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Matamata Swifts have been defeated by Rotorua United in their final match of the 2008 Federation League season. The match had nothing riding on it for either side, but the football ended up being a mere sideshow to the antics of the merry men and maiden in yellow.
Duncan Lowry handed first starts to Jamie Baxter and Mike Spencer, and re-jigged his line-up in the absence of experienced players such as Ged Parkinson, Alberto Romero and Carlos Rodriguez. Leo Pardini began the match in the middle of the park but ended up playing more than half a game in the  back four, following the red carding of Jason Collins. It was an experience the big Brazilian will be unlikely to forget!
The Swifts started well and were ahead inside three minutes. Baxter combined well with Spencer who released top scorer, Andre Freitas, down the left. Freitas broke into the box and rolled the ball home with the outside of his right foot.
The Swifts were in total command during the first half hour and continued to threaten and it was no surprise to see the side go two ahead. Mike Spencer drove home his first first team goal inside the right hand upright after good lead-up work from Freitas and Gareth Clark.
During the last ten minutes of the first half things went completely pear-shaped for the Swifts. Some poorly organised defending led directly to the visitors drawing level, scoring two goals within the space of a couple of minutes. Then one of the worst penalty decisions ever given at the Matamata Domain gave them the opportunity to go ahead. Swifts keeper, Gary Darkes, got a hand to the spot kick but could only deflect the ball into the roof of the net.
To complete the job the referee then sent Jason Collins off after he pushed away a Rotorua player who had aimed a sneeky little head butt at the Swifts defender. In any normal game both players would have received their marching orders. But was never going to be a normal game...
The visitors started the second half the stronger of the two sides but it was the Swifts who should have scored first. Daniel Frischknecht had a powerful drive superbly saved by United keeper, Andrew Gibbs, with the ball rebounding into the arm of one of his defenders. The referee and his linesman were the only two people in the ground who (conveniently) didn't see it, even though it is their job to.
Rotorua drilled home a couple of excellent goals through the middle part of the second half. By the time goal number five went in the Swifts had been reduced to nine players after substitute, Leo Regalado, had been red carded after less than ten minutes on the field. Regalado was upended by a dangerous two-footed challenge and in falling to the ground was deemed to have stamped on the Rotorua player's chest. The Rotorua player escaped the ultimate sanction, receiving only a worthless booking. It was another case of the officials being consistent in their inconsistency.
Freitas and Frischknecht both had great late chances, with Freitas being denied by another excellent Gibbs save, the fourth class save he had made during the match. Some late drama saw a Rotorua player sent-off for a second yellow card after leaving his knee in the back of Swifts substitute, Andrew Clothier's, back.
This match should have been a low-key, end of season wind down. Some of the football was half decent and Matamata's under-19 coaching staff will be particularly impressed with the first half hour or so, and the contributions of Spencer, Baxter, Clark and Frischknecht, along with Clothier and Dima Slack off the bench. The game will also serve as a learning experience to players young and old that their own game is not the only thing they need to manage.
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Above Mike Spencer made an excellent impression in his first start for the first team. 
Above "It's a throw in. No, it's a corner. I mean, it's a free kick..."