Gisborne Thistle out to hit top gear against Havelock North Wanderers

Gisborne Thistle host second-placed Havelock North Wanderers in Central Fed League football tomorrow.

Gisborne Thistle will hope history isn’t repeated when they run out against Havelock North Wanderers in Central Football’s Federation League at Childers Road Reserve tomorrow.

The last time they played Wanderers, on May 18, Electrinet Thistle were coming off their first win of the season – an impressive 4-2 victory over New Plymouth team FC Western in Gisborne.

But the Jags never got into top gear and Wanderers were convincing 3-0 winners at Guthrie Park.

Tomorrow, Thistle will have the happy memory of their 5-2 win away to Western last Saturday. As in their first meeting, striker Jimmy Somerton scored a hat-trick.

Thistle coach Tam Cramer says he will be reminding his players “in no uncertain terms” of the fall-off in their performance from one game to the next in May.

“Consistency has been our big problem,” he said.

Havelock North are second in the nine-team league, with 22 points from 11 games. They have the league’s second-most prolific goalscorer, Vince Mackirdy, with 11. Guy Reeves has six.

Thistle have 12 points from 10 games. Somerton has nine goals. Next on the list are five players with one goal each.

Cramer says Wanderers play a different way from Western, so Thistle will have to make “a few tweaks here and there” to try to deal with the threat.

“They’re a decent side. Second ... they’re no mugs,” he says.

“If we play the way we did last week, and we deal better with them than we did last time, I’m confident we will take something out of the game.

“I’m looking forward to it. Six games to go ... every game from now on is like a cup final.

“If the game goes ahead – some rough weather is forecast – the conditions could have a major effect on how the game is played.”

Cramer seems doomed to never having his first-choice squad of 16 available for selection this year as centre-back Jirah Wanoa is out – probably for the rest of the season – with a broken bone in his foot.

Midfielder Matt McVey will probably be missing from the line-up, too.

Kickoff tomorrow is scheduled for 2.45pm.