Waikato Unicol v Matamata Swifts

Recap

Waikato Stud Matamata Swifts suffered another fruitless afternoon away from home on an afternoon where the conditions made the match a battle of attrition rather than a footballing classic.

Buoyed by their previous week’s performance the Swifts began brightly against one of the Premiership’s pre-season favourites. Like the Swifts, however, Unicol have been inconsistent over the second half of the season. That meant both sides were desperate for a win and the first goal was always going to prove vital.

Unfortunately for the Swifts that goal came from Unicol after the half hour mark. The goal was gold for the hosts, giving them something to hold on as the surface deteriorated markedly.

The Swifts pressed well after the break but, again, to little goal scoring effect. Unicol clung to their lead as the match turned into a survival-of-the-fittest-slog-fest. The hosts doubled their lead, and in the process secured their victory, right at the death.

Matamata’s midfield trio of Scott Parsonage, Dwayne Signal and Andrew Clothier, in his final game before heading back to the USA, matched up well against their opponents and the conditions, but in the end the disappointment of conceding the opening goal proved too much to overcome.