Salvage job ahead for Gisborne Thistle

Gisborne Thistle midfielder Ash McMillan (3) tackles Palmerston North Marist leftback Jake Erskine in Federation League football at Childers Road Reserve in June. Tomorrow Thistle take on Napier Marist at the reserve. File picture by Liam Clayton

Gisborne Thistle tomorrow turn from the disappointment of last weekend’s Federation Cup defeat to the task of salvaging what they can from this football season.

The first game of the rest of the Central Federation League programme is against Napier Marist at Childers Road Reserve at 2.30pm.

It’s a good place to start. Marist are seven points ahead of Thistle but only one place above them. When they last met, in May, Marist won 4-3 at Park Island, Napier.

Two of Marist’s three wins have been against the teams below them, ALH Gisborne Thistle and Levin, both by a goal.

But lately their results have been more impressive. On June 25, they beat third-placed Massey University 2-1 away. On July 3, they drew with second-placed Palmerston North Marist 2-2 at home.

On July 9, they were away to league leaders Whanganui Athletic. They lost 3-0, but Whanganui have been in the habit of thrashing teams from the lower half of the league, especially at their place.

Thistle coach Gareth Blair is keen to move on from his side’s 2-1 loss to Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United last Saturday, but the problems that have beset most football clubs to some degree have hit the Jags in spades.

This week both of his first-team goalkeepers, Mitchell Stewart-Hill and Mark Baple, have been laid low with flu-like symptoms.

Defenders Kuba Jerabek and Ander Batarrita are out, Jerabek with a troublesome ankle injury and Batarrita for the rest of the season as he combines his brother’s wedding with a holiday in Spain.

Midfielder Cullen Spawforth is suspended for one game for accumulating five yellow cards this season, and attacking midfielder Matt McVey is away this weekend.

Blair says he’s confident at least one of his first-team keepers will be fit to play.

But he also says if neither recovers in time for tomorrow’s game, Reserves keeper Tom Talbot would be a suitable replacement.

Talbot’s place in the Reserves could be taken by either of the Thistle Youth goalkeepers, Aiden Armstrong and Hugo Lodewyk.

The first-team backline tomorrow is likely to have Alex Davies back at rightback, Andre Riley at leftback and skipper Ryan Anderson and Daniel Venema in the middle.

Kieran Venema and Ash McMillan are likely to fill the holding midfield roles, with Cory Thomson given another start as an attacking link.

Up front, Blair is leaning towards playing Travis White through the middle, having been impressed by his showing against Massey University on July 2. That would leave Sam Patterson on the left wing and Jarom Brouwer on the right.

“No matter where we play Jarom, he is always going to create something,” Blair said.

“If we can look to get Sam and Jarom in behind them, we might have a good chance of getting the ball in the back of the net.”

The curtainraiser, a Pacific Premiership match between ALH Thistle Reserves and Taradale, starts at 12.30pm.

It is set down to be played on Childers Road Reserve No.1, but if the rain keeps up, administrators might be persuaded to give the pitch a rest before the Federation League match. That might require some rearrangement of other fixtures to accommodate a shift.

Wherever the game is played, Craig Stirton’s Reserves will have their work cut out. Taradale are top of the league and Thistle Reserves are seventh of eight.