In their second run out of the season, Matamata Swifts ambled head long into a motivated, energetic, yet pragmatic, Cambridge side on a granite hard Vogel Street pitch. It was an 'interesting' encounter and one the Swifts coaching staff would have taken much from (regardless of the result which, given the match was only a pre-season friendly, was largely irrelevant).

The Swifts side contained five changes from the side that started against Melville United in their previous match. This was partly deliberate and partly enforced but it did, at least, give Matamata coach, Duncan Lowry, a good opportunity to have a look at some more players against tough opponents.

Bizarrely, the match had more than its fair share of bite, particularly from the home side who seemed to have an unwholesome early appetite for most things wearing black and white. This was despite them barely touching the ball during the opening stages of the match. Or, more likely, because of it...

The two sides took vastly contrasting approaches into the game. Matamata, only a few weeks into their pre-season, attempted to keep hold of the ball, not least because it would mean the need for unnecessary running would be minimised. Their cavalier 3-4-3 formation was a little shaky at times, but was persevered with just to see how it would work under pressure.

The fitter home side, seemingly desperate for victory, got numbers back when they didn't have the ball and smashed it into their sole front runner when they did finally get it.

On this day the Cambridge approach won the day. They figured out early on that on a surface resembling the nearby State Highway 1 the ball was best kept off the ground as much as possible. The Matamata back three of Ged Parkinson, Bevan Shelley and Colin Taylor had to deal with more than their share of difficult bounces and these, combined with two great hits, helped the home side to a surprising lead as the seconds ticked down to the break.

Further disaster was to follow right on half time as Shelley and Matt Aberhart, in the Matamata goal, collided with each other and in the process offered up the easiest of goal scoring opportunities.

The second half was more sensible as some of the sting went out of the game. The Swifts continued to have by far the greater weight of possession, although a lot of it was outside their attacking third. They did start making positive inroads, however, and it was on the hour mark that they finally grabbed a goal back. Alberto Romero scuffed the ball home but, such is the manner of the man, he did it in the most unhurried, stylish manner possible.

Cambridge, in one of their rare second half raids, notched their fourth goal against a rearranged and stretched Swifts defence before Matamata repaid the compliment. Fifteen year old Gareth Clarke, a second half substitute, had a shot parried into the path of Adam Graham who lashed the ball into an empty net.

The match kind of petered out after that. Matamata looked the more likely of the two sides to notch another goal but failed to carve out more than a handful of half chances, while Cambridge just reverted to type.

The pre-season Matamata experiments will end soon enough but at this stage, five weeks out from the start of the season, winning is less important than gaining match fitness and settling on a balanced and improving squad of players. The journey continues next Saturday as the Swifts play Claudelands at home.