EIGHT stunning goals and a 4-4 draw . . . not exactly what the Gisborne Thistle fans were looking for against Taradale in the Pacific Premiership here on Saturday.
But there could be few complaints from the fans who saw one of the most entertaining games of recent years at Childers Road Reserve.
In Hawke’s Bay, Havelock North Wanderers beat Kingfisher Bar Bohemians 4-2 but Bohs coach Martin Ryan was far from disappointed in the display from his team.
Similarly, Lockwood Lytton High coach Craig Christophers had every reason to be pleased with his team’s sparkling 3-1 away win against Napier Marist.
The Thistle-Taradale draw keeps the Pacific Premiership wide open after the two league leaders turned on a spectacular goal-fest.
But the brilliantly taken goals apart, it was the quality of the football turned on by the teams that was exceptional.
Here was a visiting Taradale team liberally studded with name players from the past decade . . . two decades, when you remember that outstanding midfielder Perry Cotton is now 45 and was there in the Napier City Rovers glory days.
Similarly Chris McIvor, Warren Gilbertson, the Gearey brothers Richard and David, and defenders Adam Turner and Robbie Parker have been pounding the Hawke’s Bay football beat with remarkable consistency.
And what about our own midfield maestro Jimmy Cudd? He came up here carrying a calf-muscle injury but still gave Taradale an excellent first half before he was replaced.
But in that 45 minutes, he showed all the skill that made him such a favourite with Gisborne City fans.
It seems strange that in a game involving two particularly good defences, each should concede four goals. But Taradale fullbacks Turner and Heath Caldwell showed skill and determination as they never wasted a ball when coming out of defence to build attacks.
Centrebacks Parker and Tim Jeffers were rock-solid under the many high balls that were fired into the middle.
Thistle were equally well-performed at the back, where Brad Reynolds, Josh Bates and Nicky Land were outstanding. In front of them, player-coach David Ure, Kane Stirton and Michael Boley contested everything and had the skill to build up quick counter-attacks in which Craig Stirton, Max Logan and Steve Morrow were always prominent.
Once again Jags target-man Nick Somerton was like a lighthouse on a dark night . . . he really stood out as Thistle’s saviour with two brilliant goals.
He was given no space by a defence who obviously know how dangerous he can be in front of goal but he still snapped up two half-chances.
The game began at breakneck pace and in the fifth minute the ever-dangerous McIvor burst clear wide on the right and his 30-metre dipping shot found the net at the far post . . . 1-0.
In the 29th, a perfectly weighted through-ball by Ure caught the defence square and Somerton raced clear and somehow managed to get to the ball a split-second before the keeper . . . 1-1.
Next it was midfield dynamo Cotton putting a chip over the defence for the clever Gilbertson to blast in a 20-metre volley that gave keeper Ryan Majstrovic no chance.
Back came the Jags. Reynolds fed Logan on the right and he raced through and hit a wicked, dipping left-foot drive from 35 metres . . . 2-2.
In the 59th Logan fed Somerton and the elusive striker again found the space to belt the ball home from 18 metres . . . 3-2 to Thistle.
In the 65th, referee Ben Chisholm, who had an excellent game, had no choice but to award a penalty for a tackle from behind and the old master Cotton fired it home . . . 3-3.
In the 75th, those tired old legs of the Taradale vets seemed to get a new lease of life and the indefatigible McIvor went down the right like a runaway hare.
His cross was unbelievable, soaring, almost taunting the Thistle defenders to find the extra few inches needed to reach and clear the ball.
Instead it was the hard-working, always-dangerous flank player Mike Daly racing in from wide to control it and pick his spot in the corner of the net.
With the referee looking at his watch, Thistle rallied yet again. Land, who raced from a defensive left-midfield position to an attacking, inside-right position, chipped the ball over the defence and wide of the keeper to score in the far corner . . . 4-4.
Definitely the best game of the season so far!
■ It is never easy for Gisborne teams to get full squads for the trips to Hawke’s Bay but they have done remarkably well in this respect. And it certainly helps when they can pick up a few points on the journey.
Flying striker Corey Adams was the destroyer of Napier Marist. He belted in a couple of opportunist goals and Tom Watson-Meek also found the net.
Lytton midfielders Ben Sargent, Alex McGregor, Cai Maclean and Chris Dawson gradually came to dominate play and their quick delivery to their front men gave the Marist defence a nightmare afternoon.
The Lytton rearguard, with keeper Cameron Cairns and defenders Aaron Graham, Kieran Higham and Christophers prominent, coped with everything Marist threw at them.
A couple of thundering goals from strikers Ryan O’Neill and Kieran Ryan gave a hint of what the Bohemians could do if they could bolster their first-team squad a little.
Their defence of keeper Cody Keepa and back four of Kyle Gabriel, Liam Ryan, Steven Husband and Bevan Goldsmith worked hard to try to contain the speedy Havelock Wanderers attack and were successful for long spells of Havelock pressure.
But they were caught out by a couple of high balls that were headed home to wipe out the early Bohs lead.
With Alex Logan, Warren Muir, Shane Young and Campion College youngster Mitchell Turner working hard in midfield, and the pace of O’Neill and Kieran Ryan always troublesome to Havelock, the Gisborne side were never completely out of the hunt.
