ALH Thistle Reserves play Taradale in a Pacific Premiership game in Taradale at 3pm tomorrow.
Taradale beat Western Rangers 2-1 away from home last weekend, courtesy of a last-minute penalty from former Gisborne Thistle player Brandon Josling, who also scored Taradale's other goal.
The result left Taradale fourth in the eight-team league, three places above Thistle.
Both Thistle teams will be without some key players tomorrow, but the coaches are confident in the quality of their replacements.
The first team will be without goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill, sent off against Levin last Saturday, and striker Jarom Brouwer, who has training commitments with the police over the next few weeks in Wellington.
Thistle head coach Garrett Blair hopes Brouwer will be available for subsequent games in Palmerston North during his Wellington stay — the next would be against Massey University on June 4 — but he is not banking on it.
Leo Maisey, who came on in the 57th minute against Levin, will replace Brouwer in the line-up tomorrow.
Thistle goalkeeping coach Mark Baple will take Stewart-Hill's place in goal.
Blair said the attitude at training this week was “really positive”.
“We've had a bit of a culture shift,” he said.
“The boys are looking and feeling a lot more cohesive. I'm hoping the renewed enthusiasm carries through to Saturday's fixture.”
While he hadn't seen any footage of North End in action this season, he recalled that they had pushed Thistle all the way at Childers Road Reserve last year and were unlucky not to leave with at least one point from the game.
North End coach Scott Robson, whose appointment was announced in January, was a defender who played over a hundred games in the successor to the National Soccer League, the New Zealand Football Championship, for YoungHeart Manawatu and Team Wellington.
He was in Chatham Cup-winning teams twice, with Wellington Olympic and Wairarapa United, and was awarded the Jack Batty Memorial Cup for player of the final when Wairarapa won it in 2011.
He should know a thing or two.
Thistle's likely line-up will be Baple in goal; Alex Davies at right wingback and Kuba Jerabek — returning from injury — at left wingback; Daniel Venema, Ryan Anderson and Ander Batarrita as the central defensive trio; Ash McMillan and Kieran Venema as the holding midfielders; Matt McVey as the attacking midfielder; and Cullen Spawforth and Maisey as strikers.
Substitutes are likely to be Nick Land, Sam Patterson and PJ Goodlett.
Land is unlucky not to start, just as McMillan would be unlucky were he to miss out. Both put in good, honest performances against Levin, and both complement the type of game that Kieran Venema plays.
Patterson and Goodlett give attacking options if Thistle need to try something different to break down North End.
The Jags are flying to this game, so they're giving themselves every chance.
Thistle Reserves player-coach Craig Stirton has three subs — if he includes himself — for the trip to Taradale.
He has lost striker PJ Goodlett to first-team duty and midfielder Raydon Semmens to a calf injury, but he has players returning from injury, too.
The Thistle Reserves line-up will look something like Tom Talbot in goal; Tim Hofman at rightback and Levi Julies at leftback; Brad Hill and Tyler Barwick (grandson of former Thistle wing wizard Wilson Pears) as double centrebacks; Reece Brew and a fit-again Cory Thomson as central midfielders; Alex Shanks on the right of midfield and Gee Gaurav on the left; and Davie Ure and Travis White up front.
Subs are likely to be Stirton, Shehab Altour and, back from a broken hand, Lukas Rickard.
