First goal-free game of season

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

Eastern League football has had its first goalless draw this season.

Neither of the two men’s divisions, nor the women’s competition, had had a game without goals until Neighbourhood Pizzeria Wainui Sandbar and High School Old Boys fought to a 0-0 stalemate in Division 2 action at Wainui on Saturday.

High School Old Boys co-coach Matt McFatter said it was a good game and a draw was a fair result.

“It shows we’re not invincible,” he said.

“We’ve had some big wins, but in the first 20 minutes we were under pressure and our goalkeeper, Cody Keepa, made some outstanding saves.

“One was the best save I’d seen in years. A Wainui striker had got past our rightback, Cody came to the edge of the penalty area and the striker got past him as well. Cody turned and gave chase and from behind dived two or three metres to pull the ball in to his body before the striker could kick it into the empty goal. I’d never seen anything like it.”

Jack Adams won the HSOB players’ vote for man of the match. He gave a tireless performance on the left wing, communicated well with his teammates and showed exemplary team spirit.

Kieran Pegram also showed his football pedigree with a good shift up front for half an hour and a tidy showing at leftback for another 30 minutes.

Wainui players often help out their clubmates before their own game and this fixture was no exception.

Greg Judd, who plays for 1st Class Decorators Wainui Salty Dogs, went in goal, while Coates Associates Wainui Demons players Yannis Kokkosis and Mitch Brouwer were in central midfield.

Wainui Sandbar player-coach John Hill  normally repays the favour by turning out for the Demons if they’re short.

Hill held things together at the back, and, up front, Jesse Fox gave HSOB a few anxious moments.

On Saturday, Demons had the bye, which spared Kokkosis and Brouwer the normal hurried change of shirts and occasional trip from one ground to another.

The bye in Eastern League 1 has come about through the transfer of QRS Wairoa Athletic from the first division to the second.

Central Football Tairāwhiti Gisborne operations manager Fletcher Stewart-Hill said Wairoa had asked to go down a level.

They had suffered some heavy defeats and were not enjoying their football, he said.

“I’ve canvassed the other clubs and they are all good with it. Because Division 2 is a bigger league, their first round finishes two weeks after Division 1, so Wairoa are sitting out the games until the second round starts next week.

“Wairoa will go into Division 2 with no points and no goal difference.

“Division 1 will play a third round after a split between the top four and bottom three teams.

“Wairoa had dropped out of Division 1 at the start of the second round, so all the teams had played Wairoa once.”

RESULTS — Eastern League 1: Gisborne Thistle Youth 2 Property Brokers Thistle 1sts 5 (game played on Wednesday, June 7); Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United 1sts 6 Property Brokers Thistle 1sts 0; Thistle Vintage 2 1st Class Decorators Wainui Salty Dogs 0; Gisborne Thistle Youth 0 Sunshine Brewing Wainui Sharks 6.

Eastern League 2: Neighbourhood Pizzeria Wainui Sandbar 0 High School Old Boys 0; Tumu Thistle 1 Heavy Equipment Gisborne United 3rds 2; Smash Palace Shockers 4 Tatapouri Bohemians 0.