SHOT: Gisborne United striker Josh Adams gets his shot away despite the attentions of Port Hill centreback Mark Saunders. Adams scored a hat-trick in United’s 4-1 Pacific Premiership win at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday.Picture by Liam Clayton
FOOTBALL
WATCHING Josh Adams cut back on to his left foot is like seeing Clint Eastwood spit chewing-tobacco “juice” in his film The Outlaw Josey Wales.
You know what happens next.
In Eastwood’s western, Josey Wales shoots someone.
On the football field, Josh Adams shoots on goal.
Three times on Saturday, Adams cocked that left foot and pulled the trigger, and Gisborne United went another goal up.
Heavy Equipment Services United beat Napier’s Port Hill 4-1 at Harry Barker Reserve to make sure of second place in the Pacific Premiership. They also retained the Challenge Cup and as holders at season’s end have the right to have their name engraved on it.
Napier City Rovers Seconds had clinched the league title before Saturday.
The other Gisborne team in the premiership, Thistle, beat Hastings Western Rangers 2-0 in Hawke’s Bay to secure fourth place.
Port Hill United were second in this competition for much of the season, but United were relentless in a pursuit that was fuelled by a league-high goal tally — 65. Josh Adams scored 32 of them.
Port Hill now end the season fifth in a congested top half of the 10-team league.
Adams scored his 32 goals across 18 gamesAdams scored his 32 goals across 18 games and went scoreless in only four of them — an away 2-2 draw and a home 2-1 win against Gisborne Thistle, a home 5-0 loss to Napier Marist and a home 4-1 victory over Maycenvale.
Adams scored seven hat-tricks, one of which was included in a five-goal bag in an 8-1 home win against Taradale.
Four of his goals came from the penalty spot.
His main strike weapons were speed and a powerful, accurate left foot, and United got the ball to him, or in front of him, whenever they could.
If that failed, they had second-team player-coach Stu Cranswick able to partner him up front in home games, and midfielders Josh Harris, Dane Thompson and first-team player-coach Corey Adams on hand to chip in to good effect.
Harris showed a goalscorer’s touch to open United’s account against Port Hill on Saturday.
In the 14th minute, United rightback Kieran Higham hit a 60-metre wonder ball to Harris, who snaked a leg out and cushioned the ball with his foot, then advanced into the penalty area and sidefooted his shot past goalkeeper Khan Jellyman.
Four minutes later, Josh Adams ran on to a long ball and tucked it away, low in the right-hand corner.
In the 25th minute, defensive midfielder Aaron Graham went off injured and striker Cranswick came on.
United put Cranswick up front alongside Josh Adams, dropping Dane Thompson to a deeper midfield role and leaving Corey Adams and Josh Harris to range across the middle of the park.
In the 29th, Port Hill were unlucky not to halve the deficit when a header hit the underside of the bar, and bounced down and out. Goal-line technology would have been needed to award a goal, if indeed the ball crossed the line.
Two minutes later, Port Hill were three down. Josh Adams chased the ball wide left and hit what seemed like a speculator towards the far post.
It was beyond the reach of Jellyman, who turned and followed its progress, then stood powerless as it hit the inside of the post and rebounded across the goal into the net just behind the other post.
Port Hill were 3-0 down at halftime, yet they didn’t seem three goals worse than United.
Jellyman was a brave, intelligent keeperJellyman was a brave, intelligent keeper, who made numerous saves by coming out quickly to act as extra cover for his defence.
In front of him, double centrebacks Mark Saunders and Shay Wall coped well with United’s goalscoring threats for all but about 20 seconds — the total time it took Harris to score his goal and Adams to grab his hat-trick.
Leftback Michael Mason was particularly strong in the tackle, while former Gisborne Boys’ High School player Jesse Sadlier was outstanding in midfield. Sadlier showed some deft touches on the ball and in passing moves, and managed to chase back for some important tackles.
One of the fastest and most skilful players on the pitch was Port Hill’s Jayson Gerbs. On this showing, he didn’t have the finishing power of United’s main attackers, but he troubled defenders almost every time he got the ball in the first half.
He dropped into midfield in the second spell, and continued to threaten — mainly with his distribution — but the shift out of the striker’s role gave United more time to deal with any danger he posed.
In the 62nd minute — while United’s Thompson was off the field with a 10-minute sinbinning for dissent — Gerbs passed to Sadlier, whose shot from 15 metres drew a sharp save from keeper Jack Faulkner, who got down to his left.
In the 64th, Corey Adams split the Port Hill defence but Jellyman foiled United’s right midfielder Martin Garnier with a sliding full-body block.
Then in the 71st, Saunders made a run from the Port Hill defence and found space forward on the right. The ball arrived and he finished like a striker, making as if to pull his shot across to the left corner of the goal, then opening his body to slide the ball in at the near post . . . 3-1.
The goal boosted Port Hill but Josh Adams clinched it for United in the 81st minute. Elder brother Corey did well to come away with the ball from a challenge on United’s left wing, near the byline. He fed brother Josh, who feinted right before cutting back on to his left foot . . . and you know what happened next.
Port Hill kept battling, and in the 87th minute centreback Wall’s shot from 30 metres brought a fingertip save from Faulkner to divert the ball over the top.
For United, Faulkner was less busy than the Port Hill keeper. Nevertheless, he showed courage coming out to block shots, and made several fine reaction saves.
Centreback and skipper Kieran Venema bought himself space and time with his shrewd reading of the game. He was well supported by Mal Scammell and Higham in a three-man backline that relied on defensive midfielders Graham and then Thompson to shield them from direct attack. Flank players Malcolm Marfell (on the left) and Garnier also had to work back and help in defence.
United's finishing power made the differenceBut the difference between the teams was finishing power, and Gisborne United had it.
Corey Adams said he was proud his side had retained the Challenge Cup after they had held it for three-quarters of the season, and satisfied with second place in their first season in the league.
The team’s strengths were their closeness on and off the field, and willingness to work for each other, he said.
It also helped that they had speed all over the park and, while they played to Josh’s strengths, that they had six or seven people who could score.
He felt United would definitely have a travelling side again next year, and would know more once intending players turned up for preseason training.
Port Hill coach Shane McKenzie said he played a back five, with the idea of Josh Adams being closely marked.
“But with those sort of wheels, he is hard to mark,” he said.
Port Hill had played a “massive game” in the semifinal of the Hawke’s Bay Premier Knockout Cup on Wednesday, McKenzie said.
They beat Napier Marist 4-3 on penalties after extra time had ended with the score 1-1. They would play Eskview in the final on Saturday.
“It’s cool to still have something to play for at the end of the season, and the chance to play for the Challenge Cup here was a bonus,” he said.
“United are a great team. They play hard; they’ve got a good young keeper. We enjoy playing here.”
Referee Chris Niven controlled the game well.
Other results: Napier City Rovers Seconds 0 Havelock North Wanderers Seconds 5, Napier Marist 2 Eskview United 1, Maycenvale United 3 Taradale 0.