Flying Kiwis – April 2
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Once again, it was Christopher Wood for Nottingham Forest. A niggly injury combined with Forest’s precarious Premier League position meant he had to miss the All Whites games (with 0 goals scored in 180 minutes, they missed him as much as he missed them)... but after resting up during the week off he was good to go for ninety minutes against Crystal Palace, rescuing a point for his side with a second half equaliser that takes him to 10 goals for the season and takes Nottm Forest out of the relegation zone.
Forest initially looked pretty smooth as the game got underway at the City Ground but that early buzz faded when Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace up in the 11th minute and the rest of the first half was pretty dull from them. It took a couple of very good stops from NFFC’s goalie Matz Sels just to keep it at 1-0 and there were boos from the home crowd as the ref’s whistle brought about the break.
Thankfully, they found some defiance in the second half, which was much needed in their first match after the 4-point financial fair play deduction (which they have stated they’ll appeal). Bringing on forward Anthony Elanga for midfielder Ibrahim Sangare was the trigger. That led to Morgan Gibbs-White operating a little deeper, leading to more touches. MGW was the one to set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for a good chance in the 52nd minute. He wasn’t involved as Wood put a header wide from Neco Williams’ cross soon afterwards, not quite getting the required contact under pressure, but you can guess who lifted the ball in towards The Woodsman on 61’ for the assist to his goal.
That is the third time that MGW has assisted a Chris Wood goal this season and there were three other goals in which he was the secondary assister (passing to the bloke who got the assist, in other words). Good from Gibbs-White... but that ball was met by Wood with his back to goal on an awkward angle. It still took one heck of an effort to flip that thing backwards, whilst looping it over the keeper at the same time. Neck muscles for days. As already mentioned, this took Wood to 10 goals for the EPL season which is the fifth time he’s done that in his career. This was also his fifth headed goal of the campaign and nobody else in the Premier League has bettered that. With nine games left, his record tally of 14 goals in 2019-20 is absolutely within range. He has seven goals (and an assist) in his last eight league matches.
That goal turned the game, capping what had already been a change in momentum and giving Forest the energy to go on and win this thing. Alas, that didn’t happen. Wood had one other big chance: a header from a MGW free kick that was straight at the keeper. Gio Reyna and MGW also had good opportunities... although the best late chance was a defensive skim-header from Forest that fell onto the post. Could have gone either way. Ended as a 1-1 draw. That point was enough to lift Forest out of the drop zone thanks to Luton Town’s 2-1 defeat against Spurs, granted they’re obviously still a long way from feeling comfortable.
Some more stats for ya:
Chris Wood has scored 10 goals from just 27 shots this season. Nobody else with at least seven goals has taken fewer shots for their efforts.
Wood’s goals per shot ratio is 37%. That’s comfortably the best mark in the Premier League this season, with Elijah Adebayo (Luton Town) second at 32% and Cristian Romero (Tottenham) second at 31%.
Wood’s average shot distance from goal is 10.3 yards, which is the lowest season average in his career – the closer you are to goal, the more likely you are to score.
With 10 goals, Wood is tied-11th in the EPL Golden Boot rankings. He has scored those goals from just 6.7 xG, which is ranked 27th in the Prem. With a +3.3 goals to xG differential, he ranks seventh.
Wood’s average of 0.25 xG per shot is the best in the Premier League.
With 0.8 goals per 90 minutes, Wood ranks third in the Prem behind Erling Haaland (0.84) and Alexander Isak (0.84).
Up Next: Wednesday at 7.30am, it’s Forest vs Fulham; then they face Spurs away on Monday at 5am (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley – PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
Yeah you know it. A well-taken brace right before the FIFA window. Indi Riley got her first international goal during the Football Ferns’ Olympic qualifiers back in February and went nuts from there, scoring six times with three assists during that tournament. She’s since returned to PSV where she immediately scored in a 3-0 win against Fortuna Sittard, now she’s added two more in a 3-3 draw against AZ Alkmaar. IPR is up to six goals for the season. This is now a consistent occurrence... and she’s surely all set up for another goal or two for the Fernies against Thailand.
