A number of players have completed moves to new clubs while several others have found the back of the net in recent days as New Zealand’s overseas-based stars continue to leave their mark in many corners of the globe.

With Chris Wood and Winston Reid out injured for Burnley and West Ham United respectively in the English Premier League, the Kiwi spotlight in the United Kingdom has fallen on the lower leagues recently. Plenty of column inches have been dedicated to the future of All Whites defender Tommy Smith, who has now finally completed his rumoured move across the Atlantic to join the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS). After recovering from a long-term injury, the centre back struggled to force his way into the first team at Ipswich Town in the Championship and joins his former national team coach at the Rapids. Anthony Hudson had already signed fellow All Whites Kip Colvey and Deklan Wynne, as well as luring former New Zealand U-20 national coach Darren Bazeley, who acted as Hudson’s assistant for the All Whites.

Hoping to also be joining the MLS ranks are a trio of young Kiwis who have all been picked up by clubs in the Super Draft. Elliot Collier has been drafted by the Chicago Fire while the Kiwi contingent could be set to grow at both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers, who have acquired the rights to Cory Brown and Stuart Holthusen respectively. The Whitecaps already feature Stefan Marinovic and Myer Bevan while Jake Gleeson and Bill Tuiloma are at the Timbers. Selection in the draft means each player will now have the opportunity to impress the club’s coaching staff and hopefully earn a contract.

Like Smith, Clayton Lewis has found game time hard to come by at Scunthorpe United and was again an unused substitute as the Iron lost 3-1 to Gillingham in League One. A tier down in League Two, former All Whites defender Steven Old has firmly established himself in Morecambe’s line-up and played the full 90 minutes as per usual against Luton Town but couldn’t prevent a 1-0 loss. Lewis could be in line for promotion to the Championship with Scunthorpe now in fourth place but Old’s Morecambe are in danger of dropping out of the Football League as they are just three points above the League Two relegation zone. Faring better in the National League North is goalkeeper Max Crocombe, who has been an ever-present for Salford City in their march to the top of the table. The Kiwi custodian recently saved a penalty in a 2-1 win over Darlington and helped the Ammies to a 2-1 triumph against Harrogate Town over the weekend which put them 11 points clear.

In the development leagues in England, former New Zealand U-20 captain Adam Mitchell is making good progress at Championship club Bolton Wanderers. The centre back recently extended his deal with the Trotters and will now be at the Macron Stadium until the end of the season. The 21-year-old is yet to break into the first-team picture but has emerged as a key part of the club’s U-23 side in the Professional Development League, in which Bolton have won eight of their last nine matches. After leaving New Zealand to pursue his dream, Mitchell was on the books of European giants Red Star Belgrade and also spent time on loan at fellow Serbian outfit OFK Belgrade. But after returning to Red Star, he struggled for game time and is now looking to secure a long-term contract at Bolton.

Further north at Sunderland, the young All Whites pair of Sam Brotherton and Michael Woud are still looking to make their mark in the U-23’s but were both unused substitutes in a 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League Cup. Also having to be content with a place on the bench was Football Ferns fullback Anna Green, who could only look on as Reading’s impressive run in the Continental Cup came to an end in heart-breaking fashion at the hands of Arsenal, who pinched a late 3-2 win in the semi-finals. There was still a Kiwi link on the pitch though as Kirsty Linnett, the partner of All Whites star Chris Wood, came on as a substitute in the 75^th minute. Also appearing as a substitute around the same time was Olivia Chance, who came on for Everton in their return to FA Women’s Super League 1 action but couldn’t do anything to change the outcome, a 2-1 loss to Bristol City. Over in Wales, one-cap All Whites striker Greg Draper is on the verge of a personal milestone as he currently sits on 99 goals in the Welsh Premier League for The New Saints.

Hoping to join the ever-growing ranks of Kiwis in the professional game in Europe is New Zealand youth international Elijah Just, who was a stand-out at the FIFA U-17 World Cup last October and is now trying his luck at Dutch Eredivisie outfit PEC Zwolle on a month-long trial. If he manages to earn a contract, the 17-year-old will become the second Kiwi at the club, following in the footsteps of All Whites star Ryan Thomas. Also a midfielder, Just is a product of the Ole Academy in Wellington and is likely to feature in practice matches for Zwolle’s under-19 and under-21 sides. He could become the fifth New Zealander to play in the Dutch top flight after Thomas, Marco Rojas, Ivan Vicelich and Fred de Jong.

