Matamata Swifts embryonic Chatham Cup run came to a shuddering halt on Saturday as they were ruthlessly picked to pieces by a motivated Ngaruawahia United side. Northern League 2nd Division Ngaruawahia was a completely different proposition to any of the Swifts earlier opponents, such was their speed of thought and ball movement and the manner in which they capitalised on some out-of-character Matamata mistakes.

Early on, however, it looked like Matamata's golden run was going to continue. The Swifts took a third minute lead after a Ngaruawahia defender could only nudge the ball onto his own net following a wicked Andy Birchenough free kick.

In a strange way that was probably the worst thing that could have happened from a Swifts perspective. The side began playing like a team that expected things to happen while the home side, woken from their slumber, started to make things happen.

Matamata held on for the next twenty minutes but then everything started going pear shaped. A clinical finish from out side the box drew Ngaruawahia level, this being the first goal Swifts keeper, Gary Darkes, had conceeded in nearly six and a half hours of competitive football this season. The home side was soon ahead following a lethal far post strike.

It could have been worse for Matamata as the hosts had a goal ruled out for a shove in the box, while a hammering long range effort nearly broke the upright. The goal is probably still shaking. Darkes was also called on to make a superb save at full stretch.

The second half turned into a footballing nightmare for Matamata as the goals rained in. Ngaruawahia's midfield ruled the day, forcing the Swifts to play deeper than they would have liked. This foiled any real chance Matamata had of creating sustained pressure on the home side's back four, their only real weakness.

The third goal came midway through the second half. That was the killer and it then became a matter of how many Ngaruawahia would score.

Swifts substitute, Jason Collins, injected some aggression into the match in the late stages and was unlucky not to grab a consolation goal as he fired wide near the end.

Matamata will use this match as a reference point for the rest of the season. The intensity shown by the home side, honed out of playing week in, week out, in a league two levels higher than the Swifts, was the telling factor in this football lesson.