A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
THE best game of the season and the goal of the century both came in a single day’s play in Eastern League Division 1 football on Saturday.
Of course, it depends on your point of view.
United (2) player-coach Laurence Fleming wasn’t exaggerating when he said his side’s 1-1 draw with Bohemians was the best game he had played in all season.
And Carpet Court Thistle coach Ron Young might have been talking only about Gisborne Thistle exploits when he called PJ Goodlett’s effort against Riverina “the goal of the century”.
To emphasise his point, Young quoted 58-year-old Riverina goalkeeper Norman Wilson.
“Norman told me it was the best goal he had had scored against him in 45 years of football,” Young said.
Well, Norman’s not one to exaggerate, and he played right up to and including national league level, so he’s had plenty of good goalscorers trying to put one past him.
It must have been some strike. Thistle beat Riverina 5-0 on Childers Road Reserve No.1, and Goodlett’s goal was the fourth. It came from a right-wing cross from Federation League player Josh Harris, helping out a Carpet Court squad hit by the absence of five players.
“PJ was just inside the penalty area and the ball came across a little behind him,” Young said.
“He flicked his right leg, like a back-flick, and the ball went screaming into the net. It was like an overhead kick, but a little bit different.”
Taking a toll on RiverinaRiverina had kept the score to 1-0 at halftime, but Thistle’s introduction of Harris and fellow first-teamer Malcolm Marfell before the break took its toll on Riverina’s ageing legs.
Striker Olly Tilley had put Thistle ahead after 10 minutes when he slotted home the rebound from midfielder Lief Keown’s scorching drive.
Keown, playing his last game before a trip to Argentina, was his side’s man of the match. Thistle were also well served by Mitchell Turner, who took the opportunity afforded by Thistle Massive’s bye to play alongside his mate before his departure.
Five minutes into the second half, Marfell crossed from the left for Harris to head in at the far post to make it 2-0.
Five minutes further in, Marfell latched on to a long, diagonal pass from halfway that put him through on goal. He cut in from the left and drove the ball in from the edge of the penalty area to make it 3-0.
Goodlett’s goal came 10 minutes from time, and Harris scored the last from a tight angle at the end of a move down the right flank.
Up front, Goodlett and Tilley posed a constant threat, only made worse for Riverina by the addition of Harris and Marfell. Raw speed is hard to counter, and combined with skill it’s a nightmare.
Keown and skipper Jason Scott seemed to be everywhere in midfield for Thistle, Reece Brew was comfortable at sweeper and Tim Hofman was as reliable as ever at centreback.
Riverina celebrated a small milestone 20 minutes into the game when they introduced 15-year-old Campbell Hall into the action up front.
Playing alongside his father, Shaun Auckram, Hall put in a good 70-minute shift in his first game for over a year. The break was for knee ligament surgery.
A freakish talent in his primeAuckram, whose own knees could sue him for abuse, showed some of the touches that made him such a freakish talent in his prime.
Tunis Harrison in right midfield, Glenn Higgins at centreback, Clint Ward at leftback and Wilson in goal also deserve a mention in dispatches.
The Bohemians-United (2) game at Nelson Park was goalless at halftime.
Bohemians went ahead midway through the second half when Bray Pewhairangi-Kutia scored from an acute angle following a corner.
United central midfielder Jot Randhawa was rewarded for another hardworking performance in the engine-room when he scored the equaliser 10 minutes from time. He went on a run down the right and from close to the byline rifled in a shot that made his team’s day.
United player-coach Fleming was still fizzing yesterday.
“It was a great game, the best I have played in all season,” he said.
“They’re a good side and might be a bit disappointed, but we played out of our skins.”
Fleming said one save stood out in an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Jason Brooks. It was a full-length diving save down to his right to palm a 30-metre thunderbolt from Warren Muir round the post.
The back four of rightback Gurjit Singh, leftback Ryan Simpson and centrebacks Mark Turnbull and Fleming were busy throughout and stuck to their task.
Up front, Callum Innes — pushed forward from midfield for this game — and Liam Wire kept a solid Bohemians defence honest.
When Fleming wanted to try something different to break down the Bohs rearguard, he brought on Earl Walker, to good effect.
The game was well controlled by referee Chris Niven.
In the other Division 1 game, Gisborne Boys’ High School beat Wainui Demons 6-1 at the Rectory field.
In Division 2, the most surprising result was the 3-3 draw second-bottom Liquid Thistle Allsorts achieved against top-of-the-table Wairoa Athletic in Wairoa.
It’s worth noting that Gisborne teams often struggle for numbers for the Wairoa trip, and that bringing in players from higher teams with a bye is preferable to a defaulted game.
It just highlights how well Wairoa do to make the journey north every second week, without complaint.
Second-placed Thistle Vintage had a 5-1 victory over third-placed Bohemians (2) at Childers Road Reserve, while Campion College beat Lytton High School 6-3 in a game at Lytton that bore out their league placings.
Bohemians (3) had a 3-2 victory over old third-division rivals United (3) at Nelson Park, while Ngatapa Silkies defeated Smash Palace Shockers 4-0 at Patutahi.