Author Archives: James Rhys

“The team and the club are moving in one direction, and he’s moving in another”: Garcia confirms Neil Kilkenny will leave Glory at the end of the season.

After days of speculation, Richard Garcia confirmed that Perth Glory star Neil Kilkenny will not be at the club next season. Suspicions were first raised when the midfielder was suddenly dropped without reason for Sunday’s clash with Brisbane, and the coach’s comments in recent days only added further fuel to the fire. With Kilkenny absentContinue reading ““The team and the club are moving in one direction, and he’s moving in another”: Garcia confirms Neil Kilkenny will leave Glory at the end of the season.”

Bentleigh Greens to the Green and Black: The rapid rise of Ryan Scott

Ryan Scott’s rapid rise reads like something lifted directly from the pages of ‘Roy of the Rovers’. The 25 year old goalkeeper has been one of the league’s standout performers this season, but just a couple of years ago he was juggling blocking shots with life as a bricklayer, working on building sites while plyingContinue reading “Bentleigh Greens to the Green and Black: The rapid rise of Ryan Scott”

Fasting and Football: Ali Abbas on life as a footballer during Ramadan

The English Premier League is no stranger to making the headlines, but this week the competition attracted global attention for pausing a fixture for religious reasons. The Monday night game between Leicester City and Crystal Palace came to a standstill at the half hour mark, with Palace ‘keeper Vicente Guiata delaying a goal kick toContinue reading “Fasting and Football: Ali Abbas on life as a footballer during Ramadan”

Māori Football Aotearoa: Using the beautiful game to build a better future for Māori, on and off the field.

Copyright owned by Māori Football Aotearoa From Nelson Mandela using the Rugby World Cup as a means to unite a nation, to Marcus Rashford utilising his platform to speak up and challenge the UK Government, there have been numerous examples of sport being used as a tool for good over the years. While New ZealandContinue reading “Māori Football Aotearoa: Using the beautiful game to build a better future for Māori, on and off the field.”

Ulises Dávila: Talay’s Magician in the Midfield

Photograph and copyright owned by Wellington Phoenix – facts and figures by James Rhys When Wellington Phoenix announced the signing of Ulises Dávila in July 2019, few knew what to expect from the former Chelsea youngster. Head coach Ufuk Taulay was full of praise for the former Mexican age-group international he had brought in toContinue reading “Ulises Dávila: Talay’s Magician in the Midfield”

Victory fire Brebner after derby humiliation

Following a second heavy Melbourne Derby defeat at the hands of Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory have announced that head coach Grant Brebner had been relieved of his duties. Many felt his time had come after the Victory suffered a 6 – 0 loss just over a month ago, but the club stood by the manager,Continue reading “Victory fire Brebner after derby humiliation”

Alou Kuol: Breakout star is Bundesliga bound

Alou Kuol is officially Bundesliga bound. VFB Stuttgart and the Central Coast Mariners announced earlier today that they had reached an agreement over the transfer of the young striker, bringing an end to weeks of speculation. Despite making just five starts since his debut last year, Kuol has been a breakout star, capturing hearts andContinue reading “Alou Kuol: Breakout star is Bundesliga bound”

Red Devils linked with Mariners takeover

The current A-League season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory, with new teams, new records and the emergence of new, young, home-grown talent all playing their role in exciting audiences in Australia and beyond. The feel-good story of the season, however, has undoubtedly been the Leicester-esque turnaround of the Central CoastContinue reading “Red Devils linked with Mariners takeover”

Beñat: An ode to the beating heart of the Bulls

Photograph and copyright owned by MacArthur Bulls FC – facts and figures by James Rhys. Macarthur FC have enjoyed a fantastic start to life in the A-League. The new franchise from South West Sydney currently lead the league in clean sheets, passes and passing accuracy, and their technically gifted squad has out-passed and, at times,Continue reading “Beñat: An ode to the beating heart of the Bulls”

Rory McKeown: West Belfast to Wellington

Rory McKeown has had a fascinating career. Moving from Belfast as a teenager to further his footballing ambitions, the fullback enjoyed successful spells in England, Scotland and a brief stint in Poland before making a surprise move to New Zealand, where last week he was part of the Team Wellington side that bowed out ofContinue reading “Rory McKeown: West Belfast to Wellington”

