Swifts 2-1 Huntly Thistle

Recap

All the goals came in the first half on Saturday, as the Swifts went behind from the penalty spot early on before scoring twice to win 2-1. After the early set-back, Matamata clawed themselves level just before the half hour when Pete Shannon nodded home an Anton Ganas cross.

There was a long delay not long before the break following a head clash that saw a player from each side forced out of the game. Upon resumption, and two minutes into added time, Matamata was awarded a penalty of their own. Captain, Bjorn Vossen, powered it home to give the Swifts the lead.

The second half was a battle of attrition, as the appalling Domain surface and scrappy opponents helped keep the game close. Matamata survived a late scare when a miss-hit cross rebounded away off Kyle van Waveren’s upright, but it was a piece of luck the Swifts deserved as they had the better of the game. Anything but a home victory would have been a harsh outcome.