Goalkeeper Sasha Drain and striker Caleb Baldacchino have grown into team leaders this year.
Drain guided centrebacks Merlin Parsons, 16, and Ryan Anderson, 15, well on Saturday.
Baldacchino’s outstanding work rate was a great example for younger attackers Cole Bava (on the right), Brady and White.
In other Division 1 games, Carpet Court Thistle Massive beat Sunshine Brewery Wainui Sharks 2-0 and Heavy Equipment Services United beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 5-2.
At Wainui, Massive had to wait until the 84th minute to score against Sharks, who were again hampered by injuries and players being unavailable.
Central midfielder Dave Watson ghosted into the penalty area to get his head to a right-wing cross for Massive’s first goal.
A minute from the end, striker Kieran Ryan grabbed a second — from 10 metres — with a sidefoot finish to a square ball into the penalty area.
Wainui were chuffed they held the Jags out for so long. Again, their team had a makeshift look to it, but they scrapped all the way and had Thistle coach John Stirton worried.
“I changed things about three times,” Stirton said.
“I pushed guys up, I had three at the back, I changed from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with a striker supported by three attacking midfielders . . . basically four forwards. For so long, we just couldn’t score. When we finally did, it was a huge relief.
“Wainui battled, and they played well when they attacked us.”
Stirton said Stefan Faber was outstanding for Thistle in defence. Michael Rogers was steady at sweeper, and Max Mika played well at centreback and further forward as the Jags searched for goals.
Watson, Ryan and central midfielder Phill Gill also shone.
Wainui started with 10 on the field but had 11 shortly after the start. Manaaki Terekia and Patrick Murphy had already played for Wainui Demons, and another player was signed on the day.
Terekia had tweaked a muscle in his first game, so he went in goal and performed admirably. At halftime, Murphy had to leave for work, and five minutes into the second half Shane Hooks pulled a hamstring.
Designated positions were a guide only, as players scurried to put out fires that threatened their defensive line. Chief among those “firefighters” were Korbi Schallinger, Matt Smith and Greg Judd, but Wainui had no slackers on Saturday.
United player-coach Stu Cranswick scored a hat-trick against Gisborne Boys’ High School at Harry Barker Reserve, but Boys’ High scored first.
After 18 minutes, Boys’ High player of the day and centreback Connor Putnam charged forward, played a wall-pass with a midfielder and gave the United goalkeeper no chance with a scorcher from the edge of the penalty area for his first goal of the season.
United equalised soon after, midfielder Craig Christophers shooting low into the left-hand corner from the edge of the penalty area.
In the 25th minute, Cranswick scored United’s second. Two metres out, he flung a leg at a left-wing cross he thought he’d overrun, and got a touch that guided the ball into the top left corner.
Cranswick grabbed another five minutes later and in the 40th minute Jimmy Holden, playing in central midfield, took a pass from the right and fired his shot into the bottom left corner from just inside the penalty area for a 4-1 halftime lead.
In the 60th minute, Cranswick completed his hat-trick and a United own goal 10 minutes from time made it 5-2.
United’s best were centrebacks Kim Perano and Jonathan Purcell, and midfielders David Glassford, Craig Christophers, Aaron Graham, Damon Husband and Holden.
Outstanding for Boys’ High were Rory Krogseter and Noah Collier for second-half marking jobs on Husband and Cranswick respectively, Putnam, midfielders Brad Clark, Adam Donaldson and Josh Blair, and strikers Alex Larkins and Jirah Wanoa.
