Gisborne Thistle a win away from place in Central League second division

Gisborne Thistle's Ziggy West-Hill gets high to win the ball in the air against Havelock North Wanderers last weekend. Thistle are in Palmerston North tomorrow for playoffs for places in the reintroduced Central League Division 2 next season. Photo / Paul Rickard

Gisborne Thistle’s playoff for a place in next season’s Central League second division is like a cup final – one game will decide it.

Electrinet Thistle play Te Kotahitanga, the second-ranked team of the four from the Capital Premier and Capital 1 leagues playing Central Federation League opponents in Palmerston North tomorrow.

Te Kotahitanga are the result of a collaboration of Kāpiti Coast United, Waikanae, Paekākāriki, Ōtaki and Manakau football clubs this year. The aim was to retain Kapiti Coast-Horowhenua youth, create stronger local teams and seek silverware.

Te Kotahitanga finished last in the Capital Premier League but had a couple of big wins and some notable draws and close finishes.

Thistle were already assured a place in the playoffs before last Saturday’s 5-2 win against Havelock North Wanderers, but if they had lost they would have been facing Seatoun, the top-ranked playoff team from the Capital leagues. Instead, New Plymouth Rangers will face Seatoun.

Five of the 10 sides in the Capital Premier competition were ineligible for the playoffs because they were not their clubs’ first team. The top three of the other five gained automatic qualification for next season’s reintroduced Central League 2, as did the top three of the Federation League.

That left four places to be contested between the Federation League and the Capital leagues. To complete the playoffs, two teams – Douglas Villa, of Masterton, and Victoria University – had to go forward from the Capital 1 league.

Havelock North will play Douglas Villa and Taradale face Victoria University.

All playoff games are on Massey University grounds. Kick-off is set for 2pm.

Jags coach Tam Cramer said a Thistle application for an earlier start – in consideration of the length of the road trip home – had been refused.

Then midweek they found out that if the game went to extra time and penalties, their bus driver would be running over his allowable hours to get them home.

Thistle reapplied for an earlier kick-off, Cramer said.

If the application was turned down again, they would probably flag the idea of going by bus and travel in a minivan or two.

It looked like he would be driving.

“Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have these problems,” Cramer said.

It’s a situation that generations of Gisborne coaches have faced, and it shows no sign of changing.

Cramer has the bulk of his recent match-day squad travelling, but Nick Land and Alex Shanks are unavailable.

Two players have been sick this week but Cramer expects them to be fit for tomorrow’s game, and right flank midfielder Samson Hotas will be back after serving a one-match suspension for his red card (for a second yellow) in the 1-1 draw with Taradale two weeks ago.

Cramer does not know much about Te Kotahitanga but expects their coach Andy Hedge to have them well organised.

Te Kotahitanga don’t have a goalscorer as prolific as Thistle’s Golden Boot winner Jimmy Somerton, but they have two players – Josh Harmer and Lewis Jackson – on six goals for the season and another – Francis Jenkins – on five.