A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Gisborne United got their Pacific Premiership football campaign back on track with a 4-2 win against Eskview United in Hawke’s Bay on Saturday.
Thistle were also away, to table-topping Port Hill United, and lost 1-0. But more damaging to the team’s immediate league prospects was the sending off of defender Liam Ryan and striker Jake Theron late in the game and their likely absence from the next league fixture.
Coach Garrett Blair said Thistle were looking into the possibility of appealing Ryan’s red card.
Heavy Equipment Services United had lost their past two games and player-coach Corey Adams made changes for the match with Eskview, who were third going into the weekend.
He moved skipper Kieran Venema into a defensive midfield role, switched places with Josh Harris, so that Harris became an attacking central midfielder and Adams went out wide on the left, started Matt Adams at rightback, and gave Frenchman Martin Garnier a start on the right flank.
Harris was United’s man of the match, Matt Adams had a strong game at the back, and Venema was a good buffer in front of the defence, taking the sting out of many attacks before they developed.
Corey Adams was pleased with what he felt was a stronger showing by the whole back four, with centrebacks Mal Scammell and Kieran Higham, and leftback Malcolm Marfell all having good games.
Thirty minutes from time, the coach took himself off and brought on Israel Whitley, who scored United’s fourth goal.
“It’s good that we’ve got competition for starting places,” Corey Adams said.
“The boys are more likely to show up for training.”
The win puts United in third place, ahead of Eskview on goal difference, while Thistle’s stubborn resistance cost Port Hill the top spot, Napier City Rovers Seconds going top on goal difference.
Thistle lie seventh in the 10-team league.
United’s win was set up by a storming start. They were 3-0 up in 21 minutes.
Leftback Marfell scored the first goal, advancing on to an Eskview clearance from a corner and curling in a shot from 25 metres in the 12th minute.
In-form striker Josh Adams got the second, running on to a through-ball in the 14th minute and making as if to shoot with his right foot before chopping back on to his left and finishing clinically.
Harris put pressure on the Eskview defence with his challenge for a corner in the 21st minute, and the ball hit a defender and rolled over the line . . . 3-0.
Eskview hit back in the 35th minute when a left-wing cross was met beyond the far post by an Eskview player. He volleyed the ball back to a teammate who headed it in from six metres.
That was the signal for Eskview to pile on the pressure, but United held on until the break and regrouped for the second half.
United made it 4-1 in the 76th minute.Josh Adams was tackled on the right of the Eskview penalty area but got up, regained the ball and squared it to Whitley, who turned and fired a hard shot into the goal from 10 metres.
Whitley, 23, is based in Auckland but family and work bring him to Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay frequently. After turning up for pre-season training, he agreed to make himself available when possible.
Corey Adams reckons Whitley could be available for half the games.
Eskview had the consolation of the last goal of the match, in the 80th minute, when a player cut in from their left flank and hit a screamer from 25 metres.
With this loss, Eskview surrendered the Challenge Cup, contested every time the holders play at home, so United will defend it in their next home game, against Havelock North Wanderers Seconds on May 19.
United and Thistle first teams have no match on Saturday but their second teams have Pacific Premiership opposition in Federation Cup ties in Gisborne that day. United play Eskview at Harry Barker Reserve and Thistle play league leaders Napier City Rovers Seconds at Childers Road Reserve.
Thistle coach Blair said Port Hill went a goal up in the first five minutes on Saturday. Goalkeeper Mark Baple parried a shot on to defender Dan Venema’s chest, and the ball rebounded into the goal.
“From then, it could have gone either way,” Blair said.
“They had a couple of shots — one hit the crossbar and one was well saved by Baps (Baple). We also had our fair share of chances, lots of free-kicks on the edge of the penalty area, none of which we could capitalise on.”
Blair said Thistle’s key players were Baple, leftback Ander Batarrita, central midfielder Olly Tilley and Theron.
He thought the red cards were “tough”. Ryan was alleged to have stomped on a Port Hill player, but Blair did not see a stomp; the player on the ground was holding Ryan’s legs, which made it difficult for him to get away.
Theron was judged to have been “last man” when he committed a foul on an opponent who had a goalscoring opportunity.
Blair said the Port Hill player didn’t have possession of the ball and leaned into Theron.
Other Pacific Premiership results from Saturday: Havelock North Wanderers Seconds 2 Taradale 2, Napier Marist 1 Maycenvale United 1, Napier City Rovers Seconds 4 Hastings Western Rangers 1.