Demons out to deny United cup double

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Wainui Demons will run on to Childers Road Reserve No.1 tomorrow in pristine condition for football’s Bailey Cup final against Gisborne United.

The reason? Well, they don’t train for a start . . . no pesky training injuries for them. Even their pre-match warm-up consists mainly of 40-metre shots at the goalkeeper. But it would be folly to take them lightly.

Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United beat them 10-1 at Harry Barker Reserve on May 27 and 10-2 at Wainui on August 12.

Nevertheless, Coates Associates Wainui Demons have beaten every other team in the Eastern League first division at least once this year. And as the spiritual descendants of the old Boardriders team of the 1980s and early ’90s, they have plenty of natural fitness derived from watersports and active lifestyles.

Last Saturday they beat Property Brokers Thistle Firsts 4-2 in the early semifinal at Wainui.

United are favourites to complete the league-and-cup double, however. It was a case of “the biter bit” when they beat Sunshine Brewing Wainui Sharks 3-1 in the other semifinal at Wainui last Saturday. Wainui scored four goals in 15 minutes to win last season’s Bailey Cup final 4-1 and put paid to United’s hopes of an uncommon treble . . . they had already won the Eastern League and Central Federation Cup.

Last Saturday, United turned the tables on Wainui, scoring three goals in less than 15 minutes to set up a 3-1 win. The first goal came in the 20th minute. From around halfway on the left flank, Kieran Venema drove a free-kick into the far side of the penalty area and Dane Thompson directed a powerful header into the opposite corner of the goal.

Ninety seconds later it was Thompson again, up from centreback for a left-wing corner taken by striker and player-coach Josh Adams. The corner went to the far post where a scramble ensued. Midfielder Corey Adams collected the ball about the penalty spot and knocked it up for Thompson, two metres away, to volley into the roof of the net.

About 10 minutes after the second goal, Corey Adams and left-winger Damon Husband combined to dispossess a United player, and Adams passed the ball to younger brother Josh down the left flank. He drew a defender and played the ball back inside to Corey at the edge of the penalty area, where he opened his stance and tucked the ball inside the right-hand goalpost.

Leading 3-0 at halftime, United moved to protect their lead by pushing Venema from rightback into a holding midfield position alongside Aaron Graham. Jimmy Holden came on at rightback and Matt Hills, who had played in a high schools tournament in Napier during the week, came off, leaving Corey Adams as the sole attacking midfielder.

Leftback Kaden Manderson and right-winger Jacob Adams had played in the same tournament as Hills. Manderson played the full 90 minutes on Saturday, while Hills and Adams were rolled on and off. Adams was replaced after 30 minutes by Stu Cranswick and came back on for the last 30. Hills returned for the last 25.

Player-coach Josh Adams said Cranswick made a definite impact on the game, and was likely to be available for the final. Centrebacks Jonathan Purcell and Thompson played well, and Thompson’s goals from set-pieces were a welcome bonus.

“Wainui probably had more of the ball in our half in the second spell but we set up to defend that,” Adams said. “Corey (Adams) and Aaron (Graham) played well in the middle of the park

. . . it was a lot faster-paced than most of the games we’ve played this season. It was a big semifinal and everyone stood up.”

Wainui player-coach Andrew McBride said his side were caught out by United’s fast start. At halftime they changed from having three at the back, four in midfield and two tucked in behind central striker Korbi Schallinger to a 4-4-2 formation.

“We created a few chances but we were always chasing the game,” he said.

Wainui got one back with about 15 minutes to go, a penalty taken by skipper Mal Furlan after a foul on Schallinger.

Those to shine on a difficult day for Wainui were goalkeeper Matt Wotherspoon, Jamie Gallacher for his composure at leftback, Dan Willock and Furlan at the heart of the defence, Max Logan in midfield, Jaiden Ibbetson up and down the left flank, and Schallinger up front.

In the last few minutes of the match, Wainui Sharks’ Matias Pincini was sent off for a second yellow-card offence, and after the final whistle another Sharks player, Martin Suppo, was shown the red card, signifying a sending-off.

In the other semifinal, Wainui started with six defenders, three of them centrebacks. Mark Harris organised the defence well and made some great blocks in the penalty area.

Kaleb Jacobs scored the Demons’ first goal in a counter-attack on the 10-minute mark.

In the 20th minute, Demons won a penalty. Captain and coach Yannis Kokkosis said he pulled rank and asked Jacobs to step aside so he could take the penalty. He duly scored.

He said he was not at 100 percent as he was still recovering from a broken eye socket from a rugby league injury two weeks before.

“We then brought on five subs, including part-timer Jarom Brouwer, who has missed a few games on vacation, and the midfield pest, Mana Taumaunu. Manaaki Terekia was all over the place as our Mr Fix-it.

“Max Harris was unfamiliar with coming off the bench but his finesse on the ball troubled the defence. Thistle came back with two good goals, then Ben Inder reminded everyone he was the fastest man on the planet, pinning his ears back after a can of energy drink at halftime and beating the keeper on a counter-attack. Kaleb Jacobs returned after a breather on the bench and scored 20 seconds later.

“We had some awesome defensive efforts from the team’s pretty boy and twinkle toes Mitch Brouwer and also our resident gatekeeper Tom McFarlane. Clay Parker played out of his skin in goal.

“To even make the Bailey Cup final is incredible for a team who don’t train and rock up 15 minutes before kick-off, only to pelt the keeper with shots from 40 metres out until the referee calls us in to start the game.”

Thistle coach Craig Stirton said Ander Batarrita scored his side’s first goal with a free-kick from 25 metres out  to make it 2-1 at halftime.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Kieran Ryan — just inside the penalty area on the right-hand corner — received a bouncing ball from the rightback, took it on his chest, turned and volleyed it in at the near post.

Thistle’s best players were rightback Shai Avni, leftback Alex Larkins, central midfielders Noy Paull and Batarrita, attacking midfielder Reece Brew and strikers Lucian Nickerson and Xavier Priestly.