Grand Final marks end of an era for New Zealand Football

In the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time), the final whistle sounded in the ISPS Handa Premiership Grand Final, Team Wellington securing a 4 – 2 win over their old rivals Auckland City to lift the trophy. The Grand Final usually marks the end of the New Zealand domestic top flight, but on thisContinue reading “Grand Final marks end of an era for New Zealand Football”

A-League: MW13 Reaction

Perth Glory v Sydney FC Sydney have been punished numerous times this season for failing to capitalise on their dominance, and this was certainly the case at HBF Park. The Sky Blues absolutely dominated the first half, attempting eleven shots in the first 45 and forcing Liam Reddy in to five key saves to keepContinue reading “A-League: MW13 Reaction”

From South Wales to New South Wales: Has Jordon Mutch finally found a place to call home?

“Jordan Mutch on the Ball” by joncandy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 In 2014, Jordon Mutch looked like a young player with the world at his feet. Cardiff City may have failed to secure their Premier League survival, finishing bottom of the ladder in their debut campaign, but the 22 year old was aContinue reading “From South Wales to New South Wales: Has Jordon Mutch finally found a place to call home?”

A-League MW12: Reaction

Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix There was a sombre start to Monday’s fixture, both sides coming together ahead of kick off to remember those lost on the second anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque tragedy. Louis Fenton was a last minute withdrawal for the ‘Nix after feeling his hip during the warm-up, Alex Rufer droppingContinue reading “A-League MW12: Reaction”

A-League: MW11 Reaction

We’re mixing things up this week, in an attempt to bring you more up-to-date reaction on all the goings on in the A-League! Instead of reviewing all the week’s action when the dust settles, we’ll be bringing you our reaction to results as they happen. Keep your eyes open for updates after the final whistle!Continue reading “A-League: MW11 Reaction”

Neil Kilkenny: From the Premier League to Perth.

Credit: Perth Glory Football Club with prior approval I was extraordinarily lucky to have the opportunity to have a conversation with one of the A-League’s biggest stars this week, Neil Kilkenny. In this exclusive interview, the Perth Glory midfielder discusses his views on the game in Australia, his Socceroos career and his ambitions for lifeContinue reading “Neil Kilkenny: From the Premier League to Perth.”

A-League: MW11 Preview

“Adelaide United Vs Sydney FC” by edd.ie is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 It’s that time of the week already, as we countdown to another round of exciting A-League action. Time sure flies when you’re covering a football league on the other side of the world… There’s some fantastic clashes this week, so let’s getContinue reading “A-League: MW11 Preview”

A League: MW10 Review

“Perth Glory 2” by braduni is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 Perth Glory bookended a thrilling week of A-League action Down Under, breaking records in the opener with Brisbane before suffering a disappointing defeat at the hands of the league leaders. The prolific Perth side made A-League history after scoring 18 in 6 and thisContinue reading “A League: MW10 Review”

A-League: MW9 Review

Credit: “File:Kardinia Park January 2016 Melbourne Victory Central Coast Mariners.jpg” by Paladisious is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 I can’t think of a better way to have kicked off my A-League coverage than the games in MW9. Shock defeats, goals galore and a sprinkling of VAR controversy… this round had it all! Adelaide United vContinue reading “A-League: MW9 Review”

A-League Round Up: Gameweek 9

Photo credit: Macarthur Bulls I’m very excited to be joining Football CFB to cover the A-League. Every week I’ll be producing a roundup of all the goings on across the game in Australia and New Zealand and look ahead to all the weekend action. The A-League games are usually filled with exciting, end-to-end attacking action,Continue reading “A-League Round Up: Gameweek 9”

A-League club lead the way with groundbreaking sponsorship deal

Photo courtesy of Pexels Western Sydney Wanderers announced this week that they had signed a partnership with the Office of Responsible Gambling that would see New South Wales club say no to sports betting sponsorship. In doing so, the club became the first Hyundai A-League side to commit to turn down all sponsorship and advertisingContinue reading “A-League club lead the way with groundbreaking sponsorship deal”