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Two sloppily conceeded early goals set the scene for what was a completely miserable performance from a disappointing Matamata Swifts side. This was the first time the Swifts had been at home in eight weeks but instead of being inspired by the surroundings the team was insipid.
Matamata looked anything but title contenders in this match as their motivated opponents simply ran them off the field. Looking at the table, this was a game Matamata should have won.  Unfortunately, the Swifts seemed to enter the field believing their own publicity. They were off the pace and the visitors thoroughly deserved their victory.
The beginning of this match was a nightmare for Matamata. Within minutes of the kick-off they were a goal down when a shot that was little more than a side-footed back pass was allowed to roll into an empty part of the net. Before ten minutes had ticked by the visitors were two up. A nothing ball into the box was allowed to bounce and an unattended Wanderers player was given the space to smash the ball into the net.
The Swifts finally had something to talk about on the quarter hour as they hauled themselves back into the game. Alberto Romero skipped past a couple of Wanderers defenders before chipping the ball to top scorer, Andre Freitas. Freitas brought the ball down on his chest and volleyed it home.
But that was as good as it got for Matamata. Wanderers restored their two goal lead from a free kick before half time. While the awarding of the free kick was contentious the finish was emphatic.
Matamata had three great opportunities either side of half time to get on the come back trail once more, but blew the lot of them. Ged Parkinson went close with a far post header, then Gareth Clark bunted a ball over from just under the cross bar in the lead up to half time. Then, within moments of the re-start, Freitas screwed a volley just wide. After that the Swifts generally had the upper hand during the second half, without really looking like grabbing a goal back.
As so often happens when you don't take your chances or make the most of your possession, your opponents will score, and that's what happened with less than ten minutes on the clock. The visitor's final goal came from a good old fashioned route one welly, which their striker brought down well and finished superbly.
This match was a fantastic reminder of why football is the great game it is. You should never take any game for granted, because if you do you are likely to get exposed. The Swifts need to sort things out very quickly. They are on the road next Saturday before returning to play Taupo in a massive title show down at the Domain on August 30.
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