Last game of tough Eastern Premership campaign for Gisborne sides

Gisborne Thistle striker Jimmy Someton is chased by Gisborne United's Matt Hill in last Saturday's Eastern Premiership derby. United won 5-3. Both sides are out to end their campaigns with victories – Thistle at home, United away. Photo / Paul Rickard

Gisborne clubs United and Thistle end their campaigns in football’s Eastern Premiership on Saturday and can look back on a season that promised much and nearly delivered.

Injuries to key players hampered both clubs at vital stages of their title charge, and their achievements along the way augur well for next season, should they maintain or increase their playing strength.

Heavy Equipment Services United play Port Hill in Napier at 3pm Saturday and still have an outside chance of clinching second place if they win.

Napier City Rovers Reserves would have to lose to Western Rangers, which seems unlikely given their placings in the league and the fact City Rovers’ first team are playing at home the following day, meaning their fringe players will probably be available to the reserves.

United have another incentive to press for an away victory today. Port Hill are among a select few to have taken points off them at their Harry Barker Reserve stronghold. Midtable Port Hill put in an outstanding team performance to grab a 3-1 win when it was least expected.

United player-coach Josh Adams won’t have elder brother and midfield maestro Corey Adams at his disposal for Saturday. His 50 minutes on the field against Thistle last week was his last outing of the campaign, as his hamstring injury started to pull.

Otherwise, Josh Adams has a full bench to call on.

“We’re taking away the full 17-man squad so we can celebrate the season together for the last match,” he said.

“I also want to thank a few players for coming to our aid when we’ve needed them. I hope to get some of them on the pitch for a run.”

Thistle, meanwhile, have a simple equation ... beat Maycenvale in their match at Childers Road Reserve at 2.45pm and leapfrog their opponents into fourth place.

Maycenvale’s form has been up and down lately – a 4-4 draw last week against Napier Marist, a 5-1 loss to league winners Havelock North Wanderers, a 4-3 loss to resurgent Taradale Reserves and a worrying 2-1 victory over high-flying Napier City Rovers Reserves late in June.

Two months ago, Maycenvale beat Thistle 2-1 in Hastings, one of the few games striker Jimmy Somerton has played and not scored in this season.

Somerton has netted 38 league goals for Thistle this year, and it could have been more if Napier Marist had not defaulted their away game with the Jags on June 26.

Somerton scored five goals when Thistle played Marist in Hawke’s Bay in mid-April.

The Jags have been without regular goalkeeper Mark Baple in recent weeks, and Alex Shanks has answered the call to take his place between the sticks. Shanks has done well in testing circumstances.

David Salmon had to leave the field early in last week’s derby against United and the injury looked season-ending. His absence will be keenly felt, but Thistle’s stocks have been strengthened by the arrival of several Gisborne Boys’ High School players at the end of June, so the Jags will still be hard to beat on home turf.