Thistle, Napier City Rovers share honours in another dramatic Fed League finish

Never leave a Jags game early. Those words could well be the 2023 motto for Gisborne Thistle’s Federation League team.

Two goals — one for the Jags and the other, against — continued a trend of late strikes deciding their matches.

At Napier’s Bluewater Stadium on Saturday, ALH Gisborne Thistle drew 1-1 with Napier City Rovers Reserves,  leaders of the Central Federation League.

The last time these teams met, on April 22, Thistle won an outrageous game 7-6. Both sides scored once in stoppage time.

On April 25, Thistle were knocked out of the Chatham Cup by Papakura City when a 90th-minute penalty consigned them to a 3-2 loss.

On April 29, they went from a goal up to a goal down within a minute in a 2-1 Federation League loss to Palmerston North Marist.

And after a four-week spell without a competition game, another 90th-minute penalty meant they lost 4-3 to Taradale on May 27.

Thistle have five points from a win, two draws and two losses but are still only six points behind City Rovers, who have played two games more.

Both sides seemed determined to do better defensively than they had done in their 13-goal thriller.

Thistle lined up with skipper Mitchell Stewart-Hill in goal, Sam Royston at rightback and Andrew Baple at leftback, and Chris Spurr and Finn McAuley as double centrebacks. Hugo Elwood and Ash McMillan were holding midfielders, with David Salmon in a more attacking role just behind the frontrunners. Jimmy Somerton was central striker, Campbell Hall, right-winger, and Oska Smith, left-winger.

Cory Thomson came on for McMillan in the 66th minute, Max Kume came on for Salmon in the 76th and Daniel Venema came on for Spurr in the 90th.

Napier had marginally the better of the play but could not put the finishing touch to their efforts until it was almost too late.

Thistle’s Somerton scored a brilliant solo goal, gathering the loose ball about 10 metres inside the Napier half, shrugging off the challenges of two defenders and slipping the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.

The time on the Rangai livestream video feed showed 93:19. Napier kicked off and almost immediately launched a long ball into the farthest reaches of Thistle’s penalty area, where Napier attackers swooped down on it.

Seconds later the ball was swirling around Thistle’s net. The timer showed 94:04. Thistle kicked off and 10 seconds later the referee blew for fulltime.

Stewart-Hill had a sound game and was by far the busier of the two keepers.

Spurr looked at home in the middle of the defence and McAuley had a solid game beside him.

Royston’s move to rightback could be counted a success. He and leftback Baple were quick and determined.

The midfield triangle of Elwood, McMillan and Salmon had their hands full with a Napier engineroom that included former Thistle player Alex Davies.

Another former Gisborne player, George Andrew, also did sterling work for Napier in helping to counter the threat posed by Hall, Somerton and Smith.

Thistle coach Garrett Blair can be pleased at the improvement in his defence, but the players will be disappointed they didn’t hold out for a minute longer.

Thistle’s next Federation League match is against Palmerston North Marist under floodlights on the Arena Turf in Palmerston North at 5.30pm on Saturday.