These were two lovely left wing goals, lurking in good positions and then showing a smart finishing ability. The first she tucked bottom corner from an opportunistic rebound, the second she ran through on the overlap and then expertly lifted it past the keeper. The overall game was pretty unhinged though. After Riley gave PSV the lead in the 20th minute, she almost doubled it straight away when, just three mins later, she slid through 1v1 after some quick feet to beat her marker... but the keeper was onto her too quickly and closed the shot down. No dramas, because Joelle Smits made it 2-0 in first half stoppage time.
But then things swung back in the other direction when AZ first closed the gap through Desiree Van Lunteren (51’), then eventually tied it up when Maudy Stoop headed in from a corner in the 82nd minute. Indi Riley restored that lead a mere three minutes later to have PSV back on track for victory. Until they they subbed her off and conceded in injury time. A brilliantly taken goal, to be fair, from Floor Spaan. 3-3 the final score.
(Sidenote: That’s a great chat with Indi there, in which she speaks of a bunch of aspects of her life and career including why she switched allegiances to Aotearoa, what it’s like travelling for internationals... and since it was filmed before the Feyenoord game last week she also mentions looking forward to going up against a fellow kiwi – obviously meaning Emma Pijnenburg... that game was covered in last week’s edition)
Luckily this draw doesn’t much matter because PSV are almost locked-on for third place with three matches remaining, even after going three games in a row without a win. They won’t be qualifying for Europe but they have set a platform from which to potentially challenge FC Twente and Ajax next season.
Up Next: International break... then PSV vs Heerenveen at midnight on 21 April (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
The milestones are endless for Emma Pijnenburg at the moment. Every week there’s a new achievement in her career. From a debut to a first start to a massive cup upset victory to the chance to mark fellow kiwi Indi Riley in a match and now this week she scored her first goal for Feyenoord...
Look, she may have intended that as a cross but outcomes often mean more than intentions in this sport. On a wet and windy day in Western Netherlands (as you can see from the video), that ball floated over the keeper and into the top corner for what was a very important second goal for Feyenoord. They’d had a few chances but struggled to put anything away against Telstar besides than a penalty converted by Esmee de Graaf in first half stoppage time. That meant the door was still open for their opponents with twenty to go, and Telstar had already been able to test the keeper more than once. They were desperate too, trying to climb clear of the relegation zone. The game was in the balance. Until Emma Pijnenburg said: Nope, no more of that.
Feyenoord would add another penalty in second half stoppages this time, with Zoi van de Ven converting it. If you watch the wider highlights you’ll see that they had a very good shout for a penalty earlier in the same move as Pijnenburg’s goal. Fortunately that one was declined and EP was able to do what she did.
A 3-0 win for Feyenoord. Continuing on their merry way... with sudden form that has coincided exactly with Pijnenburg’s promotion to the starting line-up. They’ve taken 10 points from four Eredivisie games with her in the side after only 11 points from 15 Eredivisie games before that. Not to mention that KNVB Cup run they’ve been on – EP’s debut was in the penalty shootout win vs ADO Den Haag and she later started in their thrilling 3-0 upset win against Dutch powerhouses FC Twente. There’s an international break coming up next, after which Feyenoord will see if they can sneak up another position or two on the ladder from where they sit in eighth with three games remaining. Before that, however, comes their KNVB Cup semi-final against Ajax. They’ve already knocked the league leaders out of the cup. Next they’ll try do the same for number two.
Up Next: Ajax vs Feyenoord on 17 April at 5.30am in the KNVB Beker semi-final (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Silkeborg had been having a shambles of a time since the Danish league resumed, losing all five Superliga matches prior to the international window. That didn’t stop them from making the Championship Rounds when the split happened but it was hardly a good omen with no more relatively easier games against the bottom half left. Nonetheless, the break must have done them some good because they resumed with a 6-1 cup win against Fredericia. Much of the damage was done in the first half, where they established a 3-0 lead after 24 minutes. Callum McCowatt was subbed on at half-time and he was the bloke who played the ball through for Tonni Adamsen to win the penalty that he himself converted for the final goal and also his own hat-trick.
