Recap
Waikato Stud Matamata Swifts suffered only their second WaiBOP Premiership defeat of the season in going down disappointingly at Rotorua United.
The Swifts have built a solid record this season and, prior to the match, sat just off the pace in fifth on the table. This match doubled as a Federation Challenge Shield challenge so the team had every motivation to put in a decent performance. Unfortunately it was a rather subdued afternoon for the Swifts as they failed to fully get to grips with a stubborn opponent.
Matamata has struggled at Neil Hunt Park in the past, and the outcome here proved disconcertingly similar. Rotorua scored a goal in each half to claim a deserved victory.
The Swifts certainly weren’t short of fight, picking up four second half bookings as they battled to make things happen, but the extra bit of quality was missing this weekend.
