The Unused Subs

Happy New Year everyone! The Unused Subs are back like we never left (because we didn’t) and our first guest of 2026 is 20 year old Football Ferns striker Milly Clegg - yes, we know, she’s the daughter of former Black Sticks hockey captain Kylie, but let’s see how long it takes for us to mention her… because Mum always hijacks Milly’s chats for some reason!Today we review our respective New Year’s Eve celebrations before talking about Milly’s Canadian experience with Halifax Tides in the newly-formed Northern Super League. SPOILER ALERT: Wins were few and far between unfortunately! But with that difficult season under her belt, Milly reveals what she has learnt about her game, and how she can take things to another level with Racing Louisville in the NWSL.Paul Ifill delivers what can only be referred to as A STRIKER’S MASTERCLASS; how an attacker can improve on their craft, and what some players aren’t doing correctly in one-on-one situations with a keeper… even at A-League level!We revisit Milly’s astonishing year of THREE World Cups, culminating in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on kiwi soil. All the while attempting to complete her schooling at Mt Albert Grammar!And yes, eventually we’ll talk about her exceptional sporting family, including Mum… plus how her Dad broke his back, how her uncle ripped a hamstring, and how Milly herself didn’t wind up playing hockey or cricket when she easily could have.FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

For the final time in 2025 Jacob & Goran enter the Tyler St Sport studio where they are joined by Paul Ifill.  As the new year approaches rapidly the Subs bench uses this time to review the key moments of the year that was, and look forward to big things in 2026!Michael Boxall’s unlikely goal in the World Cup Qualifier against New Caledonia, Auckland FC winning the Premiers Plate in their very first A-League season, the Wellington Phoenix with an extremely poor showing in the 3rd-ever Kiwi derby, plus kiwi players securing moves to big offshore clubs - just some of the things we look back on from the past 365 days.Looking ahead to 2026 though, the guys make some predictions.  Will Giancarlo Italiano retain his place as head coach of the Phoenix?  We ask the same for Steve Corica; due to his success with AFC surely he’s in danger of being snapped up!  And given that the All Whites are putting themselves in the shop window at the FIFA World Cup, which player will receive the ‘Winston Reid treatment’ and sign for a Premier League club when it’s all said and done?Oh, and there’s serious frustration that the Auckland/Sydney game was postponed due to an unsafe field…  classic A-League eh.  Just find a venue!Happy New Year to you, enjoy the show and we’ll see you again in 2026!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

Last week, Auckland FC’s Lachie Brook joined the Subs Bench at Tyler St Sport and took it upon himself to reveal the secret life of teammate Callan Elliot. The man Lachie described was something of a moody, angry individual, capable of abusing a postman or messing with a stranger’s car for no good reason. In this week’s episode, Callan will attempt to set the record straight and clear his name.But not without some difficulty along the way! From an unscheduled guest popping in, to receiving absolutely no support from former mentor Paul Ifill, it’s clear that the odds are against the AFC wingback. And of course, we have to ask Callan about that brilliant own goal he scored… just to make him feel even better about himself!Away from Lachie’s character assassination, we learn about Callan’s experience as a trialist under Marko Rudan at the Wellington Phoenix, how former Nix player David Williams nearly ‘broke’ Callan one morning at 3am, the difficulties he faced both on and off the pitch when exiting Wellington, and he provides the lowdown on his fellow Evil Twin: who is the real angry man - Callan or Lachie?And because it’s Christmas, Paul Ifill tells a story involving Neil Warnock, a heart rate monitor, a chocolate fountain and man's best friend!? Happy holidays indeed from the lads at The Unused Subs!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

This week on The Unused Subs it’s Lachie Brook of Auckland FC joining the bench. Where doesn’t this chat take us?! When he’s not ripping on his new ‘Best Friend Forever’ Callan Elliot we chat about his growing collection of fabulous goals in the A-League, the son of ‘Goldenballs’ Romeo Beckham, Lachie’s love of music but his disdain of sing-song football initiations, and yes, it seems that all roads lead to… Mormon underwear.But we start with the almost-obvious first question: who did it better when Auckland met Central Coast Mariners - his BFF or Sam Cosgrove? After all, they both scored from stunning diving headers! Perhaps Cal would like to address which net he deposited the ball into, but it was splendid technique nonetheless. Lachie has started playing more centrally in recent weeks for the Black Knights, so does he prefer that or a wider, roaming role? Playing in the middle allowed him to score in the 2nd kiwi derby, a move that he reveals came straight from the training ground!Elsewhere, Jacob and Lachie trade David Beckham stories. How does Becks make a crisp white shirt look so damn good? Spoon also tells us about his time at Chasing the Fox with Team All Whites, and Goran has some big news to share… which is something of a Christmas present come early for the Subs. So chuck on your favourite undies, Mormon or otherwise, and enjoy the latest episode with one half of ‘The Evil Twins’, Lachlan Brook of Auckland FC! Apologies to Callan Elliot in advance.FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

If you’ve been with The Unused Subs from the start, you’d know that Tommy Smith kicked off the very first episode back in January when he was plying his trade with Auckland FC. Now in the UK, he makes a welcome return to chat about the All Whites’ FIFA World Cup opponents, and his old team piling on more misery atop a luckless Wellington Phoenix - Saturday’s 3-1 win extends their perfect record over Wellington to 5 wins!All of the key moments in that kiwi derby are discussed: The red card to Manjrekar James, the penalties won by Sam Cosgrove, the inclusion of Logan Rogerson on the right, the performance of Josh Oluwayemi, the impact of referee Adam Kersey… plus: how the Nix can gain a foothold in what appears to be a very one-sided contest.Away from the Kiwi Derby, we now know that the All Whites will meet Belgium, Egypt and Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tommy chats about how the AWs will approach the fixtures, how his role in the team has changed since his maiden World Cup appearance back in 2010, and how his experience will aid the vast majority of the squad.It’s a chance to stroll down memory lane as well, remembering some of the incredible moments from 15 years ago… as well as how annoying a drug test can be when you’re trying to celebrate with teammates!And if you thought Paul Ifill’s 4 X’s with Collinson Forex was top draw, wait until you hear the names Tommy comes up with for his dream 5 a-side team - and the ones who fail to make the cut!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand