While he continues to shy away from declaring his international aspirations, young Canadian striker David Hoilett’s upward rise in the English Premier League reached dramatic new heights over the weekend.
With his Blackburn side down 2-1 to visiting Blackpool, the 20-year-old struck in second-half injury time to secure a draw that kept Rovers from slipping into the relegation zone. Hoilett took advantage of a defensive miscue and nodded the ball into a wide-open net, sending the Blackburn faithful into raptures.
Down a division, Iain Hume scored his third goal in as many matches for Preston North End, helping lift the side to a 2-1 victory over Coventry.
Elsewhere in the Championship, Simeon Jackson was a late entrant for Norwich City, checking into the match in the 81st minute in a 1-1 draw at Hull City that allowed the Canaries to remain in automatic promotion territory.
Over in Belgium, Tomasz Radzinski played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card as Lierse SK finished off their Belgian Jupiler League campaign with a 0-0 draw vs. Club Brugge. The draw ensured that Lierse will remain in the top flight next year, and the club now enters the Belgian Europa League playoffs.
Across the border in the Netherlands, Atiba Hutchinson went his usual 90 minutes in the midfield for PSV Eindhoven on Sunday. Hutchinson’s club were 1-0 victors over FC Utrecht and remain in first place in the Eredivisie. PSV are also in the quarterfinals of the Europa League by virtue of a 1-0 midweek win at Glasgow Rangers.
Josh Simpson started and played 78 minutes for Manisisapor in a 1-0 losing cause against Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig.
Also in Turkey, Mike Klukowski went the distance at left back on Monday for Ankaragücü in a scoreless draw with Bursaspor.
In Germany, striker Rob Friend continued to see spot duty, entering Friday’s 2.Bundesliga match for Hertha BSC in the 88th minute. The Berlin club played to a 1-1 deadlock with Ingolstadt.
Marcel de Jong played the full 90 minutes for FC Augsburg in a 2-0 win vs. Oberhausen. The victory allowed Augsburg to climb to within two points of Friend’s league-leading Hertha BSC with seven games to play.
Due north, Issey Nakajima-Farran played the whole match for AC Horsens in their 0-0 draw with Randers FC in the Danish top flight.
Elsewhere in Scandinavia, the Norwegian Tippeligaen kicked off its season and Lars Hirschfeld was in goal for Valerenga, picking up a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory at Viking FK.
Another Canuck ‘keeper was also in action over the weekend, as Milan Borjan manned the nets for FK Rad in a 2-2 draw with giants Partizan in the Serbian league.
Finally, CD Santa Clara held visiting Varzim to a scoreless draw in Portuguese Liga de Honra action, with Pedro Pacheco logging 85 minutes in the midfield.
