The Pacific Premiership football game between Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United and Taradale is the last at which the Challenge Cup will be up for grabs this season. If United draw or win, they will keep the cup over summer and have the right to get their name inscribed on it again as year-end holders. They have held the cup since they won it off Eskview on May 5, 2018. It goes on the line at every home match of the holders. The derby next week is Thistle's home game and the last league fixture of the season for both sides.
Gisborne Vehicle Testing Thistle play Napier City Rovers Seconds at Childers Road Reserve at 2.30pm tomorrow. Thistle lie second in the league, three points behind Port Hill with a game in hand.
Port Hill play their last league game of the season tomorrow, against the much-improved Maycenvale.
Gisborne United have a theoretical chance of overhauling Thistle on goal difference, but it's unlikely to happen.
However, they will try to finish the league in the best shape possible to set themselves up for another crack next year.
With his brother unavailable, Corey Adams looks set to call on Stu Cranswick from the Eastern League 1 team again, although it's likely Adams would have called on him anyway, such has been Cranswick's form.
The coach is spoiled for options about a strike partner for Cranswick. Jarom Brouwer is available this weekend, as are Josh Harris and Malcolm Marfell. All three have been used primarily in midfield this season but don't look out of place up front. The simplest answer may be to stick Campbell Hall alongside Cranswick and see if he has any more goals in him like the one he scored against City Rovers two weeks ago.
United's midfield and defence look settled, but able replacements such as Steven Husband, Jean-Charles Fixot and James Bristow have shown they can be called on to fill any gaps.
The United-Taradale game also starts at 2.30pm.
Thistle coach Garrett Blair plans to bring Sam Patterson on at some stage of the game against City Rovers tomorrow.
Patterson was sent off in the July 4 loss to Port Hill at Childers Road Reserve. The length of his suspension took many by surprise — he has missed eight playing days — but the reason for it was that he was red-carded twice in the same game.
Patterson and the other two players sent off in that game were shown the red card for some version of “violent play”.
Blair said the referee ruled that Patterson also said something deserving of a second red card (Thistle disputed this, but no reduction in sanction was given). The fact that Patterson had been red-carded twice in one game drew another sanction of its own.
While the length of time off the field was regrettable, Patterson had been able to shake off a troublesome knee injury, Blair said.
He had been “fantastic” on the sideline and had kept fit throughout.
Blair said Patterson's pace and the accuracy of his crossing added to Thistle's attacking arsenal.
Although goal difference could decide the league if Port Hill and Thistle won their remaining games, Thistle's players would be urged to play their own game.
“If we start looking at how many goals we have to score, psychology plays its part and we start panicking and shooting from 50 metres out,” Blair said.
“We'll be saying, ‘Don't overthink it; go out and play your natural game, which has shown in the past that goals can be scored'.”
