Gisborne United striker Campbell Hall (left) tussles with Thistle defender Kaden Manderson for the ball in an Eastern Premiership football match at Harry Barker Reserve in July. United won the game 5-3. Photo / Paul Rickard
Gisborne teams United and Thistle need more players willing to travel if they are to succeed in outside football.
That’s what the clubs’ coaches are saying after their teams’ fortunes slumped when their resources were tested midseason.
United player-coach Josh Adams and Thistle coach Tam Cramer faced variations of the same problem as their teams’ promising early-season form fell away when players were injured or unavailable.
Both are looking to bolster first-team squad strength for next season.
For United, their continued presence in the Hawke’s Bay-dominated Eastern Premiership could depend on the recruitment of players willing and able to compete at that level.
For Thistle, the question of whether they want to develop talent for others or themselves, or a combination of both, could determine their approach to outside football.
Adams is proud of the fact that Heavy Equipment Services United beat every other team in the competition at least once.
“And being the top Gisborne team is a big positive,” he said this week.
He enjoyed the challenge of playing teams from outside Gisborne, and was keen to continue playing at this level.
“In the three years we played in the local league before this, we’d go into every game thinking, ‘What’s the score going to be?’
“We all enjoyed the competitiveness of this season’s premiership, and not knowing how the games would turn out.”
Adams said he would let the season “settle” and wait till after the club’s prizegiving before catching up with the players to talk about next year.
“The biggest thing is numbers. We’d hoped to start the season with 15 or 16 players. A couple pulled out at the last minute, and we ended up starting the season with a squad of 14. If we’re going to do it again, we need numbers.
“A lot of our older players are prone to injuries. A reserve team (in the top local league) would be good, too. Quite a few of our players are keen to drop down to the first division of local football and help when needed.”
The absence through injury of centre back Kieran Higham, midfielder Corey Adams and striker Campbell Hall – with all three out at the same time for several weeks – had hurt the team’s title hopes (they finished third, 10 points behind league winners Havelock North Wanderers).
“Before this season, we lost four games at Harry Barker Reserve in seven years,” Adams said.
“Now we’ve lost six.”
United lost at home to Port Hill and Taradale – both finished below them on the table – and Higham, Corey Adams and Hall were out for both games.
Nevertheless, the players still on the field had responded to the challenge.
Some had to play in unfamiliar positions, but they “stepped up and did the job”, Adams said.
Electrinet Thistle coach Cramer said the Jags’ season – they finished sixth – was disappointing for a lot of reasons.
Injuries and players being unavailable were major difficulties.
“Some players stood up, and we have players committed already for next year,” he said.
“But you can’t expect to win things if you can’t play the same team every week.
“I know it’s something the club wants to address, and I want to address, next year.
“In terms of recruitment, we have to think outside the box a bit and make it an attractive place to come to.
“We have players coming from England next year, and we have some local young players coming through who will be helpful.
“People go to other schools and university, so it will be difficult to build some continuity.”
Cramer said the Thistle club needed to be clear about what it wanted to be.
“Does it want to have a Central League team, or does it want to develop players to go on to play elsewhere at higher levels?
“I think Central League is the aim here at the moment, but wanting to do it and being able to do it are completely different.
“Having been in clubs that have played at higher levels, I can say that the playing and financial resources required are considerable. It could be a long-term project – three or four years. First, decide where we want to be and then decide how we get there.”
Cramer said two players in their late teens playing for the same English club were keen to play for Thistle next season. One was a goalkeeper and the other a centre back.
“Mark Baple is still a good keeper, but he’s had back problems,” Cramer said.
“Alex Shanks put his hand up and did a good job when Mark was injured.”
Good things to come out of the season included the continued dominance of Jags striker Jimmy Somerton in the golden boot competition for top goalscorer. He ended the league season with 39 goals, “about 15 clear of the next best”.
“We’re hopeful he will be back next year,” Cramer said.
Also pleasing were the sight of skipper Cory Thomson scoring more goals from midfield, the emergence of defender Charlie Harvey as a regular first-team player and the return to Thistle of schoolboys such as Euan Cramer and Kaden Manderson.
The season is not over yet for Thistle’s youngsters. Reserve team coach Matt Harvey and Cramer will take a squad of 18 to the annual national Under-19 tournament hosted by Napier City Rovers over Labour Weekend (October 25, 26 and 27). The squad will likely include two guest players. Gisborne-based players are training twice a week for the event.