees Sims – FK Haugesund (Norwegian First Division)
It’s been a challenging year for Kees Sims at GAIS. After an injury to Mergim Krasniqi gave him a run of starts at the end of last season, he began this one with a small window of games to try and push his case for more opportunities only for a bad mistake and some worse results to see him dropped instead, with previous third-choice keeper Andreas Hermansen selected at his expense. Krasniqi then returned and GAIS immediately got much better, emphasising the gap between the number one and his competition.
Sims did mostly stay on the bench due to a knee injury for Hermansen... but on the couple of occasions when he might have gotten a rotational start (like the game in between their Europa Conference League qualifiers) he found himself dealing with a pesky ankle injury. Then this past week, old mate Hermansen returned to the bench and Sims wasn’t even in the squad.
This is a guy who was on the goalkeeping shortlist for the All Whites World Cup squad but things had begun to stall for him at club level and something needed to change. And something has changed with the news that Sims, late in the transfer window, has linked up with Norwegian second tier club Haugesund on loan for the last 11 matches of their season as they seek immediate promotion back up to the Eliteserien (aka Joe Bell territory). Haugesund are attempting to solve a goalkeeping conundrum after new addition Per Kristian Bråtveit (signed from Aberdeen on a free in July) suffered a season-ending injury and then back-up Frank Stople got himself red carded last game and an 18yo Einar Bøe having to finish the match off the bench.
FKH sports manager Kristoffer Haraldseid: “We are very happy to get Kees to FK Haugesund. He is a solid keeper who solves the challenge we stand in at keeper’s place and will be a strong contributor in the goalkeeping department we have at the club. Now we’re working on getting him registered with NFF in time for Sunday’s match against Bryne.”
They didn’t get him registered in time so Fauskanger backed it up with a clean sheet in a 2-0 win away vs Bryne FK, a wonderful result that. coupled with a draw for Kongsvinger and defeat for Stabaek, means Haugesund have jumped into first place on goal difference. So only 10 games for Sims to play instead of 11 but the table has been set for him. He did a very good job seeing out the season for GAIS last year after Krasniqi’s injury to help that club confirm their European qualification. Now the job is to see it through with Haugesund for promotion.
Up Next: Haugesund vs Sogndal at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Jana Radosavljević – Pyrgos AFC (Greek A Division)
Another fresh stop within the well-travelled career of Jana Radosavljević. After a couple years in Portugal with CS Maritomo, including working her way back after an ACL injury suffered during her Football Ferns recall early last year, she’s now joined PAS Pyrgos in Greece. This is a club that’s come through consecutive promotions to make it to the top division in the country. Seems a decent move for an attacking midfielder in a World Cup year, why not.
Up Next: Still a couple weeks before the season begins
Finn Surman – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
That right there is the entire Portland Timbers side trashing Finn Surman’s preference for putting banana on pizza. The full recipe: tomato sauce base, cheese, spinach, ham, prosciutto, salami, banana, and more cheese.
Mate, if it works for the Surmanator then the rest of us mere mortals might wanna at least give it a try because this fella had another four blocks on the weekend... although Portland did lose 2-1 to Austin conceding in stoppage time. Minnesota United also conceded in stoppage time for a 3-3 draw against Orlando City. Full games for Surman and Michael Boxall but we’ll talk no further of this week’s MLS happenings. Next week should be good though: the All Whites’s starting CB combo at the World Cup are playing against each other. And Surman will definitely be there because as expected we’ve passed the transfer deadline without any news. January is when that transfer, wherever it may be, should happen.
Up Next: Sunday at 2.30pm for Portland vs Minnesota (NZT)
Katie Bowen – Fenerbahçe (Turkish Süper Ligi)
The Turkish Süper Ligi is underway and Katie Bowen’s Fenerbahçe had a tricky one, only winning 2-0 against ABB Fomget thanks to a pair of goals in the 85th and 90+4th minutes. Full game and a clean sheet for Bowen though. She did her bit as the defending champs began with a win against last season’s fourth-placed team.
Up Next: Amed SK vs Fenerbahçe at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Oliver Colloty – Elgin City (Scottish League Two)
A goal and an assist for Oli Colloty in a 4-0 win against Stirling Albion. Chested one down for a mate, headed one home himself. This after he’s now started the last three matches on the trot for Elgin City, who are the only undefeated team left in Scotland’s fourth tier with three wins and two draws. These were his first goal contributions in the league yet he did score twice in the Challenge Cup as well as once in the League Cup. Four goals and one assist from 651 minutes across all comps thus far.
Up Next: Dumbarton vs Elgin City at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Bury Town (English Southern Premier League)
We began this week with a goal-scoring defender and we’ll end with a goal-scoring defender...
Three goals for Tommy Smith including a 90+4th minute winner as Bury Town took the points 4-3 against Leiston. 36 years old with more than 500 professional games under his belt and this was his first ever hat-trick.
You know, he jokes about goals not being his forte but for a defender Smithy has always been someone you can rely upon for a few per season. More so in his Ipswich days when he was a proper threat on the end of set pieces, scoring six times in the 2013-14 season and five times in the 2014-15 season (including one against Norwich in the Championship playoffs). With seven goals across his two years in the MLS, his scoring rate in that league’s only slightly behind that of Tyler Boyd. Didn’t score for Auckland FC and only has two goals in his 56 international caps so maybe he’s kept this element hidden from the kiwi whanau. He’ll have to ask his bro Chris Wood what to do with the match ball once he gets it home, Woodsy’s probably got a fella on speed-dial who can pop it in some nice glass casing for the shelf in the pool room.
So that’s what Smithy’s been up to. Bury Town are joined by Real Bedford in having won all six games in the Premier Division Central portion of the English seventh tier. Even from Braintree Town this is quite a drop for him so the fact he’s unstoppable going forward makes more sense in that context. Brother was at the World Cup a few months ago and now he’s teaching hard lessons to the local footballers of Suffolk and the surrounding areas. Long may he ride.
Up Next: Key to the city? His number retired? A statue outside the stadium?
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