The score on Saturday was the same as it was in Gisborne on June 11, with the same strikers scoring, in the same order.
Melvin Rumere scored in the 52nd minute. He received the ball in space 20 metres out, straight in front of goal, rolled the ball to the side and shot . . . 1-0.
In the 80th minute the Jags defence held the line, looking for an offside decision, but the assistant referee’s flag stayed down. The Marist player who broke the line caught the ball just short of the right-wing byline and cut it back first time. Nick Carrick met it on a run across the top of the penalty area, took a couple of touches and screwed his shot into the far corner . . . 2-0.
The day had not started well for ALH Gisborne Thistle. Kick-off was put back by over two hours because one of their flights was delayed. Much of the game was played under lights.
Nevertheless, Thistle did well to get to halftime without conceding. They were down to 10 men for 10 minutes when midfielder Cullen Spawforth — used further forward in this game — was sinbinned for dissent.
Thistle lined up with Mark Baple in goal and a central back three — veteran Reece Brew, having his first start for the Federation League team this year, skipper Ryan Anderson and Daniel Venema. On the flanks they had wingbacks Andre Riley on the left and Alex Shanks, making his first-team debut at 16, on the right.
Cory Thomson and Ash McMillan were the holding midfielders, with Nick Land given the attacking midfield role. Up front were Alex Davies and Spawforth.
Marist had the better of play but the Jags had the numbers at the back to close down anything dangerous, and Baple was there to spread himself in the way of shots or tip them over the bar.
Thistle even had a couple of first-half chances. Anderson headed over the top from a right-wing corner in the 10th minute and Spawforth hit the outside of the far post with a free-kick from the left flank about a minute before the break.
Generally the tactic of throwing an extra man — Brew — into the backline worked well. Under pressure, Thistle could go to a five-man backline, with midfielders also funnelling back to help. On attack the wingbacks could push up without leaving the defence undermanned.
Brew, Ryan and Venema all cleared dangerous balls from the goalmouth as Marist applied second-half pressure in search of the goals commensurate with their league placing.
Thistle continued to get the occasional chance. In the 63rd, McMillan’s chip from the right found Land at the far post, eight metres out. His header hit the top of the bar on its way out.
In the 65th, Davies whipped in a useful free-kick from the left but Marist goalkeeper Nick Hayward made the save look easy, and his throw started a move that ended with a shot that skimmed the top of Baple’s goal.
Riley and Davies changed places during the second half and, shortly after the second goal, Raydon Semmens came on for Brew. However, the changes did not bring the goal they were intended to produce.
It was a brave showing by the Jags, but the difficulties they had in the goalscoring department stayed with them for the duration of the league.
The question of relegation largely depends on whether the winners of the Pacific, Horizons and Taranaki premierships want to seek promotion to the Federation League.
Taradale have won the Pacific, Palmerston North Boys’ High School have won the Horizons, and Western have won the Taranaki competition.
If none of them wanted to go up, Thistle could remain in the Federation League. Even if one or more of the qualifying teams wanted promotion, Central Football still has the option to increase the number of teams in the competition.
If Thistle were relegated to the Pacific Premiership, Thistle Reserves would have to drop out of that competition.
It’s also possible that Gisborne United Premiers might seek a return to the premiership, which would raise the possibility of the Thistle-United derbies being reinstated as a twice-a-season feature.
