Sweeper Kieran Higham and wide midfielder Josh Harris were out with suspensions and regular goalkeeper Jack Faulkner was on the sideline after a motor accident the week before.
But United player-coach Corey Adams shuffled his line-up and put out a side who still had the capacity to surprise.
One pleasant surprise was the performance of regular thirds team goalkeeper Alan Knight.
The previous week, Knight, “nearly 48”, stepped in at short notice to fill in for Faulkner between the sticks.
On Saturday, he had played most of a game for the third team before the premiership match.
In the 57th minute against Eskview, Knight made a diving save to his right to keep out a close-range header from midfielder Daniel Vokes. From the resulting corner, he tipped a goal-bound in-swinger over the bar.
In the 80th minute, striker Morgan McLellan headed the ball goalwards and could only watch as Knight reacted sharply to palm it over the bar.
Another to play a pivotal role in the United effort in his second game of the day was midfielder Aaron Graham, who had just helped the Eastern League division one team retain their title by beating Gisborne Boys’ High School 5-2 at the Rectory field.
Player-coach Adams named Graham man of the match and singled out Knight and midfielders Martin Garnier and Dane Thompson.
“The backline worked hard and the team showed heart when we were against the wind in the second half,” he said.
Adams was also pleased his side held on to the Challenge Cup.
Eskview coach Jimmy Calder felt his side let in “soft goals”.
“We can play a lot better than that,” he said.
Nevertheless, he was pleased with the contributions of skipper Joshua Tyson, Hamish Lewis and Iraqi left-winger Ridha Chilab in midfield, Morgan McLellan up front and 18-year-old Sam Murphy, who was shifted from central midfield to centreback to keep an eye on Josh Adams once United went 3-1 up.
United had Matt Adams and Malcolm Marfell as fullbacks and Kieran Venema and Mal Scammell in the centre of defence.
Graham patrolled the area in front of the centrebacks, with Corey Adams and Thompson making forays forward.
Garnier on the right, and Israel Whitley and Noy Paull for half a game each on the left, gave United the width to stretch Eskview.
Up front, Josh Adams was always dangerous.
He grabbed his first goal in the fifth minute, outstripping defenders and rounding keeper Craig Lennox.
In the 24th, he got his second, scoring from the penalty spot after he was brought down in the box.
Eskview pulled one back six minutes later, striker Bradley Perks volleying home a ball hit in from the right.
A minute later, United went 3-1 up when Adams scored with another penalty, this one for hand ball.
Again Eskview hit back, skipper Tyson swivelling and directing his volley beyond Knight in the 41st minute.
In the 65th minute, Corey Adams scored a pearler, holding off challenges, bursting into the box past a defender and hitting a right-foot shot home from an acute angle.
Referee Martin Roil, of Napier, showed yellow cards to Eskview’s Carl Simmonds and Chilab, and United’s Thompson, Nickerson and Graham.
United remain fourth, equal on points with Napier Marist but behind on goal difference.
They play Havelock North Wanderers Seconds away this Saturday and the week after that face Gisborne Thistle at Harry Barker Reserve.