That was a massive result for the confidence of this Silkeborg team but even more so because it was the first leg of the Oddset Pkalen semi-finals. AGF beat Nordsjælland 3-2 in the other match. Both those fixtures will be repeated in a fortnight for the second legs, with Silkeborg now red hot favourites to progress into the Danish Cup final. Marko Stamenic was part of the FC København team that won the cup last season and it seems like Callum McCowatt will get the chance to do the same this season – it was Silkeborg who knocked FCK out in the quarters, if you remember, with Callum McCowatt scoring in the first leg.
Speaking of Callum McCowatt scoring goals...
Yes, Callum McCowatt got another one. An important one too, because the losing run is over in the Superliga thanks to McCowatt’s sweeping near-post touch in the 71st minute. Less than five mins after he was introduced against AGF (who might be their cup final opponents if there are no twists in the respective second legs). Stefan Teitur Pordarson had given Silkeborg the lead in just the third minute but two goals from Felix Beijmo (41’ & 63’) had turned things back in the favour of the visiting team. 2-2 was the final score. McCowatt had one other shot blocked plus he made two key passes and had 100% passing accuracy overall (13/13). Not bad for a 24-minute cameo.
This was probably Silkeborg’s most winnable remaining league game but they’ll be happy enough just to have avoided defeat. The cup is now clearly the priority for them – especially as the winners get entry into the Europa League first qualifying round. They have knocked København out of the cup already so anything’s possible, also they will get another crack at AGF in the corresponding away fixture.
Elsewhere in Denmark, Elijah Just’s AC Horsens lost 5-0 to HB Køge. Just played ninety minutes and got a yellow card. It was still 1-0 after 59 minutes so this was a bit of a capitulation in keeping with the form that’s seen them take one point from their last six matches. Here’s hoping that IFK Göteborg interest will still be around when the Danish season wraps up because this doesn’t seem like a great situation at the moment.
Up Next: Brøndby vs Silkeborg at 5am on Tuesday (NZT)
Nando Pijnaker & Max Mata – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Double gameweek for these lads, despite coming straight back off international duty... granted neither of them actually played the second All Whites match against Tunisia.
First match of the double-banger was away against Waterford in which both of our fellas were in the starting team. Sligo had some worrying moments in this game, with Nando on his toes having to deal with crosses, but they were able to hang tight until half-time. Then five mins into the second stanza they took the lead out of almost nowhere as the keeper pumped a very long goal kick all the way towards Max Mata who nodded it back for Ellis Chapman with enough room to take a couple touches and then unleash a mean strike from distance. Assist for Mata to quietly continue his efficient start to the season...
And you know what? That one goal was all they needed. Mata would be subbed after 65 minutes, no doubt with that All Whites tour in mind, without having attempted a shot. Sligo Rovers got lucky soon after that goal when a potential last-man foul was only punished with a yellow card (a recovering Nando Pijnaker might have saved the day with his presence there), but they weren’t so lucky on 75’ when Simon Power was marched for an errant kick. Not that they were very threatened the rest of the way with ten men. 1-0 win to Sligo Rovers, another positive result and their fourth clean sheet in seven matches.
After that came a trip to face St Patrick’s... but they lost 3-0 so that kinda sucked. Mata was subbed after an hour in which again he had zero shots, though did whip out a couple of key passes from that hold-up play of his. Pijnaker also got subbed off for the last quarter of the match following what was definitely a tired performance from him. Completed fewer than half his passes and didn’t win a tackle. This was the first time that he didn’t play ninety minutes this season, the first blip in what has otherwise been a string of fine performances. Still, Sligo Rovers remain second on the ladder.
In other news, Dan McKay made his first start for Cobh Ramblers in a 2-2 draw with Bray Wanderers. He played 64 minutes in midfield before taking a seat, another step forward for the ex-Phoenix Academy lad. This was his third appearance overall after a couple of substitute spots.
Up Next: Sligo Rovers vs Galway United at 6.45am on Sunday (NZT)
Anna Leat – Aston Villa / CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
It’s not easy to tell from that image, but what you’re looking at there is the moment when Anna Leat and CJ Bott shook hands prior to kickoff as they went head to head in the English Women’s Super League – arguably the top league on the planet (the NWSL is extra competitive this year, while Spain/France/Germany provide more Champions League winners even though their leagues have more disparity between the best and worst teams... but you get the idea). Certainly not the first time this has happened but it’s always a joy. Especially when both New Zealanders were in their respective starting elevens – neither of them had played when the two sides met in January with Aston Villa winning 1-0 (Bott was injured, Leat was an unused sub).
