FOOTBALL
WAINUI beat Eastern League 1 leaders Gisborne United 2-1 in local football’s boilover of the weekend.
United still lead the competition on goal difference from Gisborne Boys’ High School, who had a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Lytton High School at Lytton.
The age-old battle between youth and experience ended in stalemate when Thistle Reserves drew 1-1 with Thistle Massive at Childers Road Reserve.
Third place in the league now belongs to Sunshine Brewing Wainui Sharks, on nine points, three behind Heavy Equipment Services United and Boys’ High.
Carpet Court Thistle Massive are fourth, on seven points, Thistle Reserves are fifth, on four, and Lytton have yet to get off the mark.
Wainui felt they had the better of the first half against United at Childers Road Reserve, but could have trailed by three at the break. Instead it was 1-1.
The Wainui goal was Steffan John’s third of the season. He met a misfired shot by Jake Theron with a perfectly timed run to the back post.
Central midfielder Jimmy Walker was Wainui man of the match. On another day he could have bagged a hat-trick, but he had the satisfaction of setting up Michael Smith’s tap-in winner in the 83rd minute.
Jaiden Ibbetson has proved to be a top addition to the Wainui line-up. He and teammate Korbi Schallinger had excellent games in the thick of it. All round, Wainui showed plenty of heart in the wet.
This game was always going to be tough, United coach Dean Wrigley said.
“We were five players down — four with injuries and one, Sam Royston, who was in Napier with the first team,” he said.
Damon Husband had a pulled hamstring, Kim Perano and David Glassford had ankle injuries, and Jimmy Holden had a sore neck.
It meant United had a squad of 12, or 13 if you counted 52-year-old Wrigley with his artificial hip . . . boots packed, ready to go.
The heavy ground took its toll. Fifteen minutes before halftime, centreback Jonathan Purcell “did a hamstring”. He played out the game, unable to sprint because of the injury.
Rightback Andrew Bristow played well until, with 30 minutes to go, he came off with a hamstring pull and was replaced by Kerryn Pegram, a former first-team player who has returned to Gisborne and attended his first training session last week.
Wrigley said Pegram was happy to help out while the team got back to full strength.
“I think Damon (Husband) will see how he goes at training and Jimmy (Holden) should be available this week, but Kim (Perano) and David (Glassford) will probably be out,” Wrigley said.
He also suspected Bristow’s injury could take weeks to heal.
Of Saturday’s game, Wrigley said it took a while for United to get started. The first quarter-hour was “not that good” but the last half-hour was “really good”, with entertaining end-to-end action.
“We scored straight after their first goal,” he said.
“Ben Hansen did some good work down the right wing and the ball came across the edge of the six-yard box. Aubrey Yates made a good run across the goal towards the near post and got a foot to the ball to guide it home.
“Their second goal came from a defensive mistake.”
Wrigley said Stu Cranswick went well up front, while Aaron Graham and Craig Christophers battled to good effect in the middle of midfield. Jake Robertson did well on the left wing, while leftback Matt McFatter and centreback Carl Shaw were solid in defence. Shaw is a fireman whose occupation means he is not always available for football.
Gisborne Boys’ High were improving with every game, their coach, Sebastian Itman, said after they beat Lytton 3-1.
Centre midfielder Matt McNeil scored in a 30th-minute goalmouth scramble, Lytton equalised through Matt McVey just on halftime, Boys’ High regained the lead in the 70th minute when striker Jimmy Somerton finished a counter-attack, and Somerton scored again, with an angular drive, in the last minute.
“We improved a lot on the previous week,” Itman said.
Outstanding for Boys’ High were Oli Davies and McNeil in defensive midfield roles, attackers Tommy Peterson and Somerton for their intelligent, hardworking play, and the back four of centrebacks Adam Simpson and Corey Boocock and fullbacks Sam Dempster and Toby Roseman.
Itman praised Lytton, saying a draw would have been “fair enough”.
Lytton coach Craig Christophers said McVey’s goal came from a through ball from centreback and captain Ryan Anderson. McVey beat the retreating backline, put pressure on the goalkeeper forcing him to miss the ball, and ran past him to knock the ball in.
Lytton’s player of the day was central midfielder Jamil dos Santos, while goalkeeper Tariq Albert continued his strong run of good form.
Christophers said Lytton were training hard and improving week after week.
The youth of Thistle Reserves and the experience of Thistle Massive could not be separated in the scoreline over 90 minutes.
The Reserves went 1-0 up early in the second half, thanks to the exciting skills of left-footed flyer Hammy Il-Jammi.
Massive left it until the last 15 minutes to equalise. Left-flank player Matt Smith drifted into the goalmouth and sidefooted home a low cross that had come in from the right in one of the side’s best moves of the game.
Players to shine for the Reserves were attacking midfielder Merlin Parsons, central midfielder Charles Morrison, centreback Tommy McPhee, striker Il-Jammi and strategically placed old heads Reece Brew in defensive midfield, Shannon Dowsing at sweeper and Matt Feisst on the right wing.
For Massive, Smith, defenders Michael Rogers, Stefan Faber, Chris Spurr and Daniel Contreras, and attackers Kane and Craig Stirton, Matias Pincini, Kieran Ryan and Nic Somerton all put in good shifts.