Metso Matamata Swifts produced their best footballing performance of the season in their latest Waikato/Bay of Plenty league match. For once Matamata finished with the goals they deserved as they put Tauranga to the sword.

An early Alberto Romero goal settled the nerves for the Swifts. With less than five minutes gone he found himself free in the box, picked his spot and swatted the ball home. Romero is a key figure for Matamata and his performance in this match was up to his usual high standards. His composure, range of passing and finishing was a pleasure to watch.

Matamata went on to batter their hosts, without any further reward, during the first half. Andrew Taylor, Jason Collins, Andy Birchenough and Romero all had shots superbly saved by the Tauranga keeper before the break. Jason Collins was a constant menace up front, creating openings with his sheer physical presence.

The home side did have their moments during the first half. Aided by a wicked breeze and a bumpy surface they were able to create small spells of pressure, although the Swifts back three were able to deal with most of it.

Matamata wrapped up the points in the first ten minutes of the second half. A sublime chip from Romero doubled the tally then man of the match, Scott Parsonage, stabbed one home from close range.

This early burst of scoring was perfect for Matamata as it allowed coach, Duncan Lowry, to remove some players carrying niggly injuries and give everyone on the bench a decent amount of game time. This is a luxury that hasn't always been available in recent weeks.

The Swifts substitutes managed to get in on the action, with Dima Slack unlucky to shoot wide near the end, while Hayri Cihan closed out the scoring right on time. Cihan slotted the ball home after being sent through by another superb pass from Romero.

Swifts keeper, Gary Darkes, had only a couple of saves to make, one in each half, but they were both great efforts to preserve his third consecutive clean sheet. Captain, Andy Birchenough, was his usual driving force in midfield, albeit more of a smooth shifting Mercedes this week than the regularly appearing gas guzzling, exhaust spitting muscle car.

The back three of Ged Parkinson, Colin Taylor and Duncan Lowry were strength and composure personified, although they did have their feathers ruffled on a couple of occasions. One of the home side's wide men managed to enduce a couple of air swings.

Matamata takes a break from league action next week as they host Auckland-based side, Bohemian Celtic, in the first round of the Chatham Cup.