Photo courtesy of the CSA
It’s been a tough year for Patrice Bernier and Lyngby BK in the Danish Superliga.
Bernier joined the club in the offseason from traditional power FC Nordsjælland, although he missed the beginning of the season recovering from a broken leg suffered in spring. In the time the veteran midfielder was gone, Lyngby struggled to pick up points. Since Bernier’s return to fitness, things have gone only marginally better, with the club claiming up a mere seven points from their first 12 league matches.
Bernier’s presence has brought some stability to the Lyngby midfield, but the team as a whole continues to languish near the bottom of the table.
On Sunday, he was in the starting lineup as Lyngby hosted Silkeborg. The visitors went ahead on a 10th-minute strike, but Lyngby pulled level just four minutes later. Then, in the 27th minute, Bernier put his club up with his first goal of the campaign, but ultimately Silkeborg found the back of the net two more times to nab a 3-2 win.
The result keeps Lyngby second from the bottom in the league standings, just three points above cellar-dwelling HB Køge.
A little to the north in Norway, goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld returned from international duty to backstop Vålerenga to a decisive 3-0 victory over Viking in the Tippeligaen on Friday. Vålerenga are on a four-game winning streak – of which three are clean sheets – and now stand one point back of second-place Tromsø.
Meanwhile, Chris Pozniak put in another 90 minutes for Haugesund, who defeated Fredrikstad 3-2 and climbed to fifth in the Tippeligaen.
In nearby Finland, second-place Inter Turku fell 3-2 at Jaro on Friday, with Frank Jonke going 59 minutes for the losing side. Jonke remained on the bench for Turku’s match on Monday, with his side playing to a 1-1 draw with Haka.
Also in the Finnish top flight, ‘keeper Tomer Chencinski played 90 minutes for VPS in their 2-1 win over JJK.
Another Canadian was on a winning Veikkausliiga side over the weekend, as Riley O’Neill’s MyPa prevailed 1-0 over KuPS. O’Neill played the full match.
The other two Canucks plying their trade in the Veikkausliiga, Mason Trafford and Luca Bellisomo, saw their team win big on Monday. IFK Mariehamn dominated Jaro to the tune of a 5-2 scoreline. Both Trafford and Bellisomo went the distance for Mariehamn.
In the second-tier Ykkönen, young striker Randy Edwini-Bonsu started and played 90 minutes for AC Oulu in their 2-0 win versus PK-35. While he didn’t figure into the scoring, his team-leading 16 goals in 18 matches has led to rumors of a transfer to the top flight in the upcoming offseason.
Fellow youngster Kennedy Owusu-Ansah also saw Ykkönen action, suiting up for PoPa and playing 90 minutes in the midfield in a 1-0 victory over Espoo.
Over in England, David “Junior” Hoilett logged his customary 90 minutes for Blackburn Rovers, helping his side to a 1-1 draw at Queens Park Rangers. Blackburn remains in last place in the Premier League with just five points after eight games played.
Slowly climbing out of the relegation zone are Norwich, who grabbed three points in a 3-1 win over fellow EPL newcomers Swansea. Forward Simeon Jackson was on the bench and did not feature in the match.
Down a level in the English Championship, defender David Edgar played 180 minutes over two matches in four days with Burnley, both of which were losses. On Saturday, Burnley fell 1-0 to visiting Reading, and on Tuesday, they dropped a 2-0 decision at Barnsley.
In third-tier League One, red-hot striker Iain Hume is still recovering from a hamstring pull suffered while on international duty and was forced to miss Preston North End’s 1-0 loss at Walsall.
The weekend was a bit more positive for Jaime Peters, who started for AFC Bournemouth as they picked up a crucial away point in a 1-1 draw at MK Dons. Peters was subbed out in stoppage time as Bournemouth pushed for a late winner.
Across the border in Scotland, Marcus Haber was called into action 20 minutes into St. Johnstone’s 2-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Haber replaced starting striker Cillian Sheridan, who was injured moments prior.
In Germany, neither Canadian employed in the Bundesliga featured for the sides over the weekend, as both Kevin McKenna and Marcel de Jong are recovering from injuries. McKenna’s FC Köln defeated visitors Hannover 96 2-0 on Sunday, and de Jong’s FC Augsburg were thrashed 4-0 at Bayern Munich a day earlier.
Down in the 2.Bundesliga, table toppers SpVgg Greuther Fürth cruised to a 2-0 victory against Erzgebirge Aue, with striker Olivier Occean going the distance for Greuther Fürth.
Also in action was Adam Straith, who played the role of time-waster by subbing in at the 90th minute for FC Energie Cottbus in their 1-0 win at FSV Frankfurt.
Returning to the pitch was Mike Klukowski, who missed the past several weeks of Turkish league action with a knee ailment. Klukowski took part in Manisaspor’s 2-1 victory over Karabükspor, going the entire match for his side. Compatriot Josh Simpson was serving a red-card suspension and sat out the match.
Coming back from suspension was goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who watched from the bench as his team Sivasspor played to a scoreless draw with Gaziantepspor. Sivasspor are 10th in Turkey’s Süper Lig.
Half a planet away, midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran played his second A-League match for Australian side Brisbane Roar, a 2-0 win at Sydney FC. Brisbane are top of the league with two victories in as many matches in the young season.
