Peter Vossen Builders Matamata Swifts have come up just short in their opening match of the Northern Region Football League division 1 season, losing 1-0 to Manurewa in Auckland.
A sharp finish ten minutes from half time proved to be the difference in an evenly contested, yet attractively open, match. Both teams contributed much to a good game played on a scorching afternoon.
The Matamata defence, containing two players making their Swifts debut, was back to its solid best, laying the platform for the midfield to compete and the strikers to drive forward at their opponents.
Matamata’s best moment of the first half saw Mike Spencer denied by an athletic save when through one-on-one with the Manurewa keeper. This opportunity came when the scores were level and, had it gone in, would have given the the Swifts something to hold on and fight for.
The Swifts lost three strikers, Ismail Awad, Stu Watene and Glen Carmichael, to injury during the week leading up to this match, leaving coach Duncan Lowry with a monumental selection headache. Alberto Romero was moved into the target man role, with Andrew Clothier, later named the Swifts’ man of the match, given the licence to run at Manurewa’s defenders.
This duo worked well together. They didn’t win much in the air against Manurewa’s tall timber, but on the ground it was a different story. Clothier carved out that great first half opportunity for Spencer and forced two good saves from the home side’s keeper. Romero’s aggressively languid style gave the Swifts midfield a focal point.
Eddie Kennedy and Jason Feck made good debuts at the back for Matamata, while Dwayne Signal, a product of the club’s youth set-up, did well in midfield in his first game at this level.
Matamata lost Jon Allen to a second yellow card with twelve minutes remaining when he retaliated to a stamp from a Manurewa defender. Unfortunately the initial offense went unspotted.
Lowry was pleased with his team’s performance. “We performed well against one of the league’s favoured sides and have shown the sort of quality we’ll need to be competitive in this division. On another day we may have nicked a point, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.”
In other matches the young Metso Matamata Swifts reserve team lost 6-0 at WaiBOP Federation League division 2 favourites, Ngongotaha, while a Jamie Cox goal saw the Swifts 3rds win 1-0 at Cambridge in their Waikato Division D opener.
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