It is simply a journey of self-discovery for players eager to gauge their worth towards bigger things, not to mention taking the province back to when it was at its peaking best a few decades ago.
Napier Marist lost 7-1 and 9-2 to the same foes in 2004 and 2006, respectively, in previous cup encounters.
It's the mission statement of a handful of visionaries from a 30-year-old club which dared to establish a structured junior platform in 2005 to launch the club to a new threshold.
The presence of Celtic FC coaches Andrew Thompson and Raymond Hewitt, from Scotland, at its Park Island HQ this week reflects that ongoing commitment to nurture.
Thurston, a 19-year-old Napier supermarket employee, said if Marist's path didn't cross with the Blues in the next round then his two-tier lower Computer Care HB Premiership outfit were keen to raise their stakes against any other Lotto Central League team.
Thurston said their inability to find the net yesterday was more a case of failing to convert numerous chances created rather than lacking experience.
"In the second half we managed to take our chances to close the game out," said the grinning defender who scored the opening goal from a 30m screamer in the 60th minute that would have destroyed the soul of Thistle goalkeeper Mitchell Stewart-Hill who, for a good part of the game, single-handedly had kept the visitors in the game.
The irony for Thurston, who had scored his third goal from as many games, was that Stewart-Hill had billeted at his home while playing for the Hawke's Bay United youth team.
"He's like a big brother to me," he said, feeling Stewart-Hill's resolve had epitomised the never-say-die attitude of Gisborne.
Thurston also saluted Thistle coach Matt Hastings who was Marist assistant coach under Jamie Dunning before job opportunities lured him to Gisborne.
"He's a great coach and I've had him throughout my youth and, yeah, he knows not to give up," he said although emphasised the nous of his coach, Jamie Dunning, in the same breath.
Thurston said losing midfielder Mason Jones in the 66th minute to a straight red card - in referee Gordon Harris' double sending off with Gisborne striker Joshua Harris after punches were thrown in a scuffle - forced the team to regroup.
Faith had fuelled the hosts. He felt their younger, fitter legs and overall agility had been the difference against the seasoned and relatively older Thistle counterparts who looked lethargic when persistent patches of pressure mounted.
Daniel Baxter scored the second goal after midfielder Josh Murphy did the hard work on the right flank to find him in the box.
Hastings agreed Marist dominated possession in both halves.
"We allowed them to play and, as a mature team, we didn't condense," he said, revealing Thistle were designed to stop oppositions playing through the spine of the field.
He felt the brilliant ex-Rovers keeper Stewart-Hill didn't do anything in the opening 25 minutes of the second spell but bemoaned the lack of discipline from his redhead.
As someone who had played against them only a few years ago, Hastings said he had discussed their lack of discipline.
"We need to be in control of games but if we go down to 10 or 9 men then we've lost that control."
That aside, Hastings said they couldn't take anything away from Marist because they had arrived here mindful of their prowess.
"If you give them time on the ball they're going to hurt you," he said, singling out Ben Lack and Murphy.
Thurston's strike was lethal but, the disappointment of losing aside, Hastings took satisfaction that "Marist didn't break down Thistle".
The second goal, he argued, was bound to come in a national knockout game where they were going to push forward in numbers to expose their defence in the hunt for an equaliser.
