Another week, another goal for Olivier Occean.
The big striker opened the scoring for SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the club’s 3-0 victory over lowly Hansa Rostock last Saturday. Occean met a hard cross inside the six-yard box and redirected it at the near post, catching the ‘keeper off-balance.
It was the 10th league goal for Occean, thrusting him into a three-way tie atop the 2.Bundesliga scoring charts. More importantly for Greuther Fürth, the goal helped secure another three points for the club, who keep pace with the other table toppers and remain in third in the standings.
Elsewhere in the German second division, Rob Friend made a return to the pitch for Eintracht Frankfurt, subbing in during the dying moments of a 2-0 win versus Karslruher SC. Friend had missed several weeks due to injury, and was a surprise inclusion in the Frankfurt squad.
Up in the Bundesliga, another Canadian returned from a lengthy injury spell to rejoin his side, as left back Marcel de Jong was named to the game-day roster for FC Augsburg, who fell 3-1 to Schalke 04 on Sunday. De Jong, who had been suffering from a litany of leg injuries since the beginning of the season, stayed on the bench for the loss.
Seeing some playing time in the German top flight over the weekend was defender Kevin McKenna, who played the final five minutes for FC Köln in a 2-2 draw at VfB Stuttgart.
Over in England, David “Junior” Hoilett started and played the full 90 minutes in Blackburn Rovers’ 4-2 victory over visiting Swansea City. Hoilett did not figure in the scoring in the rare win for Blackburn, but he did pick up a yellow card just before the halftime break.
The other Canuck in the Premiership, Simeon Jackson, remained on the bench as his Norwich City side was dismantled 5-1 by Manchester City. The loss drops Norwich to a respectable 11th place on the EPL table in the club’s first season back in the top flight after years in the lower leagues.
Down a rung in the English Championship, David Edgar logged 90 minutes at the back for Burnley en route to a 2-1 win against West Ham United. The victory was Burnley’s third straight in the league, a streak which propelled the club out of the relegation zone and firmly into mid-table status.
Up in Scotland, Marcus Haber went the distance as St. Johnstone defeated Hearts 2-1 on Saturday. The Saints have been surging of late and now sit in fourth in the Scottish Premier League.
Back on the continent, a trio of Canadians saw action in the Turkish Süper Lig. Goalkeeper Milan Borjan kicked off the weekend with 90 minutes for Sivasspor in a 2-2 draw with Trabzonspor last Friday.
Mike Klukowski and Josh Simpson took part in Manisaspor’s 0-0 deadlock with Mersin İdmanyurdu on Sunday, with Klukowski going the distance while Simpson played 72 minutes. The result saw Manisaspor fall to fourth place in the Süper Lig.
Over in Denmark, Patrice Bernier scored his second goal of the season for Lyngby BK on Sunday. Unfortunately for Bernier, it wasn’t enough as Lyngby fell 2-1 to AC Horsens in Superliga action.
In nearby Sweden, a Canuck made headlines off the field as goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski signed a deal to join Örebro SK through 2013. Chencinski joins the Allsvenskan side after a season with Finland's VPS, which saw the shot-stopper make 28 league appearances.
Back on the pitch Down Under, Issey Nakajima-Farran played nearly an hour for the Brisbane Roar in a 2-0 loss at Sydney FC in the A-League. The loss was the first for first place Brisbane after a streak of 36 undefeated matches, a league record.
