Thistle score six in cup final

MIDFIELD DANGER: Thistle midfielder Dave Watson (right) comes across to put pressure on United midfielder Aaron Graham in the Bailey Cup final at Childers Road Reserve on Saturday. Watson scored twice and Thistle won the match 6-1. Pictures by Liam Clayton

It didn’t seem like a thrashing; it was more like the game that got away, goal by goal.

Thistle Massive won the Bailey Cup by beating Gisborne United 6-1 at Childers Road Reserve on Saturday.

It was the final game of the football season in Gisborne, and was preceded by a minute’s silence to honour long-time Gisborne football supporter Betty Braybrook, who died on Tuesday aged 93.

Heavy Equipment Services United were not pummelled into submission. They simply missed too many chances and fell victim to the counter-attacks of Carpet Court Thistle Massive.

That said, Thistle’s fifth goal — the one that made the game safe — was a gem.

And their fourth — scored in the 58th minute — was special, too.

But United had come back from the brink of defeat before. Down 4-1 with still over half an hour to go, they were playing with the conviction of a team who thought they could yet prevail.

The only concession to their plight was a hint of desperation in some of their play.

After second-half substitute Rory White swept home Thistle’s fifth goal to cap a delightful close-passing move, United kept battling but both sides knew they would not make good a four-goal deficit in the 10 minutes left.

When Davie Ure scored No.6, two minutes from time, it was an exclamation mark.

Ure had come on up front for Nic Somerton just after the latter had set up Thistle’s fourth.

The first half gave little hint of how the game would pan out. Although Thistle led 3-1 at the break, they seemed to be riding their luck.

Chances were created at both ends.

In the 12th minute, Thistle midfielder Phill Gill — a metre out — stooped to meet a free-kick from the left, but United goalkeeper Cody Keepa was in the right place to gather his header.

Immediately, the ball went down United’s right flank and was crossed to striker Aubrey Yates, who headed it goalwards, only for Thistle keeper Raymond Rickard to get down smartly to palm the ball away for a corner.

In the 15th minute, Thistle rightback Emerson Araya cleared a Craig Christophers header off the line.

In the 22nd, United player-coach Stu Cranswick headed just past the post.

Two minutes later, Cranswick scored.

Thistle’s defence tried to catch him offside, but the flag stayed down and Cranswick coolly slotted the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

Kane Stirton was doing good work on the left flank for Thistle, and in the 31st minute he crossed for Nic Somerton, whose volley was saved down low by Keepa.

A minute later, Thistle sweeper Michael Rogers cleared one off the line.

Twenty seconds after that, the ball reached Somerton in the United penalty area and he blasted it into the roof of the net from 12 metres to equalise.

In the 36th, Yates beat a Thistle defender, made ground down the right and passed to Cranswick, who controlled the ball and hit it over the bar from 15 metres in front.

A minute later, Thistle midfielder Dave Watson got clear at the other end and chipped the ball over the keeper . . . 2-1.

In the 38th, Kieran Ryan hit one of his several defence-splitting passes from an attacking midfield position. Somerton gathered it on the right, cut inside and shot just over from 20 metres.

Stirton reached the byline in the 41st minute and advanced on goal. His short, sharp pass to Somerton was stabbed into the net from five metres . . . 3-1.

A minute before halftime, Somerton was clean through, Keepa saved with his legs, and United were still very much in the contest.

It got harder in the 58th minute, though. Somerton broke away and Ryan raced up in support to the left. United skipper Christophers made a great backtracking run to counter the threat. So Somerton went the other way and laid the ball into the path of Watson, steaming up on the right, for him to chip over the keeper . . . 4-1.

Two minutes later, United could have reduced the deficit. Stretching to reach a left-wing free-kick, Christophers could only head the ball back into the middle of the goalmouth, where it was hit over the top.

In the 64th, Cranswick got on the end of a long ball and hit it straight at Rickard, and in the 77th, Christophers hit a blistering shot that Jags midfielder Jason Scott blocked.

