Tauranga City Utd v Matamata Swifts

Recap

Waikato Stud Matamata Swifts put in a rampant second half performance at Mt Maunganui’s Links Ave to over-power Tauranga City United and move the side into the top three of the WaiBOP Premiership.

The result was built around a first senior hat trick from ‘veteran’ Jamie Baxter, with youngsters Sam Masterson and Logan Allen also helping themselves to goals. On a bleak afternoon, the Swifts’ relentless attacking kept the few travelling fans warm.

Baxter opened the scoring from a deflected free kick just after the half hour mark, but Tauranga brought themselves level right on half time when the Swifts failed to deal with a corner. The hosts then pushed in front not long after the break.

The Swifts’ reply was, well, swift, with Baxter knocking home another free kick just over ten minutes after the restart before Masterson tapped home from close range to regain the lead.

Baxter completed his hat trick with fifteen minutes remaining before Allen, who had been on the field for less than ten minutes, completed the rout by scoring his first goal for the first team with five minutes left.

This was an important win for Matamata as it lifted the team to third, albeit after a weather impacted round of games. The contrast with this time last season couldn’t be more stark. The youngsters continue to improve and contribute to the side’s performances, while the experienced players add a nice foil to their exuberance.