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FOOTBALL
GISBORNE United must beat Napier Marist in Pacific Premiership football tomorrow to keep their hopes of winning the title alive.
“It seems like every game we have played in the past few weeks is a must-win game for us, and tomorrow’s game is no different,” Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United player-coach Corey Adams said.
His side are third, on 24 points, seven points behind leaders Napier City Rovers with six games remaining.
“We haven’t given up on winning the league but we have to win to stay in touch,” Adams said.
“With Napier Marist only three points behind us, we can’t afford any slip-ups.
“They’ve got home advantage and will be wanting a win to go ahead of us.”
Scoring goals has not been a problem for United. They are the competition’s leading scorers with 45 from 12 games, and with the calibre of Adams, his younger brother Josh and Josh Harris — all in good goalscoring form — plus midfielder Dane Thompson chipping in, it’s hard to see them not getting on the scoresheet tomorrow.
The problem is at the other end of the field, where they have conceded 26 goals and now have a goal difference advantage of only two goals over Napier Marist.
That’s where the defence, led by experienced campaigners Kieran Venema (skipper) and Kieran Higham, with promising youngsters Mal Scammell and Malcolm Marfell, must give young goalkeeper Jack Faulkner some protection.
A United win would also do Gisborne Thistle a favour, provided the Jags beat bottom-of-the-table Havelock North Wanderers.
Wins to both Gisborne teams would keep United third, waiting to close the gap on Port Hill United and Napier City Rovers should either slip up.
That scenario would also move Thistle into fourth place, ahead of Napier Marist.
Jags coach Garrett Blair’s focus is on Havelock.
“We’re focusing only on what we can control, and that is our away fixture against Havelock North,” Blair said.
“But a draw would be the preferred result in the United-Marist game.”
With no game last weekend, Blair gave his players a rest on Tuesday last week, and had a Thursday/Saturday session to retain momentum and keep the motivation going.
“The one negative about being in the Hawke’s Bay league is they play their cup games during the season but don’t offer us the chance to enter,” he said.
Blair has made a couple of changes, with Davie Ure and Ander Batarrita on holiday.
“It means a shuffle of our midfield but we can play either Jake Theron or Hector Araya in a deeper attacking midfield role.
“Dan Venema comes back into the squad after sitting out the Eskview game due to injury, and this weekend could see the return of Reece Brew to first-team football after a knee operation in the summer.
“Olly Tilley has come back into the starting line-up after being away for the Eskview game. We missed his ability to control the game.”