The best move of the game came three minutes later. Stirton played the ball into the United goalmouth to Ryan, 12 metres out. He passed to Ure, who passed back to Ryan, and he shifted it on to White, whose sidefoot finish gave Keepa no chance.

United rightback Jimmy Holden had a steady game and in the 86th minute he popped up in front of Jags substitute Matt Feisst to clear — from point-blank range — the latter’s header on goal.

Ure made it 6-1 when he tackled a United defender for a clear run on goal.

United kept trying. In the last minute, Cranswick got the ball to Yates, whose effort was high. Then, with the last kick of the game, Graham’s shot skimmed the top of the crossbar. Those efforts epitomised the day for United.

“We saved our worst for last,” Cranswick said.

“They caught us on the back foot on the counter-attack . . . we knew that was going to be a threat.

“At halftime we thought we were still in it, but the first two goals in the second half sealed it.”

Thistle coach John Stirton said he could tell before the game that his players were “up for it”.

He was pleased with them all, although he felt Watson and centreback Shannon Dowsing were outstanding.

“Everybody did their bit, and did what I asked them to do,” Stirton said.

Rickard was sound in goal, fullbacks Emerson Araya and Stefan Faber were hard to get past, and Michael Rogers and Dowsing dealt well with the twin threat of Yates and Cranswick.

Thistle’s Phill Gill and Kane Stirton on the right and left flanks were up against a couple of reliable fullbacks in Matt McFatter and Holden but the Jags were able to use the space out wide to good effect.

Watson and Scott, for Thistle, and Aaron Graham and Christopers, for United, ran themselves into the ground in their central midfield battle.

United used Jack Feyen wide on the right, where he showed skill on the ball, and Damon Husband on the left. They had their work cut out to get past Faber and Araya.

The contest between Thistle strikers Somerton and Ryan and United centrebacks Jonathan Purcell and Kim Perano was absorbing. As strikers in a side scoring six goals, the Jags players have bragging rights . . . for the moment.

This match just seemed to get away from United, bit by bit, until it was too far gone to retrieve. They’ll be back next year.

Thistle had more substitutes than United, and that might have had a bearing as players tired. United brought on David Glassford for Feyen two-thirds of the way through the second half. Thistle brought on Ure for Somerton in the 59th minute, Hudson Leite for Rogers in the 66th, White for Gill in the 72nd, Feisst for Araya in the 82nd, and Geoff Griffin for Ryan in the 83rd.

Referee Matt Hastings controlled the game well, and showed the yellow card to United’s Graham, for a “reckless challenge”, and Cranswick, for “persistent fouling”.

In other finals at Childers Road Reserve on Saturday, Three Rivers Medical Bohemians beat ITM Thistle 4-3 to win the Poverty Bay Cup for Eastern League Division 3 teams, and Smash Palace Shockers beat Campion College 5-4 after extra time to win the Emerre and Hathaway Cup for teams knocked out in the Poverty Bay Cup first round.

Two goals to striker Hendrik Geyer gave Bohemians a 2-0 halftime lead in the Poverty Bay Cup final, but Thistle struck back with goals from Svend Hjorth in the 46th minute and Max Brice in the 50th and 55th minutes to lead 3-2.

Dylan Goldsmith, out injured for most of the season, then came on in midfield for the Bohs and within minutes had equalised with a shot from outside the penalty area.

Now playing with renewed vigour, the Bohs launched an attack down the right, through Cook Islands import Pi David, co-coach Matt Moore’s brother-in-law. David crossed for Ben Mullooly to head home from the middle of the goalmouth.

Centreback Mauro Negri and right-winger David were outstanding for Bohemians.

Normal time in the Emerre and Hathaway Cup final ended with the score 4-4. Shockers scored in the first half of extra time to give them the win against Campion.

For Shockers, John Collier scored twice, and Damian Pilitati, Stephen Honey and Tyler Barwick got a goal each.

Scorers for Campion were Samuel Morgan (2), Andre Riley and Tom Sutherland.