Gisborne Thistle footballer Cory Thomson heading to Wellington

Gisborne Thistle's Cory Thomson (left) and New Plymouth Rangers' Gabriel Marsden contest possession in a Central Federation League match at Childers Road Reserve in 2024. Thomson is moving to Wellington this week in a bid to progress to a higher grade of football. Photo / Paul Rickard

Gisborne Thistle midfielder Cory Thomson moves to Wellington this week and will join Lower Hutt football club Petone.

Thomson, Thistle’s first-team skipper and “young player of the year” last season, plans to drive to Wellington on Friday after farewelling his teammates at training on Thursday.

“I’ve loved my time with Thistle,” Thomson said. “If I could stay just for Thistle, I would, but life doesn’t work like that. I’m trying to get to a higher level of football, and Wellington offers more opportunities in work and life experience.

“I’ve always lived in Gisborne and I’m looking forward to living in a bigger place ... more things to do, more people to meet.”

Thomson, 20, said he had told his teammates about his impending departure over the past week or so, although they had known for some time he was thinking seriously about a shift.

He has a place in a flat in Northland, a suburb near central Wellington next to Wadestown and Karori, and a job interview lined up.

“Even if a job doesn’t come out of the interview, it will be easier to find work if I’m based down there,” he said.

Thomson contacted the Petone football club and was asked to supply a video clip of himself in action.

“I’d seen and heard a bit about them, that they’re a tight-knit, family-oriented club,” he said.

“I basically just turn up to training and take it from there. Their top team are in the Central League first division, but I’m not expecting to get there in my first year. I’m hoping to work my way up.”

Petone were the first team former Gisborne City and New Zealand midfielder Grant Turner played for, and he returned to them several times.

The club was formed in 1898 as Petone AFC and is the oldest football club in Wellington to survive in its original form without amalgamation.

Its base has been Memorial Park in Lower Hutt since 1961.

The club’s major achievements include winning the Chatham Cup three times (1928, 1930 and 1949), winning the Central League in 1990 and winning the Capital Premier League in 2006 and 2007.

The club has organised the annual pre-season Hilton Petone Tournament since the competition’s inception in 1955.

In recent seasons, Petone football club has had over 600 junior and youth players, along with 12 senior men’s and women’s teams.

Petone finished sixth in last season’s 10-team Central League first division.

The first team play in dark blue, similar to the strip worn by Gisborne Thistle.

The Jags now have two key players missing from last season’s first-choice line-up. Last year’s Eastern Premiership top goalscorer Jimmy Somerton has joined Gisborne United.

Both Thistle and United have confirmed they will contest the Eastern Premiership again this year. It is scheduled to start on March 28.