A clutch of overseas Australians will be entering this week’s Caltex Socceroos training camp buoyant after strong run outs for their clubs in Europe overnight.
Chief among them will be Trent Sainsbury, who impressed on his Eredivisie starting debut for PSV Eindhoven, while Mustafa Amini continues lead the way for AGF in Denmark.
Who else put in a solid run out last night? Read on to find out!
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Holland: Sainsbury solid in first Eredivisie start
Trent Sainsbury’s Eredivisie starting debut and a late substitute appearance from Aziz Behich helped PSV Eindhoven beat VVV Venlo 4-0 to run up eight consecutive league wins.
It comes after both Caltex Socceroos defenders were handed starting debuts in the Dutch Cup last month, and Sainsbury was impressive in a 90 minute showing earlier this morning – with a crucial interception to deny Ralf Seuntjens the highlight of the 26-year-old’s match.
Sainsbury bolsters a luxury of squad options for Mark van Bommel’s flying PSV outfit, who have scored 30 goals and conceded just three in the Eredivisie under the former Caltex Socceroos assistant coach.
Elsewhere in Holland, Denis Genreau continues to turn heads for PEC Zwolle after playing a fine 81 minutes in a 2-0 win over Excelsior, while Ajdin Hrustic played another full game as Gronigen went down 1-0 to Den Haag.
England: Mooy’s Huddersfield back on track
Huddersfield Town are still waiting for their first win of the Premier League season, as Aaron Mooy’s side drew 1-1 away at Burnley earlier this morning.
Mooy’s Terriers enjoyed the lion’s share of the chances at Turf Moor with the Australian lynchpin operating in a more advanced right midfield role.
But Huddersfield were unable to capitalise on their dominance and had to settle for a point with Christopher Schindler cancelling out Sam Vokes’ first-half header.
The draw against the in-form Clarets represents a solid point for David Wagner’s side, but the Caltex Socceroos midfielder told Huddersfield TV his side were disappointed not to collect all three.
“It’s nice to have something to take with us,” he said.
“But I thought we played a good game today and created lots of opportunities, we just didn’t finish our chances enough.
“I played a bit of a different position today more on the right," Mooy continued.
"I enjoyed it, I was getting the ball in the hole and in pockets. We have players who want the ball, and this is what you want when you’re in this position.”
There were mixed results for Mooy’s Australian midfield partners in the English Championship.
Jackson Irvine has been in fine form for Hull City this season but couldn’t help the Tigers avoid a 1-0 defeat on the road to Sheffield United. David McGoldrick’s 70th minute penalty was the critical blow for Hull, who had Irvine on the pitch for 80 minutes in an energetic roving midfield role.
Massimo Luongo played 90 minutes as Queens Park Rangers battled to a 1-1 draw with Derby County at Loftus Road. The 26-year-old was in the thick of things for Steve Maclaren’s side, who continue to steady themselves after a rocky start to the Championship campaign.
There was no Mile Jedinak for Aston Villa as James Meredith’s Millwall extended a miserable recent run for the Claret and Blue thanks to a 2-1 defeat of Jedinak’s side at The Den.
The Caltex Socceroos fullback played the full match as Neil Harris’ side pulled together a morale-boosting win at home.
Meanwhile, Kenny Dougall is still on fire for English League One outfit Barnsley, playing another full match as the Tykes strolled to a massive 4-0 away win at fellow promotion candidates Peterborough.
Scotland: Boyle on the score sheet in Hibernian’s rout
Martin Boyle celebrated Friday’s Caltex Socceroos call-up by getting on the score sheet as Hibernian hammered Hamilton 6-0.
Boyle fired home a rebound early on to open the floodgates for Neil Lennon’s men and went on to play 75 minutes in the dominant victory.
Mark Milligan picked up another 90 minutes and anchored the midfield for Hibernian, who now move into second place on the Scottish Premiership table.
Europe: Leckie and Kruse back in action
After returning to the pitch against Bayern Munich last week, Mathew Leckie picked up more minutes in Hertha Berlin's 0-0 draw with Mainz in the Bundesliga.
The Australian forward was handed a sixteen-minute cameo late on but couldn’t muster a match-winning moment for Hertha coach Pal Dardai.
The Berlin club have been one of the surprise packages of the German top flight so far and currently reside in fourth spot, one point ahead of Bayern and three behind pacesetters Borussia Dortmund.
On Saturday morning, Robbie Kruse returned from a calf niggle and completed 88 minutes as Bochum edged Arminia 1-0.
Elsewhere in Europe, Mustafa Amini played 90 minutes and registered an assist as AGF drew 2-2 with OB in the Danish Superliga.
Amini has been a standout for the Danish side this campaign and another strong display sees him enter next week’s Caltex Socceroos training camp in fine nick.