It didn’t turn out to be a very memorable game. Anna Leat passed the ball smoothly through the press but only made one save. CJ Bott did a good job of shutting down Alisha Lehmann but was a bit too messy with the ball at feet. Solid performances from each but nothing more.
At least there were some goals in this one. Villa took the lead through Adrianna Leon lurking at the back stick (26’), yet Leicester City were level almost instantly as they turned the ball over high and then Yuka Momoki sent Anna Leat the wrong way (28’). It was Leicester who later took the lead as Sam Tierney hit an expert header in off the post (56’). But, of course, few Aston Villa games go by without Rachel Daly having a say and she tied things back up at 2-2 in the 76th minute. Bott appealed for offside but it wasn’t to be. Her CBs simply lost their assignment.
There was one instance afterwards when CJ Bott got to the byline and chopped one back for Saori Takarada, who couldn’t quite reach the ball cleanly and looped it up... that shot dropping onto the crossbar as Leat dove backwards for it. So it goes. 2-2 was an appropriate result which keeps both teams ticking over in the mid-table. When Bott and Leat next step onto a pitch together, it’ll be as teammates for the Football Ferns. After which CJ Bott and Leicester City will have an FA Cup final to play.
As for the cohort in the Championship... nothing much to say. All the results went as expected. Katie Kitching and Sunderland beat Watford 3-0 to remain in first place, with Kitch playing all ninety minutes and winning the penalty for the third goal. Got tripped as she dribbled past a defender. Crystal Palace kept pace by beating Durham 5-1 away, scoring four times in the second half. Full game for Ria Percival at right back who was solid without doing anything above or beyond.
But London City Lionesses had their run of positive results halted with a 2-1 loss to Sheffield United, in which they were 2-0 down after 25 minutes and Paige Satchell was subbed after an hour to be replaced by their goal scorer Lotta Lindstrom. Grace Neville remains injured. Also, Jacqui Hand played the whole match for Lewes but they likewise weren’t able to find a second goal in a 2-1 loss, against Southampton in this case. Hand was involved in the move for Grace Riglar’s goal. Lewes have two games left and they absolutely need to win at least one of those to avoid relegation.
Up Next: Sunday 14 April at 11pm, FA Cup semi-final, Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
At some stage Racing Louisville will learn how to hang on to their leads. It was a problem that plagued them last season and it’s still an issue in 2024 after they led 2-0 away to Portland Thorns only to draw 2-2. A lead that they’d established within six minutes of kickoff - a dream start with Uchenna Kanu scoring both. But they let Portland back in the game when Morgan Weaver scored on 52’ and then Samantha Coffey levelled it up in the ninth minute of injury time. Devastatingly late concession. RL have now drawn three out of three and this wasn’t even the first time they’ve drawn 2-2 after being two up in the first half. They blew three 2-0 leads in 2023 as well.
It didn’t help that Erceg lost her CB partner Elli Pikkujämsä to injury with twenty to play. It probably didn’t help scoring so early either, as it gave Portland heaps of time to recover and retaliate whereas Louisville got stuck playing on the back foot for much of the match – with only 39% of possession and just three second half shot attempts with none on target. At least they remain undefeated and Erceg is playing well (more touches than any of her teammates in this match, also blocking three shots and making 12 clearances). Just gotta learn those winning habits... like staying positive and putting a team away when you’re ahead. Their attack looks good when they give them service so that’s a healthy sign for when Milly Clegg is fit to join the squad.
That still beats what Angel City have been up to. That lot are in last-place after three rounds with one draw and two defeats. Ali Riley played 83 minutes against Kansas City and this time found herself at left-back, though she was caught out for their first goal inside of six minutes. There was a bit more of a focus on getting the fullbacks forward this time but that only proved to isolate Riley, whose distribution numbers were way down, and KC kept hurting them with pace in the wide areas on both sides – scoring a second just before half-time after a VAR check.
