Coaches Blake Mulrooney and Kieran Venema have their first injury-enforced absence of the season. Attacking midfielder Josh Harris, who came off five minutes into their last game, is out with a quadriceps strain.
Another midfielder with an eye for goals, Corey Adams, is managing a hamstring injury he picked up late last season.
“When it starts getting sore he comes off, but he should be all right to start,” Mulrooney said.
Centreback Kieran Higham – who contributes pace, anticipation and a good long ball – has been under the weather this week but is expected to play.
Midfielder Cullen Spawforth has served his week’s suspension for the red card against Thistle and will be back in the squad. His play would complement the qualities of those around him, who seem likely to be skipper Dane Thompson, Matt Hills and Adams.
But the youngest Adams in the squad, Jacob, did not look out of place when he came on for Harris and is likely to see at least some game time.
Up front, Jimmy Somerton is the obvious threat. It would be dangerous to underestimate Campbell Hall, though. Hall’s pace and direct approach unsettle defenders and take some of the heat off Somerton. When taken with the significant threat posed by their midfielders, United’s attacking combinations make goals seem inevitable. It’s just a matter of who scores more, and so far it’s been United ... comfortably.
Mulrooney is a little wary that circumstances limited the amount of base fitness the players were able to achieve in pre-season training. But he says they’ve been working hard and match fitness is building.
The City Rovers team have Gisborne connections in defender Ziggy West-Hill and attacking midfielder George Ure. Both started in their 3-1 opening-game victory over Western Rangers and played half a game each last week against Thistle.
Havelock North Wanderers host the Jags at Guthrie Park at 1pm.
Neither of Thistle’s newly acquired trophies will be at stake. The Challenge Cup is a premiership prize on offer only in the holders’ home games, and the Len Cudd Memorial Trophy is restricted to matches between Thistle and Napier City Rovers. Cudd was a player and coach with Thistle, and his son Jimmy was an outstanding midfielder for City Rovers.
Thistle reportedly put in a performance last weekend that showed a lot of character and no little skill. The conversion of Travis White from attacking midfield to right back seems likely to continue, and the return of Junior Jimmy to the squad was a welcome boost.
Leo Maisey’s hat-trick against Napier City Rovers Reserves has the striker up and running in the goalscoring stakes. He will have his work cut out against this weekend’s opponents.
Havelock North have maximum points from their two games. They beat Taradale Reserves 2-1 at home and Western Rangers 6-1 away.
Local football competitions start this weekend, but two season-opening fixtures have already been played.
Thistle Athletic beat Shockers Gold 6-0 in the Tairāwhiti Men’s Charity Cup game between the 2025 winners of the Tairāwhiti Men’s Championship and the Bailey Cup.
In the Tairāwhiti Women’s Charity Cup game, Kellett Thistle beat Smash Palace Shockers Black 2-0.
This weekend’s draw for local football is –
SATURDAY
Men’s championship (Section A)
12.30pm: Wainui, Wainui Salty Dogs v Thistle Athletic.
2.45pm: Awapuni Stadium, Shockers Marist v Gisborne Pro Roofing Thistle; Wainui, Wainui Sharks v QRS Wairoa Athletic; Harry Barker Reserve 1, Heavy Equipment Services United v Shockers Gold.
Men’s Division 2 (Section A)
12.30pm, Childers Road Reserve 1, Thistle Thunder v Shockers Campion Marist; Patutahi, Ngatapa Brandt Silkies v High School Old Boys Eels.
2.45pm: CRR 1, Versatile Thistle v Wainui Demons; HBR 2, HSOB Black Hearts v HES United Seconds.
SUNDAY
Women’s championship (Section A)
10.30am: CRR 2, Tatapouri Marist Thistle v Shockers Pink; HBR 1, HES United v Enviro NZ Thistle.
HSOG v Shockers Black was scheduled to be played at 6.30pm on Friday on Childers Road Reserve 2.
