Comag Matamata Swifts ended their recent poor run on Saturday, defeating Ngongotaha 5-3 in a match that finished prematurely due to an injury that required an ambulance to be called on to the Domain.
The Swifts were rampant during the opening quarter hour, scoring three times through Chris Walker, Radge Avergonzado and a Jamie Baxter penalty. It was a frantic opening from a team that had previously found goals so hard to come by.
Ngongotaha found themselves back in the game, however, by the half hour mark after some more generous Swifts defending let them slide home two goals of their own. Some more Chris Walker magic, however, had the Swifts two goals clear at the break.
Walker nudged home from close range early in the second half to stretch Matamata’s lead to three again, before the visitors clawed back the deficit midway through the half.
The match was ended with less than fifteen minutes to go when Swifts substitute, Hayri Cihan, had his leg broken after a robust midfield challenge. With Cihan unable to be moved and night time descending as everyone at the Domain waited for the ambulance to arrive, the full time whistle was blown and the result stood.
Challenge Matamata Swifts Ladies had another weekend off, due to Queen’s Birthday, but both Waharoa Transport Swifts Reserves and Fez Kebab Swifts 3rds did get out on the field. The reserves confounded even themselves with their inability to score, despite fashioning more chances in their game against Waikato Unicol than that had in all their previous games so far this season.
Their Waikato Plate match ended 1-1, with Jacob Fouhy scrambling home a second half equaliser after the visitors had scored from the spot before half time. Extra time came and went, with the reserves camped in their attacking third throughout, but there were no further goals, leading to the inevitable penalty shoot-out. Almost equally as inevitable was Unicol taking the shoot out to knock the reserves out of the Plate.
It was better news for the Swifts 3rds, however, as they advanced to the next round of the Plate following a 3-2 with at Northern United. Matamata’s goals came from Jamie Cox, Scott Hudson and an own goal as the hard working team picked up a deserved first win of the season.
The Good Merchant Players of the Day this weekend were Chris Walker (Comag Matamata Swifts), Jacob Fouhy (Waharoa Transport Swifts Reserves) and Paul Weymouth (Fez Kebab Swifts 3rds).