Sydney Leroux pulled one back at the start of the second half but KC responded straight away. Credit to ACFC because they kept plugging away and Madison Curry’s scrambled goal on 78’ put them back in range. Riley was subbed for more of an attacking push and they almost got that equaliser when Paige Neilsen had one disallowed by VAR in the 87th minute. But then KC scored again at the very end to make it look harsher in a 4-2 result.
Up Next: Racing Louisville vs San Diego Wave on 14 April at 11.30am (NZT)
Otto Ingham – AFC Eskitstuna (Swedish Ettan Norra)
Last year there were three NZers at Ljungskile in the Swedish third tier. This year there are none. Kees Sims has gotten a promotion all the way up to the top division with GAIS where he’s the backup keeper – he was on the bench as they lost 4-0 to Brommapojkarna in week one of the Allsvenskan. Oli Fay has moved back to Auckland United – scoring in a 4-1 win against Tauranga City the other day. And Otto Ingham has made a sideways move to Eskilstuna.
Ingham had his moments with LSK but only actually scored once in 37 appearances (many of them off the bench) across his two seasons. Believe it or not, he’s already matched that goal tally for his new team. Ingham scored a few goals throughout their preseason, initially as a trial player before earning a full contract, and he carried that form onwards into the first game of the proper stuff by scoring his team’s only goal in a 3-1 loss away to Nordic United...
That goal gave them some hope at 2-1 with most of the second half still to play. But a third concession about ten minutes later took that hope away again. Ingham was subbed after 80 minutes. A goal on debut, can’t argue with that, especially not if he’s going to be getting starter’s minutes. However that opening week defeat was not how they’d have planned it following relegation from the second tier in 2023.
Eskilstuna are in the Northern Conference of the Ettan Division so Ingham’s potentially got himself in for an even colder climate having been hanging out in the South prior to this. There are several other NZers at this level in 2023 who are all in that Ettan Södra. Cameron Hogg was in goal for Trollhättan in their 1-1 draw away to Falkenbergs (a former club of Matt Garbett), getting a yellow card two minutes into his debut. Plus Torslanda have been promoted back up to this division with all of their Ole Academy influence. Dan Keat is the Director of Football while Declan Edge coaches both the Men’s and Women’s first teams. They lost 1-0 to Torns in their first match with Sean Bright, Harry Edge, and Owen Parker-Price all starting. All three of those lads were excellent NZ National League talents so it’s lovely to have them back at a decent level again. Pretty sure Dom Woolridge is also still there. Meanwhile it seems that Torslanda have helped sort out Stjepan Stipuric a move to Petone FC of all places... so there you go.
Up Next: Eskilstuna vs Karlstad on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Bellinho is back in business. When he rejoined Viking last year, it was with the hopes of pushing towards a Norwegian title. Problem was, the team crumbled winning only two of their final eight matches. Dropped them to fourth and outside of European qualification. Big bummers. Joe Bell was escaping from a disappointing time of it with Brøndby and he struggled to recapture his old magic with his former club – partly due to an awkward fit because they’d already replaced him with Markus Solbakken. The two deep playmaking midfielders unable to figure out how to co-exist... but VFK knew what they were doing. Heading into the 2024 season, Solbakken has been sold to Sparta Prague for a seven-figure sum and Joe Bell is now the undisputed man at the base of the midfield.
And, happily, game one of the new Eliteserien was just like old times. Bell got heaps of touches against Sarpsborg with lots of accurate passes in both halves. He was getting the ball into good areas and creating things. Did what he needed to do in defence. Played ninety minutes which is something he only did once in 11 appearances for VFK last year, and only five times in all of 2023 (with three of those being for the national team). Best of all: Viking won. It was only a 1-0 result, courtesy of an own goal late in the first half, but a win is a win. The goal came via a flowing attack leading to a defender turning a low cross into his own net. Bell nearly made it two early second half with a thumping volley from slightly inside the penalty area but it flew over the crossbar. The goals and assists will flow in due course. It’s just great to see Bellinho back doing what he does so well.
Up Next: Away to Bodø/Glimt at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Claudia Bunge & Daisy Cleverley - HB Køge (Danish Kvindeliga)
They’re not all good weeks. This one was a bad week, even for the ever-consistent Claudia Bunge. HBK’s match against Kolding started fine with a bunch of chances that they didn’t convert and then just before half-time they conceded against the run of play, with a long free kick met by a long header by Benedickte Moss. 1-0 to Kolding.
