First-half goals do the job for Gisborne United

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

FIVE first-half goals were enough to send Gisborne United into the last eight of Central Football's Federation Cup knockout competition.

They beat Palmerston North Marist Reserves 5-0 at Park Island, Napier, on Saturday.

Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United will find out in the next few days who they will play in the quarterfinals on June 6.

United player-coach Josh Adams said his side took control of Saturday's match from the start. They could have gone a goal up in the first two minutes, but he missed the target when he was through, one on one, with the goalkeeper.

Elder brother Corey Adams scored United's first goal, in the sixth minute. Advancing from midfield, he pushed the ball through the defensive line, ran on to it and pushed it past the keeper into the bottom right corner.

Five minutes later, Corey turned provider, playing the ball into Josh Adams, who turned his marker and sidefooted the ball into the bottom right corner from 18 metres.

Josh Adams made it 3-0 when he got to a Stu Cranswick flick-on from leftback Jonny Curle's throw-in. Adams turned and shot from the corner of the goal area (six-yard box), and the pace of the ball beat the keeper at the near post.

Power was the key to United's fourth goal. They were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and central midfielder Dane Thompson blasted it to the side of the defensive wall. Before the keeper had time to react, the ball had whistled over his head and into the net.

The fifth goal came just before halftime. A right-wing corner by Malcolm Marfell ended up in a goalmouth scramble that was settled when Cranswick hammered the ball home from a metre out.

United's halftime talk was about keeping the ball and making their opponents do the running.

“We had our chances in the second half but didn't take them,” Josh Adams said.

“They came out a little bit stronger, but I don't think our keeper, Seth Piper, had a proper save to make.”

He said Corey Adams and Thompson were outstanding in the midfield, while holding midfielder Aaron Graham fitted easily into the team pattern.

Marfell and Cranswick had lots of room out wide and made the most of it.

Central defenders Mal Scammell and Kieran Higham and fullbacks Adam Simpson on the right and Curle on the left were not put under much pressure. Nevertheless, it was satisfying for them to have their first clean sheet of the season.

Corey Boocock and Josh Blair came on during the latter part of the second half for Jonny Curle and Josh Adams respectively.