Stanley Group Matamata Swifts have slipped to a disappointing 4-3 defeat by Waiuku in their final home game of the 2012 season. The Swifts twice led this one by two goals but in the end couldn't hold on for what should have been a morale boosting win.

Matamata started brighter, which was a necessity after their previous effort at Tauranga, and were deservedly ahead inside ten minutes. Andrew Carter, who had an excellent first half, drilled the ball home from just inside the box after good work by Stu Watene and Jon Allen.

The visitors looked good on the counter and Jono Crook, in goal for Matamata, was forced to make one excellent close range save to preserve his clean sheet for a while longer.

The Swifts doubled their advantage when Carter pounced on a Waiuku error. The visiting keeper was drawn out of his box, but a poor clearance gave Carter the opportunity to skilfully bend the ball into an undefended net from 34 yards.

The visitors grabbed themselves a lifeline just before the break when Crook was deemed to have carried the ball over his line following a corner. That decision looked extremely harsh.

But it shouldn't have mattered as Matamata pushed themselves further ahead five minutes after the restart. Mackenzie Smith nodded home an excellent cross for his first goal of the season to give the Swifts a 3-1 advantage.

And then the collapse began. Waiuku hauled themselves back into the game within five minutes after the Swifts made a mess of another corner. The equaliser duly came not long after, before Waiuku grabbed the winner with a mis-kick that left Crook wrong-footed and stranded.

The Swifts did have a couple of good chances to get an equaliser of their own, with both Jack McNab and Stu Watene having good shots well saved.

In the end the mood of the Swifts players and fans matched the dull, drizzly day as another one got away.