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Peter Vossen Builders Matamata Swifts have been held to a draw by high flying, unbeaten Whangarei-based side, North Force, in their latest NRFL division 1 fixture. It was a match Matamata should have won and they’ll be left to rue two defensive mistakes in an otherwise good performance.
The visitors got off to a flyer, scoring within the first two minutes. Swifts defender, Willie Mason, slipped on the bone hard surface, which allowed the visiting striker a straight run at goal and he  finished with a flourish. It wasn’t the ideal start, but the home side was soon back in the game and started to stretch the North Force defence.
Mike Beard got the Swifts back on level terms in the fifteenth minute. His energetic play forced an opening and he drilled home his second screamer in a week with that magic left foot of his.
Beard's goal settled things down for Matamata although they, along with the visitors, were guilty of pushing too hard when a little bit of subtlety would have done the trick. Matamata’s Mark Knell had the best chance to break the deadlock before the break but his close range shot was superbly blocked by the North Force keeper.
The Swifts had the better of the second half as the visitors started to run out of ideas. Substitute, Simon Arthur, went close to putting the Swifts in front, but his close range header went over. It took until the 68th minute for Matamata to get the goal their play deserved and it was a real gem. Youngster, Andrew Clothier, playing at left back, found some space going forward and used all the confidence of youth to carry it into the box and calmly slot his first senior goal.
That should have been game over for Matamata, but another piece of less than ideal defending late on let the visitors sneak away with a point. The Swifts defence failed to deal with a cross from the left, with any one of three players having the chance to clear the ball. Instead, the North Force striker was given an opportunity he couldn’t miss.
Matamata should have had the final say when Mike Beard was played through with five minutes to go, only to be cynically hacked down by the last North