That led to a double change at the break and Claudia Bunge was one of those replaced. Very unusual areas even if Bunge was on a yellow card. Fingers crossed there was no injury factor involved there with the Football Ferns about to play a couple of matches. Daisy Cleverley was on the bench and she’d be introduced after 58 mins in the next dip into the subs bench. She’d do what she could as HBK went nuts trying to find an equaliser... which they finally got in the 89th minute via Emelía Óskarsdóttir. Great finish but it was too late to find another. 1-1 final score as HBK dropped further points in the title race.
The struggles were also real for FC Nordsjælland who lost 3-2 to Brøndby. FCN had been flawless defensively in their home games but against the current leaders that trend took a pause in a back-and-forth contest. BIF scored first on 37’ when Emilie Byrnak got the decisive touch on a low cross (hints of an own goal about it but Byrnak got the credit). Karen Knudsen drew FCN level from close range at the start of the second spell and that’s how it stood until deep in the match... when Brøndby took the lead on 81’. FCN levelled again on 87’ but then, just as a worthy draw seemed like the outcome, ol’ Brøndby popped up with a 90+5th minute winner. Malia Steinmetz played the full match, including an important role holding the ball up then laying it off within Anna Wellman’s late goal. But some miscommunication between goalie and defender cost them this match and has given Brøndby control in the title race with a four point lead over both HBK and FCN.
As for Ally Green at AGF, she got another ten minutes off the bench in a 1-0 loss against Fortuna Hjørring. That’s three games in a row in which she’s played off the bench since the winter break, having been a regular starter during the first half of the campaign.
Up Next: International break, with all four Kvindeliga Kiwis involved
Tyler Bindon – Reading (English League One)
72 hours after playing a full match for the All Whites, helping them keep a clean sheet at right back, Tyler Bindon was back in the middle of the Reading defence as they also shut out Northampton Town for a 1-0 victory. Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored the only goal in the 65th minute, one of only two shots on target for Reading all match.
Northampton gave them trouble but Bindon once again showed the composure of a seasoned veteran... rather than a teenager in his first year of senior football. The way that Reading have had to sell players, battling through financial issues, twice getting docked points, and yet have raised themselves into the comfortable mid-table with steady victories is absolutely incredible. Even more so because of what a prominent role Bindon has played. Nobody born in 2004 or later has played more minutes than Tyler Bindon this season across the entire League One.
We don’t need to say much about them subsequently losing 5-2 against Bolton Wanderers on the short turnaround. They’ve still taken 32 points from their last 17 matches which works out to 1.88 points per game and if they’d sustained that over the full season then they’d be fourth in League One. Despite being one of the youngest teams in the division. Despite everything they’re battling through... although there is light at the end of the tunnel there with news that they’re close to a North American takeover. They’ve been begging for new owners for a long time.
Up Next: Reading vs Lincoln Town at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
Nooot so fast there. It may have looked like an Andre De Jong goal but that particular strike ended up being classified as an OG. De Jong and a defender both chased down a through ball as the keeper rushed out and fumbled it back into them. The ball ricocheted into the net. Could have come off De Jong or it could have come off the defender... turns out it came off the defender for an own goal.
But ADJ is still chipping away. He may not have gotten that one, but he serve up the assist the third goal of a 3-0 Stellenbosch win vs Royal AM with a sweet cut-back from out wide. This was an extra special result for being against one of his old clubs, though it would have been even better if the second goal had gone his way too. The win lifted the Stellies up to second on the ladder after 20 matches. Always pleasing to ADJ in the starting line-up and having an effect. This was his 11th league start and 15th appearance over all this term. Plenty more where that came from in all of their various cup runs as well.
Up Next: 6.30am Wednesday away to Kaizer Chiefs (NZT)
Matthew Garbett – NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
DeStem: “It is time for NAC to get the maximum return from Matt Garbett, after a week in which he played almost as many minutes with the New Zealand national team as he has with NAC this current calendar year. The claim that he is not fit enough, lacks competitive rhythm, or has been out a while is no longer valid in Breda. On the road with the All Whites, the dynamic midfielder has shown that he can handle two games in five days. NAC desperately needs the 21-year-old talent if they want to make it to the end of a season that has generally been disappointing.”
