A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Gisborne United got their competitive season off to a winning start with a 3-2 victory over Palmerston North side Takaro Jokers in a Central Federation Cup match at Marewa Park, Napier, on Saturday.
The day before, Thistle lost their cup match 6-3 to Palmerston North United at Park Island, Napier.
Both Gisborne sides were drawn to play at home but rules designed to minimise teams’ travel meant they had to play in Hawke’s Bay. Their opponents were teams in this year’s Horizon Premiership, a competition equivalent to the Pacific Premiership that both United and Thistle have contested in the past.
When league competition starts this weekend, Thistle will be playing in the league above, the Central Federation League, and United will be competing in the league below, the Eastern League, in which they are defending champions.
United’s victory was particularly hard-fought. The teams were level 1-1 at halftime and United went out to a 3-1 lead. Takaro finished the game strongly, though, and pulled it back to 3-2 in the 73rd minute.
United player-coach and striker Josh Adams, who scored all his side’s goals, said the closing stages of the match were among the most tense he had experienced.
“They would have had 10 chances in the last 10 minutes,” he said.
“Every time they got a chance and shot, our goalkeeper Andy McIntosh saved it. He was our man of the match.”
Kieran Higham and Jonathan Purcell combined well at the heart of the defence, and Jake Robertson, having his first start in the leftback spot this season, and Ben Hansen, coming back into the side at rightback after being injured, put in good shifts.
Kieran Venema played a holding role in midfield, while Corey Adams and Dane Thompson had more freedom to go forward.
Up front, Josh Adams was supported by younger brother Jacob on the right and Malcolm Marfell on the left.
In the second half, Corey Adams went off with a slight groin strain. Marfell moved into midfield and Damon Husband came on to do the left-flank role. Jacob Adams came off in the last 20 minutes and was replaced by Sam Royston.
Josh Adams said he was happy with the way his team played, and expected their second-half stamina to improve as the season progressed. They would take this opportunity to look ahead and set some goals for the year.
United went ahead in Saturday’s game after 12 minutes. Corey Adams put Josh through and the goalkeeper brought him down. The keeper stayed on the field because the referee judged the ball was going away from the goal, but Josh Adams scored from the spot.
Takaro equalised in the 43rd minute when Robertson’s tackle was ruled illegal and the penalty was converted.
Josh Adams made it 2-1 in the 53rd minute, and 15 minutes later brother Corey beat two players and laid the ball on for Josh to bury it from the edge of the penalty area.
Eastern League football starts tomorrow but United have the bye first up.
Thistle coach Tam Cramer took a depleted squad to Napier and, in the circumstances, was happy with much of what he saw.
“We had some injuries, some people unavailable and some waiting on transfers to go through,” he said.
“Eight players were missing for various reasons . . . it wasn’t ideal. We brought up some youngsters, and it was good to give them game time.”
He said goalkeeper Aiden Armstrong, fullbacks Shai Avni and Charlie Harvey, left flank player Gavin Derr and Connor Evison, who came off the bench to play up front, were youngsters who did well in difficult circumstances.
Striker Jimmy Somerton led the attack, scoring in the 23rd and 81st minutes. Centreback Jirah Wanoa scored Thistle’s other goal, in the 54th minute.
Palmerston North United scored in the sixth, 12th, 48th, 50th, 78th and 87th minutes.
“We did some good things, and the stuff we didn’t do well is fixable,” Cramer said.
“We lost some soft goals, and we lost them quite close together in twos.”
He said Somerton, midfielders Matt McVey, Nick Land and Cory Thomson, and Wanoa did well, and the squad had been looking good in the build-up to the season.
Goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill had been nursing a medial cruciate ligament injury. He was unable to play on Friday and was in doubt for this weekend, but Cramer hoped he would be right for the following week.
Thistle’s first Federation League game of the season is against Taradale in Hawke’s Bay tomorrow.