When the teams met in Whanganui in Thistle's first league game of the season — with practically no pre-season build-up for the Jags — Whanganui won 5-0.
With all this background, a Thistle loss might seem a safe bet, complacency being the only potential fly in the ointment. But hold your horses.
Whanganui aren't going to be complacent. They lost 3-0 to Thistle in the Jags' first league game last season when they were expected to dominate.
In the return fixture, Thistle went 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes and then in the last 20 they conceded five goals in a 13-minute period to lose 7-2.
These teams have history that goes back further than that, too. Before Thistle's three-year absence from the Federation League the Whanganui players regarded the games against the Jags as their “derby”, such was the intensity of the contests.
So, no, Whanganui are not going to take Thistle lightly, and they will have heard of the Jags' much-improved showing against second-placed Palmerston North Marist last week.
English goalkeeper Matthew Calvert took the player-coaching reins in the off-season, and the team have responded to his enthusiastic leadership.
Against this background, Thistle coach Garrett Blair still has challenges in getting his best 11 on the pitch.
Attacking player Cullen Spawforth will be given more time to get over an injury to his left knee, midfielder/defender Alex Davies has a bad sprain to his right ankle, and Jarom Brouwer is still on a training course.
Kuba Jerabek put in a good shift in the middle of the defence before an ankle injury forced him off after halftime on Saturday.
Blair does not think he will be fit enough to start the game, but he could come on with 20 or 30 minutes to go.
Blair said the Thistle team would be something like: Mitchell Stewart-Hill in goal; a back four of Andre Riley at rightback, Ryan Anderson and Ander Batarrita in the middle, and Daniel Venema at leftback; Ash McMillan and Kieran Venema as holding midfielders, and Cory Thomson as attacking midfielder; and a front three of Leo Maisey on the right, Nick Land through the middle, and Oska Smith on the left.
That would leave Travis White, Matt McVey, Jerabek and reserve goalkeeper Mark Baple on the bench.
Blair said Land was substituted at halftime last week because he was recovering from Covid and had just come out of isolation.
“We didn't want to run the risk of long Covid for Nick,” Blair said.
McVey would come into the game off the bench because he had been at a police training course during the week and had not been able to get to practice.
Blair said Maisey and Smith were fast wingers and Land had been looking good in the forward drills in training. Together they could provide an answer to Thistle's goalscoring woes. Blair said the Jags would try to prevent Whanganui from playing their game, and try to catch them on the break. The match is due to start at 2.30pm.
Meanwhile, ALH Thistle Reserves coach Craig Stirton was having trouble getting enough players together to be able to fulfil the team's away fixture against Napier Marist Reserves in the Pacific Premiership.
Last night he had “seven or eight players” available for the trip to Napier.
Covid, flu and injuries had hit and he expected he would have to ask for a postponement.
