Matamata Swifts 1-1 HRFC Clube

Recap

Stanley Joinery Matamata Swifts suffered last minute heart break again when an almost certain, and certainly deserved, three points were cruelly taken from their grasp thanks to a late equaliser.

Dropping points here would have been gut wrenching for the squad, but their performance was good. They suffocated a visiting Clube side, well known for their technical football, to the point the visitors ended up playing more like a route one, lower league English side than the Brazilian Selecao they model their game on.

The Swifts should have been out of sight well before centre half Michael Dawson finally nodded home a Jamie Baxter free kick. Baxter had several great opportunities earlier in the game to open the scoring himself.

Goalie Jordan Wise, who was hit late early in the game and spent most of it limping, was barely troubled due to the sterling work going on in front of him. He was left with no chance, however, when Clube grabbed their equaliser in a manner almost identical to Dawson’s opener.

So another afternoon of hard work and improved performance left the Swifts frustrated, but the young side is learning some valuable lessons in the best way possible – by experiencing them.

Click here for a copy of the match day programme.