Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United play them in Napier tomorrow.
Gisborne United player-coach Kieran Venema sounds calm, but wary.
“They’ll be looking to bounce back,” he says.
“We’ve just got to keep winning. I think the boys will be up for this one. We can’t take them lightly.”
Gisborne United are top of the table, with eight wins and a draw from their nine games. They are the only unbeaten team in the league.
Maycenvale are second, one point behind, on 24. Their last league game of the season is against United in Gisborne on July 10.
United have one more game after that, also in Gisborne, against Western Rangers on July 17.
Gisborne United have a game in hand on every team bar bottom-of-the-table Western Rangers. With eight teams in the league, it is a 14-game competition. That means the other contenders have only four games to overtake the competition leaders.
At home games, United also have the incentive of retaining the Challenge Cup they have held since they took it off Eskview in Hawke’s Bay on May 5, 2018.
The cup goes on the line at every home league game of the holders.
So, how dangerous are tomorrow’s opponents, Port Hill, at their home ground, Marewa Park?
For a start, let’s recall that Port Hill are the defending champions. Last season they beat Gisborne Thistle for the title by one goal scored (points and goal difference were even). The team that restricted Thistle to a 3-1 victory when they needed a 4-1 result? Gisborne United.
Port Hill decided they were not ready for the step up a division, so declined promotion, and Thistle went up instead.
Port Hill lost six of that league-winning team, and coach Jimmy Calder set about the rebuild.
While they haven’t set the competition alight this season, Port Hill have had some good results — their six victories have included a 2-0 home win against third-placed Napier City Rovers Reserves and a 3-2 away win against fifth-placed Taradale. Two of their four losses have been by one goal and two have been by two goals.
They’re not the team they were last year, but results indicate they’ve never thrown in the towel this season.
United won the April 24 game against them in Gisborne, 3-1. That match had its ill-tempered moments, and the coaches have a balancing act to perform tomorrow: to motivate their players to play with spirit, but not to do anything stupid.
United have made a point of improving their discipline this season, and it’s paid dividends. Players are getting into less trouble with referees and they’ve retained their competitive edge. That’s a win all round.
Venema expects to have a full squad at his disposal. I reckon he’ll need them. Port Hill will want to show last week was an aberration, that they’re not the defending champions for nothing, and their season still has plenty to offer . . . maybe a win against the league leaders.
Watch out for that tiger.
