Injury-stricken Gisborne Thistle no match for league leaders

Gisborne Thistle's injury woes continued on the eve of their Central Federation League game against leaders Palmerston North United. The depleted Jags were beaten 6-0.

No fairytale ending awaited Electrinet Gisborne Thistle when a depleted squad took on Palmerston North United at Memorial Park on Saturday.

Gisborne Thistle lost 6-0 to top-of-the-table United and fell one place — to seventh — in Central Football’s nine-team Federation League.

Jags coach Tam Cramer knew he was up against it as early as Thursday, when he had only 13 first-team squad members fit to travel. That night he lost another, midfielder David Salmon, who hurt his ankle at training.

Salmon made the return road trip as an emergency sub, but Cramer chose not to use him. Thistle were six goals down after 68 minutes, and it made no sense to risk aggravating Salmon’s injury when the game was already lost.

Instead, he gave Hugo Lodewyk and Euan Cramer — turning 17 and 16 respectively this month — an outfield run for the last 15 minutes.

Thistle’s Federation League team have yet to concede a goal while Lodewyk is on the field. He made his first-team league debut as goalkeeper in the 1-0 home win against Peringa United on June 15. On Saturday he played on the left wing and did “really well”.

Euan Cramer, the coach’s son plucked from the Thistle Junior A side to help the first team, did all that was asked of him in a defensive midfield role on Saturday.

The Jags had six members of their first-team squad out with injury at the weekend — seven if you count Salmon, who was effectively sidelined.

They started with Mitchell Stewart-Hill in goal, a back four of Kaden Manderson, Ziggy West-Hill, Junior Jimmy and Te Kani Wirepa-Hei, a central midfield trio of Isaac Bush, Cory Thomson and Travis White, with Samson Hotas wide on the right and Ruben Garcia on the left, and Jimmy Somerton up front.

Coach Cramer said Thistle had a lot of ball and created opportunities, but made defensive errors that took the game away from them.

“We were two down after 10 minutes and three down at halftime,” he said.

“In the 15 minutes from the 53rd to the 68th, we conceded three more goals.

“We knew how they were going to play. The effort was there, but basic errors killed us.”

Thistle next play fourth-placed FC Western in New Plymouth on Saturday.

New Plymouth Rangers moved a point ahead of Thistle when they beat high-flying Havelock North Wanderers 2-1 in New Plymouth last weekend.

Other Federation League results from Saturday: Taradale 3 Peringa United 1, Whanganui Athletic 1 Palmerston North Marist 4.