Matamata Swifts were defeated by defending Waikato/Bay of Plenty Federation League champions Taupo in their last match before the Caper Cup final.

The Swifts ran out losers by the odd goal in seven, but it would be fair to say both sides got everything they wanted from the match. Taupo, seemingly desperate for victory, got the win they craved, while Matamata had a good competitive hit-out in their final match before the meaningful games begin.

Matamata took a small squad into the game in a bid to give all those who started as much game time as possible. The side reverted to a 3-4-3 formation and gave both Jason Collins and Daniel da Silva their first starts of the pre-season.

The Swifts looked good in patches, but also struggled, at times, to break down the flat back five that was regularly employed by their hosts. The small pitch didn't exactly help things.

Collins opened the scoring when put through by a deft da Silva header. He raced through the square Taupo defence and smacked the ball through the legs of the keeper.

Taupo hauled themselves back into the match courtesy of a scratchy penalty, then took an unlikely lead not long before the break following a superbly taken free kick.

By this stage the match was threatening to boil over as both sides felt varying levels of frustration from some of the (quite frankly) bizarre refereeing decisions. It all added to the drama of the day, however, and gave the match the sort of edge not often seen in a game with no other real meaning.

The Swifts levelled things up twice in the second half before conceeding a late goal to lose on the day. Adam Graham followed up to head the ball home following an Alberto Romero free kick that had struck the upright, making it 2-2, then Jason Collins grabbed his second to tie things up again.

These two sides will more than likely meet later in the season in the new Waikato/Bay of Plenty Federation Super League. That match should be a very tasty one indeed...

This rounds out the Swifts pre-season schedule and the club now looks towards the Caper Cup final, which will be their first chance of silverware this season.

The Swifts have used 25 different players over the last few weeks, with pretty much every one of them contributing in some way. That leaves coach, Duncan Lowry, with the tough task of selecting a squad of just 14 players for next week.

Matamata will play Rotorua Suburbs (not Kawerau Town, as previously scheduled) in the Caper Cup, the match that will officially signal the start of the 2006 season proper. We can't wait!