High hopes, anxiety for Gisborne sides heading into start of Eastern season

Auckland FC player Guillermo May pictured with members of the Gisborne Boys' High School First XI football team holding the flag of May's homeland, Uruguay. The boys went to Auckland FC's A League home clash with Central Coast Mariners.

Three Gisborne teams start their campaigns in Central Football’s Eastern Premiership on Saturday with high hopes and some anxiety.

Thistle, United and Gisborne Boys’ High School (under the High School Old Boys umbrella) take on Hawke’s Bay opponents in a 10-team competition that will challenge their resources.

Last year Electrinet Gisborne Thistle were in the Federation League, which has disappeared with the reintroduction of the Central League second division, so the Jags dropped down to the next-highest level.

The prospect of three Gisborne teams in the Eastern Premiership – meaning only seven trips south – helped convince Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United to return to outside competition. A cohort of United players in their late 20s and early 30s might regard the next two or three seasons as a “last-chance saloon” for high-intensity football.

Gisborne Boys’ High School are coming off a successful Auckland tour, during which they had a goalless draw with secondary school football powerhouse side Sacred Heart College.

Again coached by Garrett Blair and his assistant, Sebastian Itman, Boys’ High students are highly motivated for their team’s return to senior football, even though many of them have already tasted life in the senior ranks playing for club sides.

On Saturday they will experience the trappings of top-level football in New Zealand when they play at Napier City Rovers’ home ground, Bluewater Stadium, Park Island, against the City Rovers reserve team.

The coaches are realistic about their prospects, but their priority is a bid to qualify for the premier secondary school nationals.

Last year they played in the playoffs and this year they aim to go a step further.

Key players are likely to be skipper and defender Shai Avni, goalkeeper Aiden Armstrong, midfielders Euan Cramer and Matt Hills, and strikers Jacob Adams and Xavier Priestley-Mennie.

Gisborne United have been training the house down, and player-coach Josh Adams says attendance and intensity have been the strongest in years.

“We’ve tried a new formation in local pre-season games,” Adams said. “It worked well, and the boys are amped for the start of the competition.”

United have Seth Piper in goal on Saturday. He’s travelling to Australia next week and Andy McIntosh is set to take over.

United play Western Rangers at Harry Barker Reserve at 2.45pm.

Thistle coach Tam Cramer is already beset with some of the problems that afflicted the Jags last season – injuries and non-availabilities.

Vanuatuan players Junior Jimmy and Samson Hotas have work commitments until the end of April. Fullback Te Kani Wirepa-Hei is out for six weeks after he broke a collarbone in a motocross fall, centreback Jirah Wanoa has a knee injury likely to keep him out of action for weeks at least.

On the credit side, Mark Baple has agreed to play in goal, Alex Shanks has answered the call and regulars Cory Thomson, Jimmy Somerton, Travis White and Nick Land are back.

“Some players could be playing with niggling injuries, but we are hoping to be further strengthened by the arrival of an experienced centreback from Auckland,” Cramer said.

“We’ll be leaning on the club reserve teams to help us out until we’re closer to full strength.”

Thistle play Taradale Reserves at Childers Road Reserve at 12.30pm.