But there could be few complaints from the fans who saw one of the most entertaining games of recent years at Childers Road Reserve.
In Hawke’s Bay, Havelock North Wanderers beat Kingfisher Bar Bohemians 4-2 but Bohs coach Martin Ryan was far from disappointed in the display from his team.
Similarly, Lockwood Lytton High coach Craig Christophers had every reason to be pleased with his team’s sparkling 3-1 away win against Napier Marist.
The Thistle-Taradale draw keeps the Pacific Premiership wide open after the two league leaders turned on a spectacular goal-fest.
But the brilliantly taken goals apart, it was the quality of the football turned on by the teams that was exceptional.
Here was a visiting Taradale team liberally studded with name players from the past decade . . . two decades, when you remember that outstanding midfielder Perry Cotton is now 45 and was there in the Napier City Rovers glory days.
Similarly Chris McIvor, Warren Gilbertson, the Gearey brothers Richard and David, and defenders Adam Turner and Robbie Parker have been pounding the Hawke’s Bay football beat with remarkable consistency.
And what about our own midfield maestro Jimmy Cudd? He came up here carrying a calf-muscle injury but still gave Taradale an excellent first half before he was replaced.
But in that 45 minutes, he showed all the skill that made him such a favourite with Gisborne City fans.
It seems strange that in a game involving two particularly good defences, each should concede four goals. But Taradale fullbacks Turner and Heath Caldwell showed skill and determination as they never wasted a ball when coming out of defence to build attacks.
Centrebacks Parker and Tim Jeffers were rock-solid under the many high balls that were fired into the middle.
Thistle were equally well-performed at the back, where Brad Reynolds, Josh Bates and Nicky Land were outstanding. In front of them, player-coach David Ure, Kane Stirton and Michael Boley contested everything and had the skill to build up quick counter-attacks in which Craig Stirton, Max Logan and Steve Morrow were always prominent.
Once again Jags target-man Nick Somerton was like a lighthouse on a dark night . . . he really stood out as Thistle’s saviour with two brilliant goals.
He was given no space by a defence who obviously know how dangerous he can be in front of goal but he still snapped up two half-chances.
The game began at breakneck pace and in the fifth minute the ever-dangerous McIvor burst clear wide on the right and his 30-metre dipping shot found the net at the far post . . . 1-0.
In the 29th, a perfectly weighted through-ball by Ure caught the defence square and Somerton raced clear and somehow managed to get to the ball a split-second before the keeper . . . 1-1.
Next it was midfield dynamo Cotton putting a chip over the defence for the clever Gilbertson to blast in a 20-metre volley that gave keeper Ryan Majstrovic no chance.
Back came the Jags. Reynolds fed Logan on the right and he raced through and hit a wicked, dipping left-foot drive from 35 metres . . . 2-2.
In the 59th Logan fed Somerton and the elusive striker again found the space to belt the ball home from 18 metres . . . 3-2 to Thistle.
In the 65th, referee Ben Chisholm, who had an excellent game, had no choice but to award a penalty for a tackle from behind and the old master Cotton fired it home . . . 3-3.
In the 75th, those tired old legs of the Taradale vets seemed to get a new lease of life and the indefatigible McIvor went down the right like a runaway hare.
His cross was unbelievable, soaring, almost taunting the Thistle defenders to find the extra few inches needed to reach and clear the ball.
Instead it was the hard-working, always-dangerous flank player Mike Daly racing in from wide to control it and pick his spot in the corner of the net.
With the referee looking at his watch, Thistle rallied yet again. Land, who raced from a defensive left-midfield position to an attacking, inside-right position, chipped the ball over the defence and wide of the keeper to score in the far corner . . . 4-4.
Definitely the best game of the season so far!
■ It is never easy for Gisborne teams to get full squads for the trips to Hawke’s Bay but they have done remarkably well in this respect. And it certainly helps when they can pick up a few points on the journey.
Flying striker Corey Adams was the destroyer of Napier Marist. He belted in a couple of opportunist goals and Tom Watson-Meek also found the net.
Lytton midfielders Ben Sargent, Alex McGregor, Cai Maclean and Chris Dawson gradually came to dominate play and their quick delivery to their front men gave the Marist defence a nightmare afternoon.
The Lytton rearguard, with keeper Cameron Cairns and defenders Aaron Graham, Kieran Higham and Christophers prominent, coped with everything Marist threw at them.
A couple of thundering goals from strikers Ryan O’Neill and Kieran Ryan gave a hint of what the Bohemians could do if they could bolster their first-team squad a little.
Their defence of keeper Cody Keepa and back four of Kyle Gabriel, Liam Ryan, Steven Husband and Bevan Goldsmith worked hard to try to contain the speedy Havelock Wanderers attack and were successful for long spells of Havelock pressure.
But they were caught out by a couple of high balls that were headed home to wipe out the early Bohs lead.
With Alex Logan, Warren Muir, Shane Young and Campion College youngster Mitchell Turner working hard in midfield, and the pace of O’Neill and Kieran Ryan always troublesome to Havelock, the Gisborne side were never completely out of the hunt.
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