It is the last series of matches for Canucks Abroad as the holiday season is now upon us and another weekend before the end of 2014 and we are into what will be a big 2015. The weekend that was turned out to be one of the better ones of late, as despite not all getting starting minutes, some of the players of concern recently made appearances for their club. Some names will have eyes on them come January as opportunities will be presented as the likes of Doneil Henry might be in the UK, Randy Edwini-Bonsu is in a position to get starting minutes and with the African Cup of Nations approaching, there is a chance Marcel De Jong could finally see minutes with Augsburg.
In England
The biggest news out of England these days isn’t with regards to any existing Canadian competing domestically, but the potential of two finding their way over to the Premiership come January.
Doneil Henry’s situation with Toronto FC and Apollon in Cyprus is finally becoming clear as the deal was in place to make it potentially easier to transfer to West Ham United. This rumour is red hot that his training stint last winter impressed Sam Allardyce such that he is making the move to bring him in now. However, there is now also a rumour that FC Porto are looking at Henry and with him not needing a work permit to play in Portugal, should a move to England fall through, he could still end up in a solid top flight league.
Doneil Henry to FC Porto?
It was mentioned that Marcel De Jong might see more playing time due to his competition at left back leaving for the African Cup of Nations, and now another rumour of Atiba Hutchinson possibly also heading to West Ham is becoming more prevalent. The Hammers have two midfielders that will be leaving for the tournament and with the club sitting in the top half of the table, could be in real risk of slipping should they not maintain their quality. Hutchinson without question could slot right into a team in a top four league and this would be a move that could have him fulfill a career ambition of playing in the English Premier League.
Atiba Hutchinson to West Ham United?
There is another Canuck who once was in the enviable position of these two, but has needed to reset his career and find his scoring touch and that is Simeon Jackson. It has been an up and down season for him so far in League One at Coventry City, but he is a player who goes on hot streaks and can be in the right place at the right time to score clutch goals. This weekend reinforced that, as it wasn’t pretty, but as a late sub Jackson got a foot on a ball towards net to poke in the tying goal as Coventry earned an important 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town.
While it was only defensive reinforcements in added time, it was good to see David Edgar get some minutes in as Birmingham continue their renaissance in the Championship through a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield. Marcus Haber’s Crewe Alexandra saw a rare victory as he also came on late with a 1-0 win over Bristol City. Finally, the Canadian U20 Player of the Year, Michael Petrasso was a second half substitute for Notts County into a 2-2 draw with Rochdale.
In India
It was heartbreak for Canada’s Iain Hume as a very impressive run for his Kerala Blasters came to an end in the final match of the Indian Super League playoffs. After a thrilling late goal mid-week to advance past Chennaiyin FC 4-3 on aggregate, their luck ran out as it was Atletico de Kolkata who earned the dying minute goal to lift the first Indian Super League title 1-0. Hume went the full 90 and was unable to repeat his heroics seen in the final games of the regular season and semi-final. However, Kerala should remain proud of their season as they managed to reach the final despite having their struggles through the regular season and with room for improvement, could become a more legitimate threat come next season.
What is next for Hume though might be a question mark as the league ending in December means he could be up for a January return to the UK. Hume is in good form and it will be interesting to see if the option is there for him to find a League One or Championship club.
In Turkey
As noted above, it will be interesting to see what the next few weeks have in store for Atiba Hutchinson as West Ham United seek out cover for their midfield during January. In the meantime, nothing has changed for him at the club level as Besiktas are staying in impressive form as another weekend has gone by where they have stayed ahead of their cross-town rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. Despite going 90 minutes and losing midweek in the Turkish Cup to Rizespor, Besiktas came back strong Sunday against Akhisar Belediyespor and saw them off through a professional 3-1 win. Hutchinson went 90 minutes per usual and is arguably in his best club situation, playing in his ideal position of midfielder, since his FC Copenhagen days.
Simeon Jackson rediscovers his clutch form as he pokes in the tying goal to nab an important point in a 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town.
Here's how the rest of Canada's Internationals did Across the Pond:
Milan Borjan – Ludogorets (BUL – D1):
Next match, February 14, 2015 v Beroe.
Daniel Haber – Ayia Napa (CPR – D1):
Saturday, December 20, did not play in a 5-2 loss to Apollon Limassol.
David Edgar – Birmingham City (ENG - D2):
Saturday, December 20, subbed in at 90+ in a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
Simeon Jackson – Coventry City (ENG – D3):
Saturday, December 20, subbed in at the 74th minute and scored A GOAL in a 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town.
Michael Petrasso – Leyton Orient (ENG – D3):
Saturday, December 20, subbed in at the 73rd minute in a 2-2 draw with Rochdale.
Marcus Haber – Crewe Alexandra (ENG – D3):
Saturday, December 20, subbed in at the 88th minute in a 1-0 victory over Bristol City.
Marcel De Jong – FC Augsburg (GER - D1):
Saturday, December 20, did not play in a 2-1 victory over Borussian Monchengladbach.
Andre Hainault – Aalen (GER – B2):
Saturday, December 20, played 66 minutes in a 3-1 loss to St. Pauli.
Randy Edwini-Bonsu – Stuttgarter Kickers (GER – D3):
Saturday, December 20, played 78 minutes in a 2-0 victory over Sonnenhof Grossaspach.
Nik Ledgerwood – Energie Cottbus (GER – D3):
Saturday, December 20, did not play in a 2-1 victory over Pruben Munster.
Daniel Stanese – Augsburg II (GER – D4):
Next match, March 7, 2015 v Bayreuth.
Iain Hume – Kerala Blasters (IND – D1):
Saturday, December 20, played all 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Atletico de Kolkata.
Tosaint Ricketts – Hapoel Haifa (ISR – D1):
Saturday, December 20, played 25 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Hapoel Acre.
Tomer Chencinski – Ironi Ramat Gan (ISR – D2):
Friday, December 19, did not play in a 1-1 draw with Maccabi Ahi Nazareth.
Pedro Pacheco – Santa Clara (POR – D2):
Sunday, December 21, a 0-0 draw with Trofense.
Luca Gasparotto – Airdieonians (SCO – D3):
Saturday, December 20, played all 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Forfar Athletic.
Dylan Carreiro – Dundee (SCO – D1):
Saturday, December 20, did not play in a 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle.
Samuel Piette – Deportivo La Coruna B (SPN – D4):
Sunday, December 21, a 1-0 victory over Choco.
Atiba Hutchinson – Besiktas (TUR – D1):
Thursday, December 18, played all 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Rizespor in the Turkish Cup.
Sunday, December 21, played all 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Akhisar Belediyespor.
Lucas Cavallini – Nacional (URU – D1):
Sunday, December 7, played 45 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Cerro.
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