A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Strap yourself in.
Monday’s Central Federation Cup quarterfinal between Gisborne Thistle and Gisborne United will be quite a ride.
United have been hanging out for a chance to test themselves against a Thistle side now playing two levels of football above them.
But this year ALH Thistle have struggled to make headway in the Federation League, and United think they can take them.
Heavy Equipment Services United player-coach Josh Adams is looking forward to the first derby between the clubs’ top teams since 2020.
“I think this will be the biggest game of our season,” he said.
“That’s what I’ve been telling the boys since the draw was made.
“We have nothing to lose; they have everything to lose.
“It’ll be a good comparison . . . to see what is really happening with Gisborne football.
“We’re coming in as underdogs. They’re two leagues above us.”
Had he seen any weaknesses United could exploit?
“From the games I’ve watched, they sit really deep,” Adams said.
“I want to play high (up the field).
“They’ve been playing five at the back with two holding midfielders. That’s seven defensive outfield players. I don’t know if they think they have a counter-attack. I think our counter-attack is strong.
“We might have to change our game plan.
“They are probably a lot fitter than we are, so we want to keep the ball as much as we can, rather than run around like headless chooks. We have to take it strategically . . . come up with a plan and stick to it, and things should work out.”
While he still had some decisions to make about positions, Adams had the basis of his team sorted out.
He said he had no one away or out with injury.
“It’s going to be a cracker of a game,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it. All the boys are pumped for it.
“We’ve tried a few times to get a game against them. A pre-season tournament was called off because of Covid, then we were going to have a pre-season game but a big storm stopped that.
“The boys have finally got their shot.”
United will have Seth Piper in goal. He was in astonishing form against clubmates United Firsts last weekend. Firsts co-coach Aaron Graham said he made a couple of miraculous saves.
Graham and his Firsts co-coach Stu Cranswick will be playing for the Premiers on Monday. They are tough, seasoned campaigners ideally suited to a game like this. Graham is likely to be somewhere in midfield, perhaps in a holding role. Cranswick will be up front, out wide or through the middle, depending on the formation they use.
United’s defence has a settled look, with Adam Simpson at rightback, Mal Scammell and Kieran Higham in the middle, and either Jonny Curle or Malcolm Marfell at leftback. Marfell could just as easily fill an attacking role on the left.
Yesterday, Adams was still weighing up his options about the flank positions and whether to have a holding midfielder. He has the players to do the jobs; it’s just a matter of what jobs he wants done.
Dane Thompson and Corey Adams are at the heart of much that United do. The midfield will be a busy place on Monday. Both Thompson and Adams have the ability to score coming through from deep, so can’t be left to roam.
United picked up Baxter Mackay from the rugby ranks. Glen Udall and John Whittle were two well-performed rugby players who shone on the football field, and Mackay is reportedly doing well too. If he starts, he’s likely to be on the right side of midfield.
Josh Adams will be the attack spearhead, although Cranswick could profitably share that load. They’ll be a handful.
Josh Blair and Corey Boocock are likely to be on the bench.
Thistle’s line-up for Monday depends on how they fare against Massey University in Palmerston North today.
They get back a few players who are unavailable today. But if the Jags turn up on Monday in anything less than a committed frame of mind, they’ll be in for an uncomfortable afternoon and possibly a disappointing end to their cup run.