Gisborne Thistle ace striker Somerton makes it 20 goals in six games

NZ Herald

12-05-2025

It bodes well for the Boys' High tilt at qualification for the premier national secondary schools tournament.
Thistle head the Eastern Premiership table on goal difference from Napier City Rovers Reserves, Havelock North Wanderers and Gisborne United. All four sides won on Saturday.
The Boys' High-United game was played at a rollicking pace on a school pitch that had a bit of 'give' in it.
United went 1-0 up in the 15th minute, when Josh Adams crossed from the left for brother Corey to latch on to the parried ball to finish from close range.
HSOB Boys' High, already several short of their first-choice squad, lost two starters to injury in the first half. Right back Anton Larkins was replaced by Mako Fukushima-Hall in the 24th minute, and left midfielder Xavier Priestley-Mennie came off for LeRoy Hill in the 30th.
Josh Adams scored United's second goal in the 33rd minute. He let fly from 30 metres with a shot that gave goalkeeper Aiden Armstrong no chance. Adams scored again in the 42nd, arriving at the far post to force in left midfielder Malcolm Marfell's cross.
United looked set for a runaway win. So it was pleasing to see the students score through Jacob Adams in the 54th minute and withstand considerable United second-half pressure while mounting some dangerous raids themselves.
They owed much to their player of the match, keeper Armstrong. He made several crucial one-on-one stops and foiled Corey Adams with a double save that goalkeeping coach Mitchell Stewart-Hill would have been proud to make.
Fullbacks Gavin Derr on the left and Fukushima-Hall on the right coped well with dangerous United flank players Campbell Hall and Marfell. Centre backs Shai Avni and Kauri Holmes did well to hold Josh and Corey Adams scoreless in the second half.
Jacob Adams, named captain for the day to mark the game against his brothers, was in central midfield alongside Rylan Crosby-Wright, Hill, Euan Cramer and Korbin Wigglesworth. Alex Langford came on for Crosby-Wright with about half an hour to go.
They were up against a full-strength United midfield – Dane Thompson, Dan Torrie and holding midfielder Aaron Graham, supported out wide by Hall and Marfell, with occasional help from either Adams brother darting back to seek the ball.
Boys' High striker Connor Evison and his second-half replacement, Oliver McManaway, were outnumbered by well-performed United defenders Kieran Higham, Ryan Anderson and Kieran Venema but kept them on their toes.
Andy McIntosh's influence in goal is another factor in United's good start to the season. He has the happy knack of getting some part of his body in the way of goal-bound shots.
The return of centre back Jonathan Purcell, who came on for Anderson late in the game, gives the defence strength in depth.
Hawke's Bay referee Marty Roil kept the game flowing smoothly.
United coach Josh Adams said his side had taken the second half too easily, and Boys' High stepped up their effort and showed they deserved to be in this competition.
Boys' High coach for this game, Sebastian Itman, said four key players had been unavailable for the game. Those who played showed great courage in rising to the challenge.
In the later game, Thistle went close in the 36th minute, when Somerton stretched to reach a long ball from left back Oliver Aldridge but volleyed over the bar. A minute later, though, he made no mistake, and it was 1-0 at halftime.
Port Hill came close to equalising in the 57th minute when a defender slipped and keeper Mark Baple was called on to make a fingertip save.
In the 60th, Thistle centre back Junior Jimmy broke out of defence and fed Somerton, who made ground and hit a hard shot that Port Hill keeper Michael Mason could only parry as far as on-rushing right midfielder Te Kani Wirepa-Hei. He scored from five metres to make it 2-0.
Three minutes later, Jimmy was tackled on the edge of the Jags' penalty area and the ball was passed into the goalmouth, where Port Hill skipper Matt Betesta fired the ball home from five metres.
Thistle regained their two-goal cushion in the 65th minute. Somerton aggressively chased down a long ball ahead of pacy centre back Sam Skilton, beat the keeper to it and scored.
Three minutes on, Jags centre back Martin Kees was penalised for a foul on Betesta, and defender James Mason scored from the penalty spot.
Somerton scored the last in a flurry of goals, turning on the bouncing ball after a left-wing corner by Travis White and blasting it from close range.
Thistle had more chances to score but Michael Mason blocked shots by Somerton and then Samson Hotas, who had come on for Alex Shanks in the 67th minute.
Two minutes from the end, Wirepa-Hei capped a fine game with a goal-line block.
Thistle keeper Baple had a strong game, and fullbacks Kuba Jerabek and Aldridge kept a lid on the danger from the flanks. Centre backs Jimmy and Kees broke up numerous attacks but frayed supporters' nerves when they lost the ball in or around the penalty area.
Port Hill strikers Luke Posthumus and Betesta harried the Gisborne defence at every opportunity and kept their side in with a shout.
Thistle's Nick Land, Cory Thomson and White had a battle on their hands with Jamie Provines, Kaleb McKenzie and Ollie Berry in the Port Hill engine room, while Jags left midfielder Alex Shanks was up against a rugged opponent in right back Nick Yorke.
Referee Chris Niven kept the lid on a competitive game
Thistle coach Tam Cramer said the game should have been put to bed much earlier but his team's finishing was 'not great', and they had done 'stupid things' that let Port Hill back into it.
'It was good to have Junior Jimmy and Samson Hotas back. Te Kani Wirepa-Hei played well, Jimmy Somerton led the line well and Nick Land is resisting taking a break. Cory Thomson was unlucky not to get a couple of goals.'
Port Hill coach Dan Johansen said it was encouraging his side had pushed Thistle right to the end after a three-hour road trip.
'I'm proud of the guys for putting in a shift.'