Aussies Abroad: Holman strikes

Brett Holman is doing his best to leave AZ Alkmaar on a winning note, scoring the opening goal in his side's 2-1 win this weekend.

Brett Holman is doing his best to leave AZ Alkmaar on a winning note.

He scored his club's opening goal in a 2-1 home win over VVV Venlo to keep the pressure on frontrunners Ajax in the title race in the Dutch top flight.

After a decade in the Netherlands, the 28-year-old Holman has signed a deal to join Barclays Premier League club Aston Villa in the off-season.

The whole-hearted performer scored his seventh goal for his club this season just after halftime on Sunday, finding the net with a low right-footed strike after the visitors failed to deal with a corner.

Quin Kruijsen cancelled out Holman's goal in the 59th minute before American Jozy Altidore headed home the winner six minutes later.

The result pushed AZ up to 61 points from 31 matches, still six points behind Ajax with three league matches to play.

This is Holman's fourth season at AZ, having been part of the club's 2008-2009 side that won the league.

Holman would have been relieved to see compatriot Chris Herd play 90 minutes as Aston Villa earned a point against Sunderland on Saturday as the battling Birmingham side try to keep some distance from the drop zone.

Aston Villa have had an unconvincing EPL campaign but still sit five points above the relegation spots with only a handful of league matches to go.

Meanwhile, Tim Cahill came off the bench in the dying stages of Everton's dramatic 4-4 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Toffees shook up the title race by pulling back two late goals in last seven minutes of normal time.

Mark Schwarzer played a full match as Fulham put a halt to Wigan's winning ways in a 2-1 win.

Meanwhile, James Troisi's career at Kayserispor is over after he walked out on the club, but he the Turkish club will report to FIFA claiming he left without notice or permission.

A Kayserispor statement read: "Troisi left the club without permission and as a result the club has decided to complain to FIFA."