Chris Wood – Leeds United (English Championship)

Woody didn’t do a lot this week, all he did was score two goals. Friday night game away at Birmingham, Garry Monk sitting in the stands because of his kerfuffle with David Wagner the other game… Leeds didn’t even play that well. They were on the defensive for most of the first half and then again for the first 15 minutes or so of the second half. Birmingham were all over them and yet Leeds came away with a 3-1 win.

If there’s a bloke that embodied the whole thing it was Chris Wood too. He barely touched the ball in the first half an hour. He was chasing shadows and scrapping for lost causes right up until Luke Ayling sent him a long ball from down the right, Leeds turning defence into attack all at once, and Ryan Shotton made the mistake of over-reaching for the bouncing ball. He missed it and Wood lobbed it with his first touch over the keeper and into the goal for 1-0. Completely against the run of play.

YEP/Phil Hay: “Green swept up the corner and played the ball to Luke Ayling whose long pass forward picked out Wood’s run towards City’s box. Ryan Shotton misjudged the flight of it and Wood stretched out a boot to guide the ball over a stranded Kuszczak, who knew immediately where the chip was landing. There is nothing so certain in the Championship as the accuracy of Wood’s finishing.”

Lovely little goal. Spotting the keeper off his line, super clinical, super ruthless. Mate, that’s a top goal-scorer right there.

If anything, Birmingham ramped it up after that and right before the break Robert Tesche smacked the bar with a long-range volley that would have been one of the goals of the season, no doubt. To their credit, guys like Pontus Jansson, Kyle Bartley and their fullbacks were defending superbly. There was a lot of repelling that needed taking care of and these lads were fully up to the task. The problem was in the midfield where they were getting run over. So right before the hour mark they made a sub with Kalvin Phillips replacing the battling Eunan O’Kane.

But within a few minutes Birmingham were deservedly level. Craig Gardner with his first goal for the club in years (to be fair he spent a lot of that time at Sunderland), slamming home with his trusty left peg. It felt like an inevitability by the time the equaliser finally came but just as slyly as the Whites had struck in the first place, they did so again a mere four minutes later. Phillips it was who slipped into the box on the end of Hadi Sacko’s pass and squared one for Wood, who once Josh Dacres-Cogley had slipped over in the wet conditions was left with a simple tap-in. Goal #25 for the season and #22 for the league, enough to keep him clear of Dwight Gayle who’d score for Newcastle the next day for his own personal #21.

There were a couple half-chances for a hatty but nothing you’d expect him to score. Instead he was there in the middle watching and waiting as Spanish loanee Alfonso Pedraza made things certain with a third goal within ten minutes of the final whistle. Call it smash and grab it you want, Leeds took their chances which is what matters most.

Gianfranco Zola, Brum Manager: “It was our best performance since I came here and the result does not reflect what happened on the pitch. We made a couple of mistakes but the big difference was that they had a player in Woods who touched the ball three times and scored twice.”

To be fair he actually touched the ball 33 times. Five shots with three on target, a few heavy touches and some stray passing but two massive goals. In a game in which Leeds had only 39% of success that ain’t too bad at all.

Garry Monk: “I didn't enjoy the first 60 minutes. Birmingham were excellent and it was tough for us. We were second best, especially in the first half. They will feel aggrieved that they did not capitalise on the chances they created. But we showed a strong mentality and, in that last half-hour, we were excellent. We scored some very good goals and in the end won comfortably. The subs made a good impact, Pedraza scored his first for the club and we had two great finishes from Chris Wood, especially the first - great improvisation.”

YEP Player Ratings: “Chris Wood - His finishing has gone up another level and his all-round play in the face of heavy Birmingham pressure was superb. Is there a better striker in the league? 9/10”

Chris Wood: “It’s another step. There are 11 important steps to go before we get there but it’s a big one and it’s three points back on the board. Confidence is very high and the whole team’s confidence is high.”

Birmingham, who Wood played for on loan a few years back and scored 11 goals in 29 games for, were one of the few teams that Woody has yet to score against this season. That’s no more… and the final six teams to have avoided his prolificacy this season are all still on the menu. QPR, Brighton, Brentford, Preston, Newcastle & Wolves. Let’s see how far he can take this thing.

