FOOTBALL
GISBORNE Thistle players “get back on the horse” in Napier tomorrow.
Two weeks after a 7-2 away loss to Whanganui Athletic, Waikanae Beach TOP10 Gisborne Thistle are away again, this time to Napier Marist.
Despite that heavy loss to Whanganui, and the departure of four first-team squad members that preceded it, Thistle should fancy their chances against Marist.
When the teams met in Gisborne on April 24, Thistle won 5-2.
Since then, both teams have run pretty true to form, mid-table Thistle beating those teams below them on the table and losing to those above, and second-bottom Marist beating last-placed New Plymouth Rangers and going close against the two teams directly above them.
They will have heard that Thistle have lost the services of Argentinian trio Justo Rodriguez, Ema Martos and Agustin Ventre, and midfield maestro Tomek Frooms.
The Argentinians wanted to see more of New Zealand before their visas expired and Frooms wanted to join Federation League leaders Havelock North Wanderers.
Players of their calibre would be missed by any team at this level, but Thistle have had an extra week to regroup, courtesy of a default by New Plymouth last week.
Coach Garrett Blair says the players have trained well and some have benefited from the extra week to get over injuries.
Leftback Kuba Jerabek is the only squad member likely to be out with injury — a groin strain — this weekend.
Daniel Venema looks set to fill in at leftback. Otherwise, the defence will likely have a familiar look to it, with centrebacks Ander Batarrita and Ryan Anderson and rightback Brandon Josling in front of goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill.
In midfield, Blair is leaning towards Cullen Spawforth and Jarom Brouwer as the holding midfielders, with skipper Nick Land in the attacking midfield role, although he says Brouwer and Land could swap roles if Thistle need to change things.
That leaves Travis White starting up front on the left, Sam Patterson on the right and Jimmy Somerton through the middle, with Alan Zarate, Ash McMillan and Oli Davies on the bench.
With six games to go, Blair is pleased that Thistle’s squad will be strengthened by three Uruguayan friends in New Zealand on working holiday.
Early indications from training are that they will significantly bolster Thistle’s midfield stocks, and at least two of them could be available for selection from next week.