Metso Matamata Swifts have won the Waikato Premier League (WPL) for the second consecutive season. Their 1-0 win at Ngaruawahia, courtesy of a neatly taken goal from man of the match, Adam Graham, means they cannot be caught at the top of the table.

With Ged Parkinson and Hayri Cihan pulling out on the morning of the match, the Matamata coaching staff were forced to re-jig their side. In came Marcelo Marquez for his first start of the season along with regular player-coach, Duncan Lowry, who has just arrived back in the country after six weeks scouting for players in Europe. Both players performed well, as did the entire side, which, despite the slippery conditions, put on a solid footballing display.

Matamata had by far the better of the first half, but went into the break with nothing to show for their efforts. Most of the front runners had good efforts on goal, with Adam Graham, Scott Parsonage and Neil Slater all being denied by some excellent goal keeping. Andy Birchenough and John Massey were excellent in the middle of the park, which allowed Alberto Romero to get further forward and torture any opponent who attempted to take him on.

At the other end of the field Swifts goalie, Gary Darkes, only had one save of any note to make from a rare Ngaruawahia raid.

Patience was the name of the game for Matamata as they headed into the second half. The highly anticipated, title-winning, goal took a little while to arrive but it certainly wasn't unexpected when it did finally decide to make an appearance. Adam Graham capitalised on a moment of hesitation at the back and tucked the ball home with the outside of his foot.

Ngaruawahia can certainly be forgiven the lapse in an otherwise meritorious effort, as they had spent all day under pressure and most of the match chasing the ball. Their goalie put in an outstanding display, pulling off six or seven important saves.

While a couple more goals for Matamata would have given the scoreline an accurate reflection of the afternoon's play, it is on days like these, when trophies are up for grabs, that results are paramount. The Swifts can be pleased to have left Ngaruawahia with a strong footballing performance under the belt and three priceless points in the bag.

This win completed a run of eight consecutive WPL victories for Matamata. As other clubs slipped up and dropped vital points, the Swifts found themselves back in the title race and then, over the last few weeks, out in front. To be honest, Matamata's shock defeat at Otorohanga in the opening game was a good thing for the league as it kept a number of teams believing they had a shot at the title. That led to competitive games and, at times, some good football.

What makes Matamata's title win all the more pleasing is that this season's WPL was far stronger than the 2005 version. The Federation League was disbanded at the end of last season and a number of sides, including title challengers Te Awamutu and Otorohanga, found themselves back in the WPL. In fact, only Matamata and Claudelands remained from 2005.

Champions again. It's a wonderful feeling!