Swifts 3-2 Tokoroa

Recap

It was double delight for Matamata Swifts on Saturday as the club’s top two men’s teams both recorded well deserved victories at the Matamata Domain.

Comag Matamata Swifts made their 3-2 win over Tokoroa harder than it needed to be, with some generous defending and a missed penalty contributing to the narrowness of the scoreline, but the three points were vital for a side that had previously battled to get their season going.

Player/coach, Scott Parsonage, pinged home the opening goal inside ten minutes to seemingly settle the nerves. The visitors hit back twice, however, to take an unlikely lead. Matamata first let a Tokoroa runner beat half the team before the equaliser was lashed home, then struggled to deal with a set piece that gifted the go-ahead goal.

Reuben Wigelsworth drew Matamata level in the 24th minute, sidefooting home after a neat move to bring reality to the scoreline. The match settled into a pattern of Swifts possession and goal scoring opportunities being met by strong, rugged, resolute Tokoroa defending.

The Swifts should have been back in front by the break, but it took a Parsonage angled strike eleven minutes into the second half to finally break the deadlock. Parsonage had the chance to complete a hat trick soon after, but his penalty was well saved by Tokoroa’s keeper.

While a larger margin would have made life easier for both players and fans alike, the victory was vital in a weekend when results in the Premiership were generally favourable for Matamata.