The player he is looking to emulate continues to make a huge impact for Zwolle, Thomas taking full part in a 1-0 win over NAC Breda after confirming he is likely to stay at the club for at least the remainder of the season. The 23-year-old has been one of the best performers in the Eredivisie this season and is rumoured to have attracted interest from top clubs in the Netherlands, as well as teams in Germany, France and Belgium. But he told Dutch media before the Breda win that any move is likely to come in the off-season. “I am pretty sure I will still be at PEC come February,” said Thomas, whose partner Nikki has recently given birth to their first child, Lily Mae. “The time is right for a bigger club and a bigger stage. That step should not be too small for me, as long as I’m sure I’m going to play. What I really want is to keep building.” Thomas picked up where he had left off against Breda, fizzing a shot past Australian goalkeeper Mark Birighitti but wide of the target and ending with a pass completion rate of nearly 94 per cent. New Zealand’s other representative in the Dutch top flight, midfielder Rojas, could not make it off the bench as SC Heerenveen drew 1-1 with Vitesse. But he was among the goals just a couple of days later, hitting a double for the club’s development side in a 4-0 thumping of Heracles Almelo.

While Thomas is waiting a little longer to make his move, Rebekah Stott and Jeremy Brockie have already taken the next steps in their careers, Football Fern Stott putting pen to paper with Sky Blue FC in the American National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) while Brockie has joined leading South African side Mamelodi Sundowns. Stott, still only 24 despite racking up over 60 appearances for her country, will head to New Jersey from Melbourne City and her new coach is delighted to have signed the versatile defender. “Stott is a proven back in this league, and her ability on the ball and running a defensive line are top level,” Sky Blue boss Denise Reddy said. The future of Brockie meanwhile has been the subject of widespread speculation for some time and he will be pleased to have finally put an end to the uncertainty. “There’s been talk about this move for a long time and now that it’s finally been completed I’m looking forward to wearing the yellow of Sundowns and start scoring goals for them,” the 30-year-old said. “Sundowns is a very ambitious club that wants to win every competition they play in. They are not only a big club here in South Africa but on the whole African continent. There was some interest from Asia and the Middle East but in all honestly from the moment I’ve arrived in South Africa we’ve loved every minute of it and I’m very happy to be starting this new chapter here where I’ve had a lot of success so far.”

Brockie had to be content with a non-starting role for his debut against Platinum Stars but received a standing ovation when he entered the fray for the final ten minutes of a 3-0 win. He nearly opened his account immediately but put his effort wide from inside the box. The transfer appears a good move for Brockie as Sundowns is one of South Africa’s most successful clubs, having won the Premier Soccer League a record seven times since the competition’s inception in 1996. They currently lead the table after 17 rounds and have qualified for the CAF Champions League. Also in South Africa, Hawke’s Bay United’s former English import Sam Mason-Smith has not taken long to get off the mark for Stellenbosch, who play a rung below the top division. Mason-Smith notched his first goal for his new club when opening the scoring in a 2-1 win over Mthatha Bucks.

Also finding the back of the net were Tyler Boyd and Themi Tzimopoulos, the latter volleying in a corner with the outside of his foot as Giannina edged out Levadiakos 1-0 in the Greek Cup. Boyd meanwhile struck a consolation goal for CD Tondela after coming off the bench in a 5-1 loss to Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga before the festive break. He then had to wait a month for Tondela’s next match, when he was given just his second start of the season for a 1-1 draw against Vitoria Setubal. He played nearly an hour of that match becoming coming on as a substitute in both of the next two games – a 3-1 victory over Feirense and a 1-0 loss to Porto.

Another young Kiwi winger could be joining the European ranks with Joel Stevens currently on trial at Swedish club Jönköpings Södra IF, who were relegated to the second tier last season. Canterbury United midfielder James Pendrigh is also trying his luck in Sweden while Auckland City striker Ryan de Vries has signed a deal with Japanese second division club FC Gifu. Closer to home, former Wellington Phoenix player Louis Fenton will take no further part in Team Wellington’s ISPS Handa Premiership campaign after finalising his switch to semi-pro side the Melbourne Knights, who compete in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.

In the full-time game in Australia, veteran goalkeeper Glen Moss has extended his stay at A-League title contenders the Newcastle United Jets, signing on for another season. “We’ve got a great bunch of lads here and things are going well both on and off the field, it’s awesome to be a part of and I’m looking forward to seeing where this group can go,” he said. News of the 35-year-old’s re-signing arrived on the back of a 3-2 defeat to the Wellington Phoenix, for whom Matt Ridenton, Michael McGlinchey, Tom Doyle and Andrew Durante all started while Alex Rufer came on just past the hour mark. Kosta Barbarouses was meanwhile on fire for the Melbourne Victory, putting in a man-of-the-match performance in a 3-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers. The former Phoenix man scored twice, including a late screamer, to take his tally to six goals from the last seven games. Barbarouses firstly finished off a quick break by the Victory with a clinical finish into the far bottom corner before receiving a pass from fellow All White Jai Ingham and unleashing a stunning effort into the top corner from well outside the box in stoppage time.

Elsewhere, Storm Roux came on as a late substitute as the Central Coast Mariners drew 1-1 with reigning champions Sydney FC while Dane Ingham earned a rare start earlier this month for the Brisbane Roar against the same opponents and played for the entirety of a 3-0 defeat.