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The gap between the top four and bottom five teams in Eastern League Division 1 football was laid bare on Saturday. Thistle Massive, Heavy Equipment Services United, Carpet Court Thistle and Gisborne Boys’ High School all had heavy wins against bottom-five opposition.
Massive beat Bohemians 5-0, United beat Wainui Demons 6-0, Carpet Court Thistle beat Wainui Sharks 9-1 and Boys’ High beat Riverina 5-0. Bottom-placed United (2) had the bye.
Boys' High v RiverinaRiverina were always going to be up against it at the Rectory ground. Players having to work or being away meant they fielded only 10 men, and if it weren’t for the Pierard family, it would have been seven. Matt Pierard played leftback and twin sons Devin and Patrick played rightback and goalkeeper respectively, although late in the game Patrick shifted into midfield to give another player a rest.
Father and twins had played in the same team only once before, nine years ago when the twins were 14. It was for the “Baby Blues” Gisborne City Eastern League team that also included Blake Mulrooney and his son Connor. The elder Mulrooney was playing for Riverina on Saturday, too.
Pierard senior said his next family football milestone might entail getting youngest son Matt, 16, and daughter Hayley, 18, to join their father and siblings in a six-a-side tournament. Hayley is recovering from her third knee reconstruction. In the meantime, Devin, Patrick and Matt Pierard are set to line up for Riverina together for at least the next few weeks.
Against Boys’ High on Saturday, Riverina gave the youngsters a first-half lesson in organising a high defence, Boys’ High coach Joel Robinson said.
“We were constantly offside and resorted to a crossed ball to the far post as our only attacking option,” he said. The students were 1-0 up at halftime, and at the interval talked about how to break down the Riverina defence.
“The second half was better, although some of that was due to 10-man Riverina getting tired,” Robinson said. “Tony Lee refereed well, and we want to thank Riverina for putting a team out there to give us a game.”
David Clark and Max Bramwell scored two goals each, and Jirah Wanoa scored one. Right-winger Bramwell and right midfielder Adam Donaldson were the standout players for Boys’ High. For Riverina, Shaun Auckram did well as a lone ranger up front, the Pierard trio and centreback Glenn Higgins made it hard for the students’ attack, and Peter Te Kiri was an industrious central midfielder.
Bohemians v Thistle MassiveBohemians’ 5-0 loss to Thistle Massive at Nelson Park had the silver lining of the discovery of Mauro Negri as a genuine attacking option. Until now, Negri has played a more defensive role, mainly at leftback. But with attacking players away and an abundance of defenders, player-coach Matt Feisst decided to let him loose up front.
Negri didn’t score but he chased everything anywhere near him, showed a deft touch and laid the ball off well. Feisst named him man of the match and said he would use him up front again. Others to shine for the Bohs were central midfielders Warren Muir and Bevan Goldsmith, and left-winger Caleb Craig, whose pace still catches defenders by surprise.
Massive were 2-0 up at halftime, but eased out to a more comfortable scoreline in the second spell. Striker Nic Somerton and flank player Mitch Turner both scored twice, and midfielder David Ure grabbed a goal as well.
Coach John Stirton said Turner’s second goal was a pearler. Having given Bohemians trouble on both flanks, Turner cut in from the right and shot hard and low, squeezing the ball in between the keeper and the post. Central midfielder Max Mika was Massive’s player of the day.
“He received and distributed well, and did what I asked him to do,” Stirton said.
Somerton also played an influential role, holding, turning, laying off or shooting. Jason Burgess played deeper than normal, and he and Kane Stirton combined well in defensive midfield roles. Goalkeeper Mario Hatzilamprou and centrebacks Michael Rogers and Gareth Hopkins formed a solid defensive core, while leftback Daniel Contreras and rightback Emerson Araya started numerous attacks.
Thistle v Wainui SharksCarpet Court Thistle were a little nervous before their game against Wainui Sharks at Childers Road Reserve. The Sharks had drawn 3-3 with them at Wainui, and the lower-placed Wainui Demons had beaten the Thistle side twice. A 4-0 halftime lead does wonders for the nerves.
Right-flank midfielder Mana Taumaunu got one back for Sharks midway through the second spell, but that response was swamped by a five-goal second-half deluge from Thistle. Goalkeeper-cum-striker PJ Goodlett was Thistle’s man of the match with four goals — three in the first half and one in the second. Dave Watson scored two goals, and the others came from Lief Keown, Kory Thomas and Mark Langdon (penalty).
For Thistle, Goodlett, Riva Crosbie and Thomas were dangerous up front, Keown and Watson created plenty from midfield, and underrated centreback Tim Hofman and safe-as-houses sweeper Tim Brew kept it tight at the back.
Sharks, with some of their influential players out through injury, were well served by central midfielder Greg Judd, nippy young striker Tristan Bannink and second-half substitute Taumaunu.
United v Wainui DemonsUnited scored three goals in each half against Wainui Demons at Wainui to stay a point behind Thistle Massive on the Division 1 table.
Right midfielder Josh Baty scored two goals, striker David Glassford scored from a penalty, and central midfielders Aaron Graham and Craig Christophers, and player-coach and striker Stu Cranswick got the others. Cranswick said the goal by Christophers was particularly impressive. He received the ball inside the penalty area, turned three players in the twinkling of an eye and hit a hard, low shot into the keeper’s bottom left-hand corner, from 12 metres.
United’s best were striker Hano Vorster, midfielders Eli Batten and Christophers, and second-half substitute Jimmy Holden, who came on as a centreback but adopted an attacking role and peppered the Demons goal with shots.
Outstanding for Demons were keeper John Hill, centrebacks Tim Power and Steve Sutherland, and central midfielder Jimmy Walker (back from injury).
United have a bye next week, then play Thistle Massive in a game that could be pivotal to the outcome of the league.
Division 2In Division 2, Wairoa continued their seemingly unstoppable march to the title with a 12-2 away win against Boys’ High (3).
Thistle Vintage beat Smash Palace Shockers 5-2 at Nelson Park to stay second.
Lytton High School made the most of home-ground advantage to draw 1-1 with Bohemians (2), who are three spots above them in fourth place.
Ngatapa Silkies stayed in third place with a 3-0 win against United (3) at Patutahi.
Boys’ High (2) beat Campion College 4-3 to go into fifth place, level on points with Bohemians (2) but having played a game more and being well behind on goal difference. Campion are in sixth place, three points back and one point above Lytton.
Bohemians (3) beat Liquid Thistle Allsorts 6-1 at Nelson Park. Bohemians have moved two points above Shockers into eighth place, on 17 points, and a midtable finish does not seem beyond them.