“It felt as if we took them for granted.”
Striker Stu Cranswick scored both United goals, in about the 10th and 15th minutes.
For the first, he’d run on to a through-ball that Graham delivered from about halfway. The second was a snapshot on the turn that squeezed in at the post, leaving the goalkeeper no chance.
Pressed to name his best players on the day, Graham said his co-coach Cranswick took his goals well and generally put in a good shift,
Andy McIntosh, too, impressed with his willingness to develop his goalkeeping in his first year between the sticks.
McIntosh, a centreback before injury curtailed his outfield career, is now getting out of his penalty area to clear through-balls before they become a problem, Graham says.
Thistle Youth have shown glimpses of promise this season, and coach Matt Harvey has kept faith in a “football first” approach to the game.
He and the youngsters have enjoyed strong support from the older players in the squad, as well.
And after all that, Harvey was unable to be at the game on Saturday. For his players, though, the trials and tribulations of a tough season gave way to the exhilaration of making a good side feel uncomfortable.
And thanks to the wonders of technology — a Facebook post — Harvey was able to catch up on what happened.
It seems that after conceding the two early goals, Thistle settled and began to find time on the ball, particularly in midfield. They kept possession and played with confidence.
Scott Tallott had an outstanding game, winning ball and disrupting the pattern of United’s play.
But his performance also had its creative side. He showed great composure to delay his cross until the moment was right to play in Nathaniel Fearnley for a clean strike on goal that made the score 2-1 late in the first half.
The second-half tempo was fast, with opportunities at both ends. United’s finishing was not as clinical as usual but, at the other end, keeper McIntosh stayed calm and denied a great strike from Thistle’s Luk Stoltz.
Other chances to equalise came and went. It was the closest Thistle Youth had come to taking a point since the league was split, and offered hope for the future.
The two Wainui sides in Eastern League 2 had good wins on Saturday. Sunshine Brewing Wainui Salty Dogs beat Wairoa Athletic 7-0, while Coates Associates Wainui Demons beat Thistle Vintage 4-2.
The Wainui Division 1 team, 1st Class Decorators Wainui Sharks, were set for another crack at league leaders United Premiers. But the match was deferred because of illness in the United ranks.
The HES United Thirds have had a few high-scoring contests this year. They had another on Saturday — a 4-3 victory over Tumu Thistle.
“It could have gone either way,” United defender Laurence Fleming said.
“Both teams were going hammer and tongs. The really weird thing was that we have played them three times in the past five weeks — two league games and a cup game. We’ve got to know each other pretty well in that time.
“On Saturday we dominated the first 20 minutes but couldn’t put our chances away.”
Then about 30 minutes into the game, United scored, through young striker Logan Gibson.
That was the signal for Thistle to apply pressure of their own and they scored twice in the last 15 minutes of the half to lead 2-1 at the break.
United’s “Mr Consistency”, striker Jason Brooks, placed a shot from 10 metres into a corner of the goal to make it 2-2 five minutes into the second half. Ten minutes later Thistle went ahead again, and 15 minutes after that, a stray boot in a goalmouth scramble brought United level.
Josh Taylor, pushed forward from centreback, scored the winner for United 10 minutes from time. It was a “nice, solid shot” from close to the penalty spot into a corner of the goal.
Standout players for United were midfielders Mike Gill and Chris Adams, striker Dane Sables, Josh Taylor and play-anywhere-man Rik Haraki.
