Many of her Football Ferns team mates are still waiting to return to action but Meikayla Moore is already making her mark as MSV Duisburg resume their battle to avoid relegation.

Duisburg faced a big encounter as the Frauen Bundesliga got underway again in Germany, meeting relegation rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

The points were therefore vital to both sides and it was Duisburg who managed to claim them thanks to a double from Nina Lange.

Usually a fixture at the heart of defence, Moore has been playing in central midfield since returning from the injury that kept her out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year.

She again operated in a holding midfield role and helped keep a clean sheet as Duisburg moved five points clear of the relegation zone.

Moore’s Football Ferns team mates in England will not get the chance to extend their season though after recent confirmation that the Women’s Super League and Championship campaigns will not be completed.

The ramifications of how the final standings will be decided are still being worked through, leaving Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur), Olivia Chance (Bristol City) and Katie Rood (Lewes) having to wait to learn of their team’s fate.

“We’ve been training individually now for eight or nine weeks trying to keep fit,” Percival says.

“So to have the season officially cancelled is quite hard to take, especially with the Olympics being postponed too.”

Erin Nayler and Hannah Wilkinson have meanwhile both been hunkering down back home in Northland as they plan the next steps of their professional careers in Europe.

Article added: Tuesday 02 June 2020