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Peter Vossen Builders Matamata Swifts have put in one of the best performances of the 2010 season to defeat Birkenhead United. This was the third consecutive five goal thriller for Matamata and another important home victory in the race for the NRFL division 1 top six.
The youthful Birkenhead side have impressed many people this season so Swifts coach, Duncan Lowry, sent his side out win the physical battle, while still maintaining the integrity of their football.  At the end it was mission accomplished, but not before the visitors gave a good account of themselves.
The opening exchanges were fairly tame before the match stepped up a level. The visitors looked to hit the ball long to their speedy front runners while the Swifts sat in and countered with increasing intensity.
Matamata opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Grant Cooper nodded home a Stu Watene corner. Soon after the visitors were awarded a shonky penalty after a prone Bevan Woltersdorf had the ball driven into his chest. It was a bad decision but a great spot kick saw the visitors take a deserved share of the spoils into the break.
The Swifts altered things slightly going into the second half, with more attention being paid to Birkenhead’s playmaker, Jack Hobson-McVeigh. This move proved fruitful as the talented youngster was increasingly marginalised and moved to the fringes of the contest.
Swifts captain, Andy Birchenough, put his team ahead in the 55th minute with a looping header that beat a sun-blinded Birkenhead keeper. Within minutes the visitors broke down the left, attacked with pace and worked a nice little equaliser. A six minute burst of scoring was completed as Matamata was awarded their first penalty of the season after Pete Shannan was flattened in the box. Mike Beard completed the job to put his team ahead for the final time.
Both sides hit the woodwork during the final half hour, with Beard’s screaming long range drive unlucky to bounce away. Pete Shannan also hit a scorcher from distance that the unsighted keeper did exceptionally well to save.
Matamata's back four was, once again, solid, while the front two of Beard and Andy Cooper chased like terriers all day. Shannan and Birchenough did a great job in the middle of the park.
Matamata travels to Tauranga next Saturday to play another side in the hunt for the top six.
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