With respect to the paywall of that article, we’ll stop with the direct quotes there (remember you can support The Niche Cache on Patreon or with a Paid Substack if you rate our work!). Suffice to say that there was has been a bit of itchiness in Breda around how Garbett managed to start both All Whites games amidst an injury-plagued club season. Not because he’s holding out on them, more because they simply have not seen the best of him in 2023-24 and that’s been one of the factors in their up-and-down season. Garbett played 162 minutes for the national team against Egypt and Tunisia. He had played 200 for his club team in all of 2024 – comprising two starts, three sub appearances, and six games missed entirely.
Due to a variety of knows (back, ankle, and shoulder – plus some international duty), Garbett has not played more than four consecutive games for NAC this term. He has three goals and two assists, still well away from his personal aim of ten for the campaign. And there are questions in the piece about whether they’re getting the best out of him even when he does play. But the point of all that is to highlight that he remains one of the club’s most bankable assets and game-changing players and that, if he can remain fit the rest of the way, Matt Garbett could play a huge role in what remains.
First thing that needed doing there was putting him back in midfield, rather than any right wing ideas, and that’s exactly what they did against MVV on the weekend. Starting in a midfield trio. Looked good there too, completing 27/30 passes, drawing fouls, and getting involved in the attacking third. It was his forward pass that instigated the move that led to an own goal in their favour after 53 minutes for the opening goal. But, Breda being Breda, they weren’t able to carry that onwards to victory. MVV levelled up on 62’ and then won it on 82’. Garbett played 88 mins. NAC remain seventh in the standings so they’re on course for promotion playoffs with six more rounds remaining.
Up Next: Groningen vs NAC Breda at 10.15pm on Sunday (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Glasgow City (Scottish Premier League)
A close range header from a corner (Caitlin Hayes on 38’) and a slicing ball through the defence converted past the keeper (Natasha Flint on 56’) struck a massive blow in the SWPL title race and it was not in the favour of Glasgow City. GCFC did pull a goal back right at the end but a 2-1 defeat against Celtic dealt them their first league loss after 11 consecutive victories. Full game from Meikayla Moore, who wasn’t at any fault for either of the goals (for what that’s worth). Glasgow City have some serious work to do across their remaining eight games after this result. Meanwhile Rangers remain first after winning 2-1 against Hibernian – with Vic Esson as an unused substitute this time.
Up Next: After the FIFA window it’s Rangers vs Glasgow City at 2am on 15 April (NZT)
Michael Fitzgerald – Albirex Niigata (Japanese J-League)
Quick note to say that a new season has begun in Japan and Michael Fitzgerald continues to get games for Albirex Niigata, who have opened the J-League with 8 points from five games. Fitzy’s started four of those matches and the one he missed was the one they lost. Aussie Thomas Deng has been with him in that backline for each of those four matches but it’s the 35 year old born in Tokoroa that we’re here for. The only NZer currently in the Japanese leagues since Michael Woud departed (technically Fitzgerald is a Japanese citizen these days but you get the point).
Up Next: Wednesday at 11pm, Júbilo Iwata vs Albirex Niigata (NZT)
Zac Jones – Haverfordwest County (Welsh/Cymru Premier)
Not a lot of Zac Jones in that highlight package but the important thing was that he got another clean sheet in a much-required victory. A seven-game streak without a win had them in some trouble, dropping them into the Relegation Rounds again. They did have a good lead on the top spot in that phase but that was chipped away during that winless streak until a 1-0 loss against Penybont saw that lot jump ahead of them.
But Hwlffordd ended the drought with a 2-0 win against Aberystwyth and now this 1-0 win against Pontypridd United. Penybont only drew this weekend, meaning that those two teams are now tied for first. Remember that first in the Relegation Rounds joins the playoffs for Europa Conference League qualifiers, which is the same pathway that Haverfordwest used to get there last season. With three games remaining it’s all up for grabs again. Their match away against Penybont in the final round shapes to be season-defining.
Up Next: Haverfordwest vs Barry at 7.45am on Saturday (NZT)
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