Niko Kirwan (Calcio Potenza | Italy)

I'm sure proud Aucklander dad John, and the whole Kirwan family would get a buzz out of Niko playing for the new ALM team. Having Auckland NPC, Auckland (as it was then) Warriors, and Auckland ALM players all in the same family - would be a unique record unlikely to ever be broken. Maybe Elliot can play midfield!

Padova (2nd) travel to Giana Erminio (11th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/10/italy/serie-c1/giana-erminio/biancoscudati-padova/4208570/

newzealandpower

I think that's his preference, but of course football is football and he will be 29 next year. I'd imagine he is financially well settled and playing for Auckland could be a fun experience. I think we won't know until Padova know if they are being promoted or not.

Is Serie C great money? 

Kirwan an unused sub as Padova (2nd) lose 2-0 at Giana Erminio.

Padova fall 9 points behind Mantova (1st). Think Kirwan's team can kiss goodbye to automatic promotion to Serie B. But they are still 12 pts clear of 3rd placed
Vicenza. So they should at least get a favourable draw in the Serie C promotion playoffs - with 7 regular season games to go.

martinb

newzealandpower

I think that's his preference, but of course football is football and he will be 29 next year. I'd imagine he is financially well settled and playing for Auckland could be a fun experience. I think we won't know until Padova know if they are being promoted or not.

Is Serie C great money? 

I would say so. Top players will be on Euro 150k+ (there was a guy on Eu300k a while back).
I could see a decent player being on NZ$170k.
There's a huge spread depemon age, experience and the means/aim of each club

Padova (2nd) host Albinoleffe (11th)
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/15/italy/serie-c1/biancoscudati-padova/uc-albinoleffe/4208574/

His bro Luca has signed for Luna Rossa as a cyclor in their America's Cup bid. Will wear no.14, same no. Dad wore for the AB's.

Kirwan a full game in a 0-0 draw with Albinoleffe. 

Reminder that the (first leg) of the Serie C Cup final will be streamed for free on Fifa TV+  starting from 7.50 am this Wednesday 

Serie C Final 1st leg.
Padova (2nd in the Northern region Girone) host Catania, from Sicily (15th in the Southern Girone)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/19/italy/coppa-italia-serie-c/biancoscudati-padova/calcio-catania/4285889/

Captains his side and plays the full game in an important 2-1 win in the first home leg.
The return leg will be played on 2 April (Italy time). Didn't get a chance to watch on Fifa+ but hoping to do that next time.

Padova (2nd) travel to Pro Vercelli (12th).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/24/italy/serie-c1/us-pro-vercelli-calcio/biancoscudati-padova/4208590/

Full game in a 2-0 loss. Mantova (1st) drew and so did Vicenza (3rd).
The ladder says Mantova 78 (automatic promotion), Padova 66, Vicenza 58 (2nd and 3rd go into the promotion  playoffs), Triestina 53 (qualification playoffs).
5 games remaining. 

Basically they just need wants to stay 2nd or 3rd as that means you come into the play offs at the QF stage and skip  the first two rounds.

Saw that his younger bro has got into Alinghi. Was a rower but will be one of those grinders who use their feet... Man I have no idea what I'm really describing here.

Rested (hopefully not injured) in a 3-2 win vs Serie A club Udinese. Nothing riding on this but good for morale as they head into the final part of the season 

Padova (2nd) host Pergolettese (16th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/03/28/italy/serie-c1/biancoscudati-padova/as-pizzighettone/4208599/

Kirwan full game in a 2-1 win

Padova travel to Catania for the Serie C Cup second leg final

Sadly Niko was banned, I presume due to yellow cards accumulation. 
Padova fail to take home the Cup, succumbing 5-4 on aggregates, including giving away the final goal on 120min!
After 90 minutes it was 3-2 to Catania. A 2-2 score, after the first leg's 2-1 result, would have been enough for Padova, who gave away the third goal at 89 min.

Only the play offs left, hopefully they can manage and get promoted.

Padova (2nd) travel to Lumezzane (9th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/07/italy/serie-c1/ac-lumezzane/biancoscudati-padova/4208610/

Full game in a 1-1 draw.
Padova have mathematically qualified for the promotion playoffs as 2nd or 3rd which means they will go straight to the QFs

Padova (2nd) host Atalanta II/U23s (5th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/13/italy/serie-c1/biancoscudati-padova/atalanta-ii/4208614/

Kirwan full game in a 2-0 win.
Looks like Padova will finish 2nd, which is where they have sat on the log the vast majority of the season.

Penultimate round. Padova (2nd) travel to Fiorenzuola (18th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/04/20/italy/serie-c1/us-fiorenzuola-1922/biancoscudati-padova/4208630/

Niko comes on a exactly the same time as Libby Cacace (82min), with the score at 1-1. It finishes that way. Padova will mathematically end the season in 2nd place, and will go straight to the play off QFs.

Padova finish off the regular season with a 3-2 win over Triestina. No Kirwan. A well deserved second place that will see them go directly into the play off QFs.
It sounds like the play offs are being delayed as one team (Taranto) are appealing a 4 point deduction. That they are able to do so now is absolutely ludicrous...the play offs were meant to start on May 18, so we'll wait and see what happens. Padova will get a chance to rest and regroup. Apparently they are chasing a friendly game vs Inter Milan who recently won the Serie A!

