Maltese players abroad: Bogdanovic offered new deal

Championship side Barnsley have entered negotiations to extend Daniel Bogdanovic’s stay at Oakwell beyond the end of the season.

Bogdanovic, who joined the club from Lokomotiv Sofia in January 2009, has been a regular feature in Mark Robins’ first team and with the Maltese striker’s current contract expiring at the end of the season, Robins is trying to keep him at the club.

The Maltese international, who has been struggling with a knee injury in recent weeks, is the club’s top scorer with nine goals in 25 league matches and another three goals in two league cup games.

Bogdanovic is reportedly attracting the interest of other clubs including two Championship sides.

Andre Schembri and Justin Haber
Malta international midfielder Andre Schembri joined Justin Haber at Hungarian giants Ferencváros and both will hopefully be in the 18-man squad as the Hungarian league resumes on Saturday following the winter break.

Schembri was unveiled as a Ferencváros player on Friday. He joins the club after being released by Austrian Bundesliga wooden-spoonists SK Austria Karnten. The former Hibernians and Marsaxlokk midfielder/striker played for two years in Germany, on loan with Eintracht Braunschweig and Carl Zeiss Jena in the German third division before moving to Austria this summer.

During the break, Ferencváros worked hard to strengthen the squad with the signing of several players including Csaba Csizmadia, Tommy Doherty, Anthony Elding and Sam Stockley besides the two Maltese players. Csizmadia is a former Hungarian international while Doherty is a former Northern Ireland international.

Fradi are currently eleventh with 17 points in fifteen matches and with these new signings, manager Craig Short hopes the club will be able to make it to a top-six finish after winning promotion from the second division at the end of last season. On Saturday, Fradi host Szombathely Haladas who also lie in a mid-table position.

Justin Haber had earlier signed an 18-month contract with the club. He had already played for the club in the first part of the season where he was on loan from Sheffield United whose chairman Kevin McCabe is also the owner of Ferencváros.

Udo Nwoko
Nigerian-born Udochukwu Nwoko was included twice as a substitute for his new club Doxa Katokopia in the Cypriot First Division. He moved to Cyprus after an unsuccessful spell with Greek Super League wooden-spoonists Panthrakikos.

Doxa are currently ninth with 20 points from 21 matches.

Andrei Agius
Malta international defender Andrei Agius is playing regularly for AS Melfi in the Italian Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Girone C. Agius had started the season with SS Cassino but joined Melfi on loan last month.

AS Melfi are currently eighth with 31 points from 23 matches.

Manny Muscat and John Hutchinson
Manny Muscat’s Wellington Phoenix made it to the qualification finals of the Australian A-League after beating John Hutchinson’s Central Coast Mariners 3-0. Hutchinson was however out of this game due to an injury.

Wellington Phoenix placed fourth and Central Coast Mariners eighth.

Muscat has shown his versatility in recent months playing as a defensive midfielder for Wellington Phoenix after playing as right back for most of his career.

Hutchinson scored three goals in twenty-three matches.