Top two teams in Bailey Cup final

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

United and Thistle Massive, the top two teams in Eastern League Division 1 football, will contest the Bailey Cup final in nine days.

Heavy Equipment Services United beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 4-1 at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday.

Just down the road, Lytton High School made full use of home advantage to push Carpet Court Thistle Massive all the way before losing 3-2.

Boys’ High coach Richard Mulligan gave several of his players man-marking jobs to dull the impact of key United players.

Strikers Stu Cranswick and Aubrey Yates, and left midfielder Damon Husband, all had personal bodyguards assigned to keep them from causing danger to the Boys’ High goal.

Although United scored four goals, Mulligan was pleased with the close marking, and felt his side were in with a shout until United’s last goal.

Mulligan was adamant it was offside, but United player-coach Cranswick, who scored the goal, was just as adamant he was onside when the ball was last touched . . . and he says he has witnesses.

The lack of a linesman makes situations such as this a nightmare for the referee and frustrating for the teams. Anyone who loves football but can’t play — for whatever reason — would be welcomed and trained up the local refereeing fraternity.

United opened the scoring after 10 minutes when, from six metres, Husband nodded in right-flank midfielder Jimmy Holden’s cross.

Five minutes later, Cranswick made it 2-0 when midfielder Craig Christophers found him with a pass into the Boys’ High penalty area. Cranswick turned and hit the ball into the top right corner of the goal.

Boys’ High pulled one back before halftime, striker Jirah Wanoa making a left-to-right run to pick up a through-ball that followed a good build-up in midfield. Wanoa took the ball on and finished well.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, United midfielder Aaron Graham restored the two-goal cushion when he scored with a free-kick from 20 metres out, curling a right-footed shot low around the wall and in at the right-hand post.

The killer fourth goal came about 10 minutes from the end. United rightback Matt McFatter came into midfield and intercepted a pass. The ball ricocheted to Cranswick, who turned and took it goalwards, scoring with a sidefoot finish.

Cranswick said United had put in a good team performance, but standout efforts had come from Holden on the right flank, Christophers and Graham in central midfield, and Kim Perano and Jonathan Purcell in the middle of the defence.

Mulligan was disappointed for his players, who he said gave the best display he had seen from them.

United had worn them down with their “relentless” long throws and long-ball game. But he felt that for much of the match, Boys’ High had frustrated the league champions.

Mulligan will be without several of his senior players for the catch-up Eastern League game against Lytton High School at Lytton at 2.30pm on Saturday. They are making university visits with a view to their studies next year.

Mulligan says he will give opportunities to some of the promising young players who have impressed in school trial games. They could be making the move into regular first-team football next year.

Lytton coach Craig Christophers also views Saturday’s game as a great tournament build-up. Lytton travel to Palmerston North the following weekend to contest the Trident Trophy, a tournament in which they were third in 2007 and winners in 2008. David Barker will be tournament captain.

Both school teams have given more fancied opposition frights this year, and interschool rivalry should make for an entertaining match.

Lytton were not expected to give Thistle Massive much trouble last Saturday, but nobody told Lytton that. They scored first, through attacking midfielder Matt McVey, two minutes before halftime.

Thistle equalised 10 minutes into the second spell, also through an attacking midfielder, Kieran Ryan.

Lytton’s Barker put his side ahead again, in the 76th minute.

Striker Nic Somerton equalised for Thistle, and Ryan scored the winner in the last 10 minutes.

McVey was Lytton’s man of the match, while centreback Harry Win-Hewetson, defensive midfielders Ryan Anderson and Barker, right midfielder Sonny Brady and leftback Mat Hatten were also outstanding.

Thistle coach John Stirton had the feeling his players were not “switched on” for the game, but Lytton contributed to Thistle’s below-par display.

“They shut us down quickly,” Stirton said.

“Lytton played with a lot of heart, and we never really got into the game.”

Some played well, though. Raymond Rickard had a good game in goal, Shannon Dowsing at centreback and Michael Rogers at sweeper were sound, Ryan took his two goals well and set up the other Thistle strike, and Rory White was dangerous on the left flank.

Stirton gave his team this week off training. They would be back on the pitch next week, but it would be nothing too strenuous.

Finals this weekend are in the Chris Moore Cup between Thistle Vintage and ShipWreck Bohemians on Childers Road Reserve No.1 at 2.30pm on Saturday, and the Brott Family Cup between Three Rivers Medical Bohemians and Heavy Equipment Services United (3) on Childers Road Reserve No.2 at 12.30pm.

Lee Hewson scored the decisive penalty in Vintage’s shoot-out with Riverina after play ended with the score 3-3. Bohemians got past Boys’ High (2) in normal time, 2-0.

The women’s season ends on Sunday, with the Judy O’Rourke Memorial Cup final. League winners Heavy Equipment Services United take on Braybrook Cup winners Gisborne Laundry Services Riverina on Harry Barker Reserve No.1 at 10.30am.

Previews of the Gisborne teams’ Pacific Premiership games will be in The Herald tomorrow.