Ryan was delighted — and relieved — after the game. No one was sent off.
The previous week’s red-card recipient, Josh Harris, was able to play as he served his one-game suspension when Thistle played Red Sox in the Federation Cup last Monday.
Harris came on in the second half for Cullen Spawforth, and brought a good save from Red Sox goalkeeper Bradon Gillespie in the 63rd minute, when he tipped Harris’s shot on to the bar and over.
Spawforth had a useful game in central midfield, anticipating well to get in some telling interceptions and almost scoring with a brave challenge in the 30th minute. He suffered cramp before coming off, but should be better off after this week’s training sessions.
Ryan plans to work on the team’s fitness and intensity as they look to build momentum and enthusiasm to carry them through the off-season for another crack at the title next year.
Matt Hastings moving to GisborneRyan will have help from former Hawke’s Bay United player and operations manager Matt Hastings, who is moving to Gisborne this month to take up a general sales manager role with MediaWorks.
On Saturday, regular Thistle striker Corey Adams had a shoulder injury, so utility player Land went down the middle and gave his usual wholehearted display. He shifted to the right wing when Kieran Higham left the field with asthma in the 35th minute. Garrett Blair came on at centre-forward.
Land dribbled round the keeper for his first goal to put Thistle 2-0 up in the 34th minute, coolly finished when put in the clear to make it 4-1 in the 52nd, and gave the keeper no chance with a low, hard shot from 20 metres to make it 5-1 in the 87th.
Higham, playing on the right wing, opened the scoring in the fifth minute after the keeper fumbled a long ball from leftback Ander Batarrita.
Red Sox got back to 2-1 in the 37th minute when Bart Rimnongrua broke through from deep and outpaced the Gisborne defence to slot the ball past keeper Mark Baple.
With a 2-1 halftime scoreline, Red Sox looked dangerous. Strikers Rimnongrua and Takashi Yamamoto had the quality that, well used, is hardest to counter — they were quick.
In the first half, centrebacks Reece Brew and Malachi Scammell had reason to be grateful that Baple was having a stormer in goal. In the second, they were more assured, Brew in particular cutting out passes before they reached the strikers.
Scammell shows promise, and his development will be hastened by continued exposure to this level of football.
Fullbacks Ryan, on the right, and Batarrita were among Thistle’s best on the day.
Man of the match Kieran Venema was back in the defensive midfield role he made his own with Team Gisborne. He was strong in possession and in the tackle, and his long ball was a good counterpoint to Thistle’s short-passing game. He made it 3-1 when he was first to the ball after Gillespie dived full-length but could not hold a shot.
Jarom Brouwer worked diligently to link the midfield and attack. He, Spawforth and Venema were up against a four-man midfield that included Lee Rufer, who has Ngati Porou links through his father Shane’s mother, Anne (née Campbell).
Up front, Thistle’s Blair, Land and Josh Adams did not have it all their own way against a defence in which leftback Grayson Burston and centreback Crispin Moore were outstanding. Adams and Land helped their midfielders by dropping deep in search of the ball.
Red Sox coach Nigel Barker and manager Shane Higgison brought through a squad of 12. They were “three or four” regulars short through injury or university commitments.
Thistle ended up winning comfortably but it could have been much closer. They had good fortune with two of their goals and, at the other end, Baple defused the danger of at least three breakaways in another outstanding all-round display. Young PJ Goodlett has the best goalkeeping mentor in the league.
The game was well controlled by referee Mel Knight.
