Demons cause another upset

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

WAINUI Demons have done it again. They sneaked up on Carpet Court Thistle, coshed them and took off with three points.

The Demons came from two goals down to beat third-placed Thistle 3-2 in Eastern League Division 1 football at Wainui on Saturday.

It all bore an uncanny resemblance to the first game of the season, when the Demons beat Carpet Court Thistle 3-1 on the same ground.

Since then the Demons had sputtered along, and were seventh going into Saturday’s game. They’re sixth now.

Thistle had gradually improved and seemed to be on a roll.

That looked to be continuing when, five minutes before halftime, goalkeeper John Hill came out to clear and missed the ball.

Thistle central midfielder Kory Thomas nipped past him and whipped the ball into the empty goal.

Watching the game, former Wainui keeper Craig Scott — in Gisborne for the weekend — had his disappointment at the goal eased by his anticipation of the ribbing he could give Hill over it.

Hill had no chanceFive minutes into the second half, Thistle went further ahead when their player of the day, striker Jared Faber, ran on to a through-ball and finished from 10 metres. Hill had no chance with this one, and from then on he proved unbeatable.

Wainui found a ray of hope five minutes later when their streak of greased lightning up front, Ben Inder, pulled a goal back. Fifteen minutes into the second half, they were level.

Aaron Welch, who rotated on and off the field with Ollie Suttor because both were carrying injuries, fed the ball in to left-winger Jay Papworth. He teed it up and let fly with a left-footed scorcher that went in at the keeper’s top right-hand corner.

For the next 25 minutes both teams banged away for no reward. Hill gave what teammate Mark Harris described as the best goalkeeping performance he had seen this season.

Just a few weeks earlier, Hill — fed up with a succession of nagging injuries — had declared his playing days over. On Saturday he was there, turning his back on retirement and intent on donning the keeper’s gloves and jersey.

Wainui defended stoutly, centrebacks Ben Whitley and surfing footballer Tim Blackman to the fore. Fullbacks Mark Ferris and, in the first half, Papworth shored up the flanks.

Nathan Whitley, uncle of Ben, patrolled the area just in front of the back four, while Tim Power had a stormer in the Wainui midfield.

GoalAs the game entered its final stages, Wainui trapped a Thistle defender in a corner. Harris, Inder’s strike partner, got in a block that kept the ball in play, and hooked the ball across from the left to the far post, where Welch met it on the volley, firing it into the keeper’s top left-hand corner.

Thistle attacked incessantly till the end but Wainui defended desperately, and Hill did the rest.

Harris says Hill will be back for the game against Bohemians this week. He has the strip because, as player of the day, it was his job to wash it.

For Thistle, Faber and Zach Destounis shone up front; Thomas, Olly Tilley and Lief Keown were industrious in midfield; Dave Watson directed operations from defensive midfield; and Brad Reynolds (playing his second game of the day) was safe in goal.

Sharks have a winThe other Wainui team, Sharks, also had a win. They beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 4-2.

Boys’ High had people away and started the game a player short, and Wainui made the most of their advantage.

Andy Daubé got on the end of a Tobias Tillman left-wing cross to score the first goal after 10 minutes.

Wainui went two up through Noel Amor, shortly after he came on 20 minutes into the game. Central midfielder Greg Judd made it 3-0 when he latched on to Michael Smith’s cross.

Boys’ High pulled one back through Jason Kalfabun. The students had a full team for the second half and had the better of the play. But Daubé and Smith were a handful as strike partners and Daubé got his second goal to put Wainui 4-1 up.

Kalfabun got his second to make the final score 4-2.

Sharks player of the day was keeper Storm Hitaua. Boys’ High coach Joel Robinson reckoned his side would have won if they had taken all their opportunities and Hitaua had not made two outstanding saves.

Others to shine for Wainui were midfielder/defender Judd and defenders Diego Pedrioli and Jimmy Lawrence.

In the remaining Division 1 games, Thistle Massive beat United (2) 6-1 and Heavy Equipment Services United beat Riverina 4-0.

Upset of the dayPerhaps the upset of the day — in a day of upsets — came in Division 2 at Anzac Park, where 10th-placed United (3) beat second-placed Thistle Vintage 1-0.

Former United player-coach Chris Adams plays for the thirds these days, so he can watch sons Corey and Josh play in Thistle’s Central Federation League home games.

On Saturday, Thistle had an early kick-off, 1pm, so Chris played only the first half for United (3). But he gave his teammates a boost by scoring the only goal of the game, 20 minutes in.

After Mitch Brouwer’s effort was saved by the Thistle goalkeeper, the resulting corner was cleared beyond the penalty area, where Adams lay in wait.

He controlled the ball with his right foot and with his left, from 20 metres, he curled it into the keeper’s top right-hand corner of the goal.

It was against the run of play, and it only served to inspire Thistle to greater efforts, but United held on.

Goalkeeper Al Knight joined Adams in the ranks of United heroes of the day when, in the last minutes of the game, he saved a penalty from Brad Reynolds.

On a day when the whole team could take a bow, United’s best included youngsters Brouwer (up front) and Ben Galloway (sweeper), and football newcomers and brothers-in-law Josh Taylor (right wing) and Rick Haraki (left wing).

Taylor and Haraki started playing because their wives, Kat Taylor (Rick’s sister) and Ashleigh Haraki were playing for United women.

Adams says Josh and Rick have caught on fast, both having got among the goals.

Draw at LyttonSmash Palace Shockers and Lytton High School battled to an exciting 4-4 draw at Lytton. Shockers’ eldest player, left-winger Willie Mortleman, scored the last goal of the game in the 85th minute. His 15-metre shot came at the end of a 20-metre run.

Shockers manager Andrew Hammond said his side, depleted by injuries, had only one reserve, and Lytton would been deserving winners.

But two goals from striker Marshall Norris and heroics from keeper Scott Torrie kept Shockers in the game until Mortleman could salvage a point.

Mid-table Boys’ High (2) broke Wairoa Athletic’s winning streak with a 3-3 draw at the Rectory.

Wairoa, with nine wins and a draw, are six points clear of second-placed Thistle Vintage, with Ngatapa Silkies a further point behind, on 21, in third place.

Bohemians (2) are fourth, on 19, just two points ahead of Campion, who beat them 4-3 at Campion on Saturday.

In other Division 2 games, Bohemians (3) beat Boys’ High (3) 6-2 at the Rectory, and Ngatapa Silkies beat Liquid Thistle Allsorts 10-0 at Nelson Park.