Comag Matamata Swifts have created a big piece of history for our small club this season by progressing to the last 32 of the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup, New Zealand Football’s premier knock-out competition.
The club’s records are less than complete, but we can be pretty confident in saying this is the furthest the club has ever been in the Chatham Cup and it all began on a sunny afternoon back in April.
We beat Internationale FC 5-4 in extra time in our preliminary round match before hammering NRFL Division 2 side, Onehung Mangere United 6-0 in round 1.
Both the early games were played at the Domain in good conditions and in front of large, vocal crowds. For round 2, however, the team had to head to Auckland to take on Unimount Bohemian Celtic at Bill McKinley. The Swifts edged that one 1-0 and now we wait to face North Shore United on Saturday.
We know North Shore will be heavy favourites, given the respective league positions and backgrounds, but we see this as a unique occasion to bring the club together, watch our team take on tough and talented opposition, enjoy the national football spotlight for an afternoon and, hopefully, leave with the memory of a great day in the club’s history.
We hope to see everyone at the Domain on Saturday.
Match Details – ISPS Handa Chatham Cup
Comag Matamata Swifts v North Shore United
2pm kick-off at the Matamata Domain