Stanley Group Matamata Swifts have drawn a blank following their 0-0 draw at home to Tauranga City United.

In a match of little incident, the main talking point was the sending off of a Tauranga player before the break, which gave Matamata the chance to play against ten men for a considerable amount of time. The Swifts couldn’t quite do enough, however, to force the victory they needed.

This was a match of much endeavour but little attacking quality. The two sides cancelled each other out in midfield to the point where not much of anything actually happened. The best chance of the first half fell to Jack McNab who, for about the sixth time this season, managed to hit the upright instead of the back of the net. This chance came twenty minutes in, with neither keeper having much to do before then.

The sending off, on about the half hour mark, altered the mind-sets of both sides, with Tauranga consciously digging in from then on, while the Swifts opened up but still struggled to move their opponents around sufficiently.

Most of the second half was played out in the middle third, although the Swifts did look the more likely team to grab a goal. Captain Jon Allen twice had good shots well saved by Tauranga’s keeper, while McNab sent a shot fizzing over the crossbar and Stu Watene drilled an opportunity narrowly wide from a tough angle. At the other end, Swifts keeper Tom Pamment had his quietest day of the season.

The visitors should be commended for the heart they showed to grind out a point in difficult circumstances, although the Swifts will be aggrieved not to have moved them round as much as they should have.

The Swifts take a break from their league commitments next Saturday to travel to Whakatane for their first round Chatham Cup fixture.