Last year’s “golden boot”, Josh Adams, is looking to better his 32-goal haul from last season and opened his account with five goals in this game.
He was clinical in front of goal and scored with every opportunity he received.
Every goal had something different and the crowd lapped it up.
Dane Thompson and player-coach Corey Adams bossed the midfield and captain Kieran Venema controlled the backline with distinction.
Apart from Josh Adams with his five goals, one of the standout players was winger Josh Harris, who was instrumental in four of the goals. Tireless running and telling distribution into the penalty area were features of his game.
On the other wing, PJ Goodlett also had a great game, and got on the scoresheet twice.
Malcolm Marfell and Thompson scored the other two United goals.
Goalkeeper Jack Faulkner had a quiet game without any shots of note to bother him until the 85th minute, when Rovers’ Leyton Ross scored a nice consolation goal that Faulkner could do nothing about.
Local referee Matt Hastings let play flow and played advantage where he could. He brandished only one yellow card, in the fourth minute to Corey Adams for a crunching, studs-up tackle.
Next weekend United play Gisborne Thistle in a much-anticipated derby at Childers Road Reserve.
Gisborne Vehicle Testing Station Thistle lost 1-0 to Maycenvale United in Hastings on Saturday.
Maycenvale scored after Thistle players stopped in the expectation of a free-kick for hand-ball by Maycenvale.
No free-kick came, and a Maycenvale player turned and banged the ball home.
Coach Garrett Blair was disappointed in the result but happy with the way his team played.
“Andy Brott and Matt McVey both had shots that on any other day would have gone in,” he said.
“We definitely created chances; we just couldn’t finish them.
“We’ll look to recover this week, put a bit of work in at training and be ready for the next game.”
English recruits Liam McMenamy, Brandon Josling and Jay Matthews all got 90 minutes on debut for Thistle and all played well.
