They halted that the following weekend with a 3-3 draw against Napier City Rovers Reserves, who sit eight points above them in third.
They had a hiccup last Saturday when they lost 3-0 at home to competition leaders Palmerston North Marist.
Taradale may be a young side but they have experienced and well-performed players in key positions.
Graham Healey gives sterling service in goal and former Thistle player Brandon Josling has added attacking flair to a defence that also features Jackson Haines and the Hall brothers Liam and Thomas.
Josling is a scoring threat from anywhere up to 30 metres out, from open play or set piece.
Harry Lack and Ethan Clarke are midfielders who like to get on the scoresheet, and striker Zac Madsen impressed in the Gisborne game as a player with close control and a handy shot.
Thistle coach Garrett Blair is wary of the threats Taradale pose but confident the Jags have the firepower to cause the visitors problems.
“They’re quite a technical team,” Blair said. “They like to keep the ball and shift it quickly, and they have some really good ball players who can do that. For us, it’s about putting pressure on them, remaining patient and looking for opportunities to hit them on the counter-attack.
“Our front three are becoming quite formidable, so we want to harness that to put pressure on their backline.”
Thistle may be without speedy winger Oska Smith tomorrow. He is one of six Gisborne surf lifesaving athletes picked in the New Zealand Junior Black Fins for the inaugural Battle of the Tasman on the Gold Coast from August 24 to 27.
As Smith will be in beach sprint races, it makes sense for the Waikane club member to take care of his legs in the lead-up to the event.
Blair has a couple of options for his front three. As of yesterday, he favoured using Jimmy Somerton on the left wing, with either Davie Ure or Campbell Hall down the middle.
If he went with Ure, he would use Hall on the right wing; if he went with Hall, he would use Sam Royston on the right, and Ure would be held in reserve.
Hugo Elwood looks set to start in the holding midfield role, with David Salmon and Cory Thomson as central midfielders.
The likely back four are Andre Baple at rightback, Nick Land at leftback, and Finn McAuley and Ryan Noon in the middle. Stewart-Hill will be in goal.
That would leave Mark Baple, Daniel Venema, Chris Spurr, Cullen Spawforth and Royston or Ure on the bench. Spurr seems to have got over a niggling injury, and Spawforth took a couple of knocks in the double-header three weeks ago . . . Blair wants to err on the side of caution.
All of that is subject to training ground mishaps or the coach changing his mind.
Thistle have played all but one of their away matches – thanks to their offer to play their away games first to ensure their participation in the Federation League.
They have only one away game to play, in Palmerston North, postponed until September, by which time they’ll be pining for the inside of an Air New Zealand cabin.
Apart from the prospect of a string of home games, they have the advantage of a well-rested squad, along with games in hand over the other teams.
