Gisborne clubs up against it

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

Gisborne United and Thistle Massive both play in Hawke’s Bay for Round 2 of football’s Federation Cup on Monday.

Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United play Feilding United at Park Island and Carpet Court Thistle Massive play Eskview United at Petane.

The Gisborne sides know little about their opponents.

Feilding play in the Horizons Premiership, the Manawatu/Whanganui version of the Pacific Premiership in which United compete.

Some of Thistle’s players will have come up against Eskview while playing for the first team in the Pacific Premiership, but the Hawke’s Bay side will be largely unknown to the local-league core of the side.

Both Gisborne United and Thistle will field a mixture of first- and second-team regulars.

Thistle Massive could have first-teamers Andrew Brott, George Andrew and Max Logan at their disposal, as they played in the first round, but it is unclear whether they are travelling with the side to Hawke’s Bay.

United should have second-team stalwarts Aaron Graham, Stu Cranswick and Jonathan Purcell available. Cranswick is expected to be in the starting line-up as co-striker with the in-form Josh Adams, a combination that first-team player-coach Corey Adams describes as “one hell of a strike force”.

United will be coached on the day by Corey and Josh Adams’s father Chris, who has been given the job of coaching United through the knockout cups.

Corey Adams says they will adopt the tactics of the first team and look to keep the ball and frustrate the opposition in midfield.

Both matches will kick off at 2pm.