Incredibly, Padova sacked their coach a few days ago and brought back Massimo Oddo who led them to the Serie C play off final in 2022.

Kirwin seems to be in an out this year - still recovering from his injury?

MetalLegNZ

Kirwin seems to be in an out this year - still recovering from his injury?

More so first half of the season he was in & out, which yes could well have been related to recovery from his ACL. But lately he's been a pretty regular starter.

Game on the weekend was a nothing game. Hopefully he starts their playoffs, and hopefully they can navigate their way to promtion to Serie B. Been close but no cigar last few seasons.

Kirwan's played 31 (18 starts) of 38 games in the completed regular season.

Padova to join the playoffs 21st & 25th May, against a yet unknown opponent. Will be a 2 legged playoff.

https://us.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-c1/20232024/promotion-play-offs---4th-round/r77598/

Padova back in action for the Serie C play offs QF first leg.
They have drawn Vicenza who finished the regular season in 3rd place (-6 from Padova).
This year they played each other twice and it was 1-1 each time.

Sadly Niko is out with injury. Doesn't sound bad, but he won't make the match day squad.
Due to bad weather in the North of Italy, the QF first leg will now kick off on Wed 22 May (Thurs NZ time). Looks like it's on FIFA Tv+ too.

Horrible start. Padova go down after 10 minutes. And Vicenza double their lead at 50min.
Currently 2-0 to Vicenza with under an hour played.
Padova really need to shorten the gap if they want to have any chance of advancing to the SFs

Sadly it finishes 2-0 to Vicenza. Padova with a mountain to climb in the return leg.
The Serie C play offs are RUTHLESS

Back in the matchday squad for the return Serie C play off QF.
Padova will host Vicenza in front of 10k spectators (full house or thereabouts).
Padova need to win by 2 goals to keep the dream alive and take the game to extra times.
Kick off 6.30am NZT, live on FIFA+ TV. I'll try and tune in when I wake up.

Watched the first half. It was all Padova for 40 min. They had a pen appeal waves off, hit the post through a header and missed a golden tap in after the GK spilled a long range shot.
And in the 40th, Vicenza made it 1-0 (3-0 on aggregate) when they scored from outside the box. There appeared to have been a foul on the Pasldova CB in the lead up, but no VAR.
Niko on the pine.

And just like that, the dream is over. A second place finish, a controversial coach sacking late in the season, the first leg of the QF postponed by bad weather...tough pill to swallow.
Niko rides the pine in the return leg as they lose 1-0 at home and they're out of the Serie B race.

Niko coming off contract. What's next? ACFC stint so he can play pro in NZ? Another Italian gig? Something different?
I'll be watching with interest 

The Serie C playoffs are brutal. Esp for Padova 

I’m sure Sir John would love for him to come home to AFC. But sounds like they have signed Callan Elliot and may just want a youngster as his backup

Niko has an Italian passport and plenty of experience in the third and second tier. I believe he's quite happy up North where he grew up/his mum is from, but if he were keen to try a different region, I'm sure he could secure a contract elsewhere. 

I guess he's coming to that age where if you haven't made it "big" (whatever that means), it gets more and more complicated every year.
Nothing wrong with being where he is, most people would give an arm to have been a pro in Serie C...but I guess it depends on what he really wants.

Is it fair to say you could probably get lost in the lower leagues of Italy, similar to the other big ones of Europe? I mean, you see in England plenty of players get plucked from relative obscurity and end up making it big in the top tier but I'd expect plenty of great players good enough to go higher just don't get noticed.

Thinking of it from that angle, the A-League could be seen as a fresh chance where you could attract attention that otherwise could be missed in Serie C. Added to that, he'll be more obvious to AW's selectors which could lead to a higher chance of representing us at the WC in 2026 where the world sees you.

How does the A-League stack up to Serie C?

loyalgunner

Is it fair to say you could probably get lost in the lower leagues of Italy, similar to the other big ones of Europe? I mean, you see in England plenty of players get plucked from relative obscurity and end up making it big in the top tier but I'd expect plenty of great players good enough to go higher just don't get noticed.

Thinking of it from that angle, the A-League could be seen as a fresh chance where you could attract attention that otherwise could be missed in Serie C. Added to that, he'll be more obvious to AW's selectors which could lead to a higher chance of representing us at the WC in 2026 where the world sees you.

How does the A-League stack up to Serie C?

Piscopo and Pennington were signed from Serie C if that’s helpful context. Piscopo played 49 games there and Pennington 111.

This season saw Kirwan regularly captaining the side... though also regularly missing out on the starting eleven. He played a lot as they took things into the final of the Coppa Italia Serie C, where his side were defeated in extra time of a two-legged series against Catania (Kirwan played ninety in the victorious home leg but didn’t play the return match two weeks later).

He had a great run of appearances down the stretch of the league stuff too but then was an unused sub in both playoff matches. 39 matches across all comps, with two goals and one assist. Decent work though probably not of a calibre to be getting further All Whites selections any time soon (although it only takes a couple of injuries).