Thistle in Taradale opener

Thistle’s Jimmy Somerton and Wainui’s Ollie Tilley battle for possession in a Geoff Logan Memorial preseason tournament match. Thistle are away for the first Federation League game of the season against Taradale tomorrow. File picture

Kick-off at 1pm in Hawke’s Bay tomorrow could be called Electrinet Gisborne Thistle’s moment of truth.

Thistle face Taradale in the first game of the nine-team Central Federation League competition.

All the preseason training and speculation about the Jags’ chances will be tested on the only place it really counts . . . the field of play.

Both teams have plenty to prove. Last season Taradale finished bottom of the five-team Federation League, one point behind Thistle, who climbed above them by virtue of an upset 4-2 away win against title contenders Palmerston North United and two wins by default.

If Taradale felt hard-done-by, Thistle could point to the results between the teams as partial justification for their higher placing. Thistle striker Jimmy Somerton scored one of four hat-tricks in his 21-goal league tally when the Jags beat Taradale 4-1 in Hawke’s Bay. Then he scored both Thistle goals in a 2-2 draw at Childers Road Reserve.

Somerton will lead the attack again at Park Island tomorrow. He was the league’s leading goalscorer last year and carried the burden of being his team’s best chance of success.

Thistle coach Tam Cramer expects Somerton to get among the goals again this year, but he is confident the rest of the team can share the load.

“Our midfield players are starting to score goals as well.

“Our centreback (Jirah Wanoa) scored in the game last Friday.

“The way we are going to play allows people to get into goalscoring positions. I think we have a lot more firepower than we had last year.”

Thistle went out of the Federation Cup with a 6-3 loss to Palmerston North United’s Horizon Premiership team in Napier last Friday. The Jags were drawn to play at home, but the cup has “minimisation of travel” rules that say Federation Cup ties between Palmerston North and Gisborne teams are to be played in Napier.

Thistle had eight players missing from their first-team squad, and Crarer expects most of them to be available this weekend. One of those absent because of injury was goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill.

Crarer said it would take a dramatic recovery for Stewart-Hill to be fit for tomorrow’s game but the returning players tomorrow would bolster Thistle’s ranks in defence and midfield.

Eastern League football also starts tomorrow, with seven teams in Division 1 and 12 in Division 2. Women’s football starts on Sunday with six teams.