Butler (whose nickname recalls professional wrestler Jake “the Snake” Roberts, who also had long hair) said he had six regular first-team players missing for the trip to Gisborne.
“When I took on the job [of coach] I said all I wanted was a team of guys who would give everything,” he said. “We had that today.”
Butler played the full 90 minutes. He and Adam McFarlane were uncompromising at the heart of the Marist defence and the rest of the side rallied to the cause.
HSOB Boys’ High surged forward after going 3-2 down when Jett Hogg’s sweetly struck free-kick from the left flank went in at the far post, and the students exerted almost constant pressure for the last 30 minutes of the game.
The Boys’ High recording camera told a story.
“We had 70 percent of possession to their 30 percent,” Blair said.
“We had 320 completed passes to their 105, and 17 shots to their 11. But at the end of the day the only stat that matters is the scoreline.”
HSOB Boys’ High got off to a good start. Five minutes in, Anton Larkins finished off a nice move down the left with a smart strike from 10 metres out in front.
A minute later, Marist striker Morgan McLellan found space on the edge of the penalty area and struck clinically for 1-1.
Almost on halftime, McLellan scored again, getting a touch to a left-wing cross from Hogg.
Honours at this stage were about even. Boys’ High centreback James Talbot had come off injured after 32 minutes and was replaced by Kauri Holmes, who quickly formed a good partnership with Kaden Manderson in the middle of the defence.
Fullbacks Shai Avni on the right and Kyran Lasenby on the left had good battles with flank players Hogg and Terrence Charamba.
The midfield contest was where the action played out.
For Boys’ High, Euan Cramer orchestrated much of his side’s attacking play from deep positions. Matt Hills and Xavier Priestley-Mennie probed for openings. They sent flank players Gavin Derr and Larkins down the line, and linked where possible with striker Jacob Adams, who was crowded out much of the time.
In the 54th minute, Derr crossed from the right and Hills turned up at the near post to deftly flick the ball past Marist goalkeeper Dan Evans to make it 2-2.
A minute later, Avni was shown the yellow card for a foul near the corner of the penalty area and Hogg scored from the free-kick.
Three minutes later, Adams cut the ball back from the right to Hills, whose first-time shot was brilliantly saved by Evans. Two minutes on, Priestley-Mennie shot just past the post.
With 20 minutes to go, Charlie Harvey came on for Larkins and went to the right wing and Derr shifted left. In the 82nd, Evans saved Derr’s hard, low shot.
Marist midfielders Harshil Naiker, skipper Mitchell Dick and Parnil Naiker doggedly defended their patch and fullbacks Kaige Ebbitt and Hammy Al-Jammali snapped at the heels of any who came their way.
Up front, McLellan put himself about with gusto and was yellow-carded for a barge on goalkeeper Aiden Armstrong.
The Boys’ High keeper was called on less often than Evans, but had to look lively for some awkward balls in the second half.
Referee Chris Niven kept order efficiently and without fuss.
Gisborne United player-coach Josh Adams said Napier City Rovers Reserves were well worth their 4-1 win, having led 1-0 at halftime and gone 3-0 up before conceding with 10 minutes to go. Adams was the scorer.
Brad Calder came on for injured left-back Jake Robertson with 30 minutes to go, with the score at 2-0. Two minutes later Kieran Venema pulled a muscle as he tried to intercept a pass. Calder had been United’s only reserve, so they played with 10 men for the last 28 minutes.
Even then, United had chances, as they had in the first half, albeit on the break.
United’s best were goalkeeper Andy McIntosh, Dane Thompson filling in at centre-back, wide players Sam Royston and Campbell Hall, and midfielders Aaron Graham, Corey Adams and Malcolm Marfell.
Thistle coach Tam Cramer said Havelock North were exactly what he expected them to be.
“But we were not very good on the day.
“On Friday we had seven players.”
Even then, the players who took the field were strong enough to have won the game with a good performance, he said.
“A lot of things can be improved quickly, on the training ground. It’s nothing terminal.”
Thistle’s best on Saturday were Cory Thomson, Nick Land, Daniel Venema and Kuba Jerabek. Cramer was appreciative of the support from Alex Shanks, Jerabek and goalkeeper Ryan Majstrovic, who stepped up to get a team on the field.
Thomson scored the Jags’ goal, in the 71st minute, to make it 2-1.
Cramer hopes to strengthen the team before Saturday’s game against HSOB Boys’ High.
