Football: Embattled Gisborne Thistle determined to keep up the intensity

Gisborne Thistle welcome back Ziggy West-Hill for their Central Fed League away clash with New Plymouth Rangers. Photo / Paul Rickard

It’s one step forward, two steps back for Gisborne Thistle ahead of their Federation League game against New Plymouth Rangers in Taranaki tomorrow.

Of the players unavailable last week, utility player Nick Land and defender Ziggy West-Hill are back in the frame tomorrow. Defenders Shai Avni and Jirah Wanoa, goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill and midfielder Matt McVey are still unavailable.

On top of that, midfielders David Salmon and Isaac Bush are unavailable tomorrow and central defender Junior Jimmy has a one-game suspension for an accumulation of yellow card offences.

Electrinet Thistle are sixth and Rangers are seventh in the Central Football competition that offers teams the chance of a place in the Central League second division being reintroduced next year.

Last week’s loss to Whanganui Athletic was a setback for Thistle’s longshot hopes of a top three place that would give them automatic inclusion in the new competition.

But the incentive to keep up the intensity is strong. Teams placed fourth to seventh in the nine-team Federation League go into a one-game playoff against teams from the Wellington-based Capital Premier and Capital 1 leagues. The higher teams finish, the lower-ranked will be their opponents in the playoffs.

Those who are available for tomorrow’s game include goalkeeper Hugo Lodewyk, defensive players Kaden Manderson, Te Kani Wirepa-Hei, West-Hill, Land and Cory Thomson, flank players Samson Hotas and Ruben Garcia, and attackers Travis White and Jimmy Somerton.

Youth players will come into the mix as well.

Thistle coach Tam Cramer remains positive, but realistic.

“Every team in this league can beat every other team.”

Thistle, themselves, have shown that. They have beaten high-flyers and lost to teams placed below them.

Nobody said it would be easy.