Coach sweating on injury toll

KEY ROLE: Thistle rightback Stefan Faber (left) disputes possession with United midfielder Damon Husband in last year’s Bailey Cup final. Faber is a vital cog in the Thistle defence. Picture by Paul Rickard

FOOTBALL

THISTLE coach John Stirton is sweating on the fitness of his players for the Federation Cup football tie against Napier Marist at Childers Road Reserve on Monday.

Stirton is in charge of a team largely made up of Eastern League players, although Pacific Premiership squad members who did not play in the Chatham Cup are eligible.

Against that, Eastern League players who turned out for the first team in the Chatham Cup game against North End in Palmerston North are cup-tied.

Sound confusing? Not really . . . if you played in one, you can’t play in the other. That’s because the Federation Cup was set up for teams not entered in the Chatham Cup, so allowing players to appear in both would render the distinction pointless.

What it means to Stirton is that, fitness allowing, he could have at his disposal first-team squad members George Andrew, Chris Spurr, Hector Araya, Davie Ure, Sam Patterson and Jake Robertson, none of whom played in the Chatham Cup game.

But he won’t have stalwart defenders Shannon Dowsing and Emerson Araya, who helped out the first team in Palmerston North.

Influential midfielder Dave Watson should be back, though. He and Phill Gill were both unavailable last weekend. Gill has been hampered by a hamstring injury and another midfielder, Jason Scott, is a doubtful starter, too.

Stirton also has doubts over the fitness of well-performed sweeper Michael Rogers, who was injured last weekend.

On top of all that, today’s games could produce more injuries. The first team play Maycenvale in Hawke’s Bay and, in the Eastern League, Thistle Massive travel to Wairoa to take on Athletic.

Monday’s opponents, Napier Marist, have had mixed results in the Pacific Premiership, losing at home to Napier City Rovers Seconds and Taradale, drawing with Gisborne Thistle and Maycenvale, and beating Havelock North Wanderers Seconds, Gisborne United and Hastings Western Rangers.

Against Thistle and United, they were young, fit, fast and feisty.

Thistle produced an amazing performance in the last round of the Federation Cup to beat Pacific Premiership leaders Napier City Rovers Seconds 4-1.

Determined, canny defence, accurate passing and clinical finishing were keys to Thistle’s victory.

Depending on fitness after today’s games, Stirton might be able to choose from a squad with Raymond Rickard in goal, Stefan Faber, Robertson, Andrew, Spurr and David Raggett for defensive positions; Kane Stirton, Dave Watson, Daniel Contreras, Hudson Leite, Glenn Udall and possibly Gill and Scott for midfield roles; and Ure, Patterson, Hector Araya, Nic Somerton and Matt Feisst for attacking roles. Raggett, Udall and Feisst — if available — will be coming up from lower-grade football.

Kick-off is at 2pm, which allows for the possibility of extra time.