A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Gisborne United got their Pacific Premiership football campaign off to a bright start, beating Maycenvale 4-1 in Hastings on Saturday.
The other Gisborne team in the competition, Thistle, lost 4-0 to Napier City Rovers Reserves in Napier.
Heavy Equipment United player-coach Corey Adams was so pleased with his players that he gave the man-of-the-match award to them all.
“We’d had only one pre-season game, so I was glad to see everyone working together well,” he said.
Most of the team were making debuts, either in United club colours or in Pacific Premiership football, but they had quickly developed an understanding, Adams said.
United went ahead after 10 minutes, when Adams put left-flank marauder Josh Harris through, one on one with the goalkeeper, for him to sidefoot the ball into the corner of the goal.
Fifteen minutes later, Harris returned the favour, laying on the ball for Adams to flick it with the outside of his right foot past the keeper and into the corner.
Up 2-0 at halftime, United turned the screw with a third goal 10 minutes into the second half. Central midfielder Dane Thompson dribbled into the penalty area and from just inside the box hit a right-footed shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
“Dane’s left-footed, so it was a good effort,” Adams said.
United put the seal on their performance with a fourth goal. Josh Adams, younger brother of Corey, latched on to a pass from midfield and hit a hard, low, left-footed shot into the right-hand corner.
Maycenvale scored a consolation goal in the 80th minute when their goalkeeper gathered the ball from a corner and kicked it downfield, where a Maycenvale striker fought his way clear and scored.
“I was quite confident we’d do well,” Corey Adams said.
“But Maycenvale strung a lot of passes together and I think they’ll get better throughout the season. They were without a few of their regulars.
“We’re sitting on the 13-player mark, so if we get an injury or two, we’ll be worried.”
Harris had to go off 20 minutes from the end when he aggravated an old injury, but Adams is hoping he will be fit for the next game, against Hastings Western Rangers in Hastings on Saturday.
Paris Waiariki replaced Harris on the left flank and gave a good account of himself.
United had a solid defensive base, with Mal Scammell at centreback, Kieran Higham sweeping, Lucian Nickerson at rightback and Malcolm Marfell at leftback.
Behind the back four, goalkeeper Jack Faulkner was not busy but looked comfortable. He could not do much about the Maycenvale goal.
Marfell played most of his football for Thistle last year on the left flank, getting forward when he could.
But Corey Adams thinks he can be an excellent fullback.
“He’s hard in the tackle, is really fit and can distribute, and he doesn’t mind sitting in a bit more,” Adams said.
“And he likes having Josh Harris in front of him. They link up well.”
Former Gisborne Boys’ High School player Noy Paull was on the right flank and gave the Maycenvale leftback a torrid time.
Noy was dazed by a shoulder in the face late in the game and left the field briefly to recover.
In central midfield, Kieran Venema and Thompson gave valuable service, breaking up Maycenvale attacks in their infancy and setting United’s attackers away with accurate delivery.
“We let Maycenvale play from the back and then got in and pressed,” Corey Adams said.
“Kieran and Dane won a lot of tackles.”
The Adams brothers shared the central striking roles, Josh pushing forward on to the last defender and Corey darting back to pick up the ball between the Maycenvale defence and midfield.
United’s opponents next week, Western Rangers, beat Taradale 1-0 away on Saturday, but United’s win will give the Gisborne side belief that they can mount a credible challenge for the title.
Meanwhile, Thistle came up against a well-drilled Napier City Rovers side with a good mix of youth and experience.
Thistle stayed on level terms until the half-hour mark, when Napier scored their first goal, and it was 1-0 at halftime.
Thistle started the second half well, moving the ball better than they had in the first spell. But Napier struck twice on the counter, effectively putting paid to the Jags’ chances.
Napier scored one more goal, again as the result of good counter-attacking.
Thistle coach Garrett Blair was pleased with the performances of man of the match Daniel Venema at rightback, goalkeeper Mark Baple, who made some fine saves, and Hector Araya, who worked tirelessly up front.
“Tim Hofman came on late in the second half and injected some much-needed intensity into the game,” Blair said.
“We weren’t without chances,. Right midfielder Sam Hogan put two difficult shots just over the bar, Davie Ure tested the keeper with a free kick, and Hector Araya, Tim Hofman and Olly Tilley all had shots on target.
“That in itself is a positive sign . . . that we are getting into scoring positions.”
Thistle are at home on Saturday to Napier Marist, who beat Havelock North Wanderers Reserves 8-0 at the weekend.
Home-ground advantage could make all the difference.