Result ‘gone in 60 seconds’

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne Thistle went from a goal up to a goal down in the space of a minute on Saturday.

The game-changing minute started in the 57th, and the score stayed at 2-1 to Palmerston North Marist till the end of this Central Federation League football match in Manawatu.

Thistle had gone ahead in the 49th minute, when right-winger Oska Smith went on a mazy run into the Marist penalty area and shunted the ball on to striker Jimmy Somerton, who picked his spot without fuss.

The equaliser came in the 57th minute after a Marist player intercepted a Thistle pass down the right flank. Some slick interpassing on the edge of the Thistle penalty area culminated in a defence-splitting run and high-quality finish by Cam Wallace.

In the 58th minute, another pass out of defence — this time into central midfield — was intercepted and Mason Charlton burst into the Jags’ penalty area with a diagonal run to the left that ended with a shot into the opposite corner of the goal.

Until that fateful minute, Thistle had seemed to have the measure of a Marist side who had the advantage of familiarity with the artificial surface of Arena Turf.

But once Marist had the lead, they looked more assured.

It was only two outstanding saves from skipper Mitchell Stewart-Hill — a one-on-one stop in the 73rd and a close-range fingertip effort in the 84th — that kept the Jags in with a chance of sharing the points.

Thistle had come close to scoring earlier, notably through Somerton midway through the first half, when he appeared to have the goal at his mercy. But Marist goalkeeper Nick Hayward’s desperate, scrambling save cleared the danger.

The half ended on a sobering note when Thistle leftback Ander Batarrita had to be helped from the field after being injured in a tackle with Marist captain Adam Cowan.

Daniel Venema came on for Batarrita just before the break. Campbell Hall came on for Oska Smith in the 63rd minute, and Davie Ure came on for Ash McMillan in the 77th.

Thistle’s starting line-up was Stewart-Hill in goal; Sam Patterson and Batarrita as fullbacks, and Finn McAuley and Cai Maclean as centrebacks; holding midfielders Nick Land and McMillan behind attacking midfielder David Salmon; and Sam Royston, Somerton and Smith up front.

In the other Central Federation League game played on Saturday, Palmerston North United beat Taradale 2-0 at Memorial Park, Palmerston North.

This Saturday, Thistle continue their run of away games against Palmerston North United at Memorial Park.