Also, if Woody stats and records are your thing then read the hell outta this thing.

Oooh, quick dramas to finish. That Leeds twitter account once again at their racist ways, this after they left the entire country of New Zealand off a time zone kickoff map a while back – despite it being the home country of their top scorer. Here we go again…

Up Next: Fulham vs Leeds, Wednesday at 8.45am (NZT)

Winston Reid – West Ham United (English Premier League)

Even at home (London Stadium, you know that story), playing Chelsea is not something that West Ham would have been particularly looking forward to. The Blues are storming towards the title for a reason. But having said that, the Hammers were the team that came out and dominated the ball. Mark Noble knocking it around, Winnie and Fonte looking comfortable at the back... it was positive stuff.

Except they also didn't look like scoring. A few set piece halfies perhaps but nothing even resembling a shot on target. You do that against the best teams and trouble is bound to be on the cards and it was in the most Chelsea way imaginable. A free kick from Manny Lanzini slammed into the wall and bounced out wide. Noble and Robert Snodgrass got a lil tricky with it and N'Golo Kante intercepted it deep in his own half. Next thing you know it's a counter attack, Kante to Eden Hazard to Pedro back to Hazard and that was 1-0.

In a typically scrappy London derby, Andy Carroll got his nose bloodied and a couple others took some damage as well. However for the most part it was a game contested in the middle and Reid really didn't have a lot to do. He probably should have stayed close to Diego Costa like he promised, though. A corner early in the second half deflected off the head of Cheikh Kouyate and with Reid losing Costa, the 'Spaniard' had an easy goal from six yards out and at 2-0 it was hard to see West Ham mounting anything.

Yeah, they didn't. A few hopeful crosses into the box but that was all until the second minute of injury time when Lanzini got free after some strong work from Andre Ayew and made it 2-1. Too little too late. Despite having more possession they came away with only two shots on target. As for Winston, well he didn't even last the game. 64 minutes in and he was replaced by Sam Byram. Initially it sounded like a tactical move but then seeing Winnie limp over to the sidelines it was clearly something injury related. Fingers crossed on the diagnosis.

Funny game for him too. He made one tackle and that was the only defensive action he made. No clearances, no interceptions... Jose Fonte's stats were similarly bare. Shows you that Chelsea are working on a different level these days. Tell you what though, 30 passes attempted by Winston and only a single one (a long ball) was unsuccessful. He had a lot of room to make those passes but still.

Up Next: Bournemouth vs WHU, 4.00am Sunday (NZT)

Tommy Smith – Ipswich Town (English Championship)

Guts to Smithy, in case you were wondering what he was up to after last week. Couldn’t really ignore him but he also didn’t do anything. Mick McCarthy continued with the Knudsen/Berra/Chambers combo at the back leaving Smith on the bench where he watched the entire home game with Brentford. A game that finished 1-1 for a fourth consecutive Ipswich draw. McCarthy is the new Mourinho, apparently (or is that vice versa?). Emyr Huws (Welsh name level 99) scored on 14 minutes to give the Tractor Boys the lead except Nico Yennaris levelled right before the break. That was that for the scoring.

But the important thing is that Smith’s back and available.

Luke Chambers (club captain) in his matchday programme column ahead of the Brentford came:

"A real positive to come out of the East Anglian derby was the return of Tommy, following his lengthy spell out with injury. I know Tommy really well and we've played a lot of football together in the same backline. He's used to playing games, so this injury lay-off would have been a real challenge to him both physically and mentally but having seen him around the place, he's been a top pro as always. It's allowed him to work on a few different aspects of his game and the way he approaches matches and I definitely think he's come back in as good, if not better shape, and that's testament to him. He's done his rehab work with the medical team, along with Luke Hyam also, and it's great to see them both back amongst the fold. We've got some good competition for places now, with players returning and it's great to see them back.”

