The weather has been a brooding presence in ALH Gisborne Thistle’s campaign this season. With the Federation League reduced to five teams — playing each of the other teams twice at home and twice away — Thistle offered to play all of their away games first in expectation of the roads being fit for regular use by the time their home games came round. They felt shouldering the initial travel burden was the best way to ensure they could compete at the highest level available.
One away game was postponed — because of a Covid outbreak in the Thistle squad — but the rest of the programme went pretty much to plan. Thistle are now enjoying an extended run of home games.
Palmerston North United are an amalgamation of Massey University, North End and Red Sox. Massey and North End were two of the better-performing Federation League teams last year and don’t seem to have lost anything by joining forces.
“Palmerston North United are probably the best footballing side we’ve come up against this season,” Blair said. (United won 4-2 in Palmerston North.)
“But we have a solid game plan that finally clicked last weekend.
“We don’t anticipate that we will change much from the Taradale game. Our line-up — for the most part — will remain the same.
“We’re looking at bringing Cory Thomson into the starting line-up in place of Cullen Spawforth, who took a slight head knock.
“We’re negotiating with Gisborne Boys’ High School as to how many minutes we can play (Boys’ High students) Oska Smith and Cory in view of the Super 8 football tournament the school is hosting next week.
“The backline and front three will remain the same.”
That means a probable back four of fullbacks Andre Baple and Nick Land, and centrebacks Finn McAuley and Ryan Noon in front of goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill.
The front three would be wingers Jimmy Somerton — fresh off a hat-trick against Taradale — and Smith, with Campbell Hall down the middle.
David Salmon will likely be the attacking midfielder, with Hugo Elwood and either Thomson or Spawforth completing the picture.
If Smith and Thomson are to come off early to save their legs for the punishing Super 8 schedule, the subs bench would assume greater-than-usual importance.
Among those keen to press their claims for more game time would be Ash McMillan, Daniel Venema, Sam Royston and possibly Te Kani Wirepa-Hei (who came on at the back against Palmerston North Marist last Friday for his first-team debut).
We already know what striker Davie Ure and ’keeper Mark Baple can do . . . they have nothing to prove.
