This month, in chronological order, they have: lost 3-2 at home to second-last team Western Rangers; beaten sixth-placed Taradale 6-1 away; beaten third-placed Gisborne United 2-0 at home; and beaten last-placed Napier Marist Seconds 5-2 away. The placings mentioned are those applying this week.
It seems they can lose to some of the worst and beat some of the best, which makes them dangerous.
Thistle coach Garrett Blair expects to be able to call on all of last week’s starting line-up, although Brandon Josling looks set for an onfield start to the game. Last week he came on up front in the second half and scored the winner seven minutes from time.
Ashley McMillan is away this weekend, so Charlie Morris will come on to the bench as midfield cover.
Blair is expecting to play with a four-man backline, three in midfield and three up front.
The addition of Justo Rodriguez to the forward line has given the Jags another weapon going forward. Fast and tricky, Rodriguez has the ability to beat his marker and run away from him, opening up opportunities for Davie Ure and midfielders coming through late.
Tomek Frooms has revelled in the freedom he has been given to drag play — and opponents — around the field, while skipper Nick Land provides the solidity needed in the middle of the park.
Of Thistle’s back five, only centreback Daniel Venema is a Kiwi. Goalkeeper Mark Baple is English, rightback Emerson Araya is Chilean, leftback Kuba Jerabek is from the Czech Republic and centreback Ander Batarrita is from Spain.
The international flavour of the squad extends to the midfield and forward line, where Frooms, Josling and Charlie Morris are English, and Ema Martos, Agustin Ventre and Rodriguez are Argentinian. Reserve goalkeeper Gabrile Garnica, who has been performing wonders for the Reserve team, is also Argentinian.
The great thing for Thistle is that the South American component of the squad arrived virtually on their doorstep . . . at Flying Nun Backpackers, just across the road from Childers Road Reserve. It follows that the club training 300 metres from your digs will have first call on you.
Blair and the rest of the Thistle coaching team have worked wonders blending the South American and European styles of play. What they’ve come up with is not English, Continental or South American football. Call it cosmopolitan or, perhaps, global football.
An unexpected benefit of this Argentinian presence in the side, is the emergence of a flag-waving, drum-beating, horn-blaring Argentinian support base, also emanating from the Flying Nun.
Gisborne United play Western Rangers at St Leonard’s Park, Hastings, at 3pm tomorrow.
While they sit seventh of eight teams, Western Rangers have won two of their past four matches. They beat Maycenvale 3-2 away and Taradale 1-0 away. Maycenvale and Taradale now sit fifth and sixth respectively on the table.
United coach Corey Adams expects his squad to be back to full strength tomorrow. Sweeper Kieran Higham is back in town and midfielder-cum-striker Jarom Brouwer is understood to be available.
With his playing strength boosted, Adams has options about how he lines up his team.
He likes to pair up Josh Harris and Brouwer in the midfield, but the arrival back of Higham means Dane Thompson could be relieved of his defensive duties and let loose in midfield, where his physical presence and aerial ability become factors.
Harris, hampered for so much of the season by a niggling groin strain, was training again this week — a good sign.
In contrast to Thistle, United are a team made up predominantly of local players. They have a loyal player and support base, with a family atmosphere around club activities.
Their onfield approach has traditionally been direct and robust, with pacy, hard-running forwards and tough, combative defenders, linked by hard-working midfielders with the potential to break forward into goalscoring positions.
This year and last, they adopted a more possession-based approach. They won the league with it last year, but patchy away form and missed chances in front of goal hurt them this year.
Nevertheless, they continue to hold the Challenge Cup. It goes on the line for every home game and if they defeat or draw with Taradale at Harry Barker Reserve on September 5, their name will go on it again as year-end holders for the third year in a row.
Despite their ups and downs this season, United are still favourites to finish third or better in the Pacific Premiership. And the final game of the season, against Thistle at Childers Road Reserve, should be a fitting climax.