There was also an extended chat with Smith in that programme but not having had a TNC rep at the match it’s bloody hard to get a look at that thing. The Ipswich website had a few excerpts though, like this beaut about how he worked with Scottish tennis master Andy Murray’s muscle man during his rehab period:

“Matt [Byard, ITFC head physio] had not dealt with the type of injury I had before so he sought out Andy Murray’s physio. He [Murray] had the same operation as me so Matt spoke to his physio and got some advice about the early rehab and that was a great help in getting me back to where I am today. It was good thinking by Matt as well. As soon as I started going outside and working with Lids [Andy Liddell, fitness coach] then you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I played a few U23 games and then came on at Norwich last week. I felt confident I would be ready to play and it was great to be back on the pitch playing for the first-team again. I’ve got to manage it going forward. Murray’s physio told me to avoid long runs so that might impact on my pre-season. I might have to do shorter runs and look at cycling and swimming as well. They are good for me long term. I’m doing a lot of pilates as well and I’ll be carrying that on for the rest of my career. It was a shock when the specialist said there was a 10 per cent chance I wouldn’t play again but once the operation was done, my focus was totally on doing my rehab and getting back playing again.”

Up Next: Ipswich vs Wolves, 8.45am on Weds (NZT)

Sam Brotherton – Sunderland AFC (English Premier League)

It’s been a minute since we last checked in with this fella. Brotherton left university in America to chase some Premier League dreaming but before he can get anywhere near that first team he’s gotta earn his stripes with the Under 23 team. Slowly but surely he’s starting to have an influence.

Brotherton’s transfer was announced right at the start of February so he’s been there a month now. At first there would have been a bit of settling in and getting to know coaches and the city and fans and all of that myriad of things that go into getting a new job in a new country. So it was a couple of weeks before this happened: Brotherton getting named on the bench for an International Cup game.

Brotho would be an unused sub on that day (a 2-0 win) just as he would be in their next PL2 match, a 1-0 defeat to Spurs in which Kaziah Sterling got the only goal. Next up though was a Premier League Cup tie away to Burnley which they lost 5-3 (it’s a cup but they’re in the group stages so don’t panic). It was that game where this happened:

SAFC.com: “Elliott Dickman made two changes for their trip to the North West, handing New Zealand international Sam Brotherton his first start in the heart of defence while Maja returned from the treatment room to partner Joel Asoro up top.”

Conceding five goals as a defender maybe isn’t the best but he kept that spot for their last PL Cup game against Blackburn. This was much better. Brotherton was part of a defence that was able to keep Rovers out on the way to a 1-0 victory secured by Josh Maja’s 24th minute goal – the win means they top their PL Cup group too which is decent – into the top 16. Hence the tweet at the top of the section, good on ya Sammy.

SAFC.com: “New Zealand international Sam Brotherton lifted Maja in behind with a well-crafted pass to great the first chance of the afternoon, but veteran defender Brown was more than wise to the danger and came across to deny any goalscoring chance from materialising.

Lewis Mansell provided a physical threat up top for Rovers, using his tall frame to an advantage as he tussled with Brotherton and Brady for a yard of space inside the area.”

Sunders U23 manager Elliot Dickman: “James Talbot [the keeper] didn’t have much to do and that’s credit to the lads in front of him. I thought we played some good football as well, and even though it was only 1-0 I thought we could have scored more. It wasn’t a defensive performance and I thought we tried to play and score goals, but like said the pleasing thing was the appetite to win the ball back when we didn’t have it. I thought the lads were smashing today.”

Up Next: Sunderland U23s vs Leicester U23s in the PL2 on Monday (NZT)

Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)

With three wins in five and only one loss in that spell, it looks like Zwolle have found the form that’ll keep them in the top division for another season. Jolly good, that. The latest was a 3-1 win at home to Vitesse which saw the PECers up 2-0 within 20 minutes. Mustafa Saymak and Nicolai Brock-Madsen each with early goals. Premier League legend Ricky van Wolfswinkel (not really…) pulled one back but Danny Holla scored early in the second half and that was the way things stood.

Thomas played the whole ninety as an attacking midfielder, lined up through the middle as well. He’s been there a few times lately and had some success in the ol’ number ten. Not as much here, he was kinda quiet. Two shots, both off target and just the one key pass. Coulda done better than whipping in five unsuccessful crosses but so it goes. It was almost a different story though as one of those shots happened to smash into the bar right near the end of the game.

Also his goal last week was judged the club’s goal of the month, which is nice.

By the way, Vitesse are Chelsea’s Dutch feeder team hence Thommo found himself up against the likes of Lewis Baker and Matt Miazga (the latter there the American defender who Ryan Nelsen got signed with Chelsea).

Up Next: Willem II vs Zwolle, Sunday at 12.30am (NZT)

Jeremy Brockie & Michael Boxall – SuperSport United (South African Premier Soccer League)

Just the one game in the last week and it wasn’t a happy one. SSU had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home against Ajax Cape Town. They had their chances too, wasting far too many to settle for a point there. For some added frustration, they woulda gone top with a victory.

Both the kiwis were in on the show as well. Brockie tried to lob the keeper on 26 mins but couldn’t quite manage it. Then Boxall in the second half had “an early shot when his rasping effort went across the face of goal.” Shout out to Goal.com for the wording there.

Brockie was replaced in the 63rd minute by Thuso Phala, the manager making changes pretty soon after seeing his own crossbar rattled in response. In fact SSU goalie Reyaad Pieterse had to make a couple sharp saves just to preserve the clean sheet. Hey, at least they didn’t lose and they’ll have the chance to make quick amends midweek.

Up Next: Orlando Pirates vs SSU, 6.30am on Weds (NZT)

Jake Gleeson – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)

So the season kicked off and all that preseason foolery can go away now. We have competitive footy to talk about. Oh and Jake Gleeson avoided any suspension for that Mad Monday DUI last year. That’s good news, what with the Timbers taking on Minnesota and all.

It was Minnesota United’s first ever game. They’re an expansion side, who also rocking the curious initials of MUFC. Good luck to them because their existence didn’t get off to much of a start. Even with Jake Gleeson starting in goal, Portland chucked in a few new faces as they look to rebound from a disappointing season last time out as defending champs. Liam Ridgewell was still there in central defence but his new buddy is Kenyan international Lawrence Olum – traded for on draft day in exchange for Portland’s first round pick and some cash. He’s only been with the team a month but it was he who scored the opening goal of the MLS season, top work son.

Absolutely… clinical?

And the Timbers were always in control from there. Diego Valeri doubled the lead soon after the break and there wasn’t much to worry about after that. Minnesota briefly teased a comeback when they made it 2-1 with eleven mins left but a strong finish gave Portland a 5-1 win. That result doesn’t really reflect the contest, but it’s also not like the Timbers were much threatened.

For example, Minny had 11 shots but only 2 were on target. One was a goal and the other was the only shot that Gleeson had to save all day. Quiet start for him after all those shots he had to save last campaign, most of what he did was smash long balls up to the midfield.

As for the off-field dramas, he’s definitely learned his lesson.

Up Next: LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers, 12.00pm Monday (NZT)

Kip Colvey, Deklan Wynne & Francis de Vries – Other American Teams (USA)

As for this trio, they are all gonna be plying trades with reserve teams for now, it seems. None of them made opening day match squads with all three instead featuring in ressie preseason stuff instead. Colvey must have been close, he even got a news tweet confirming his place.

As for the Vancouver lads, each was in action for the second team in a 2-0 win in their first proper game. There have been friendlies but now the actually preseason begins with players like these ones who would have been training on the fringes of MLS sides released back down. Both dudes are visible in the tweet pic here, Wynnebags getting slapped on the cheek and Francis running across them.

The reason for Wynne’s congrats is that he scored in this game:

WhitecapsFC.com: “The first goal of the match came on 20 minutes off the foot of left back Deklan Wynne. The New Zealand national teamer weaved through a crowd in the box before firing a perfect shot to the far post to make it 1-0.”

Despite six subs being made, both kiwis played the full game, with the next appearance likely to be on Saturday NZ Time. The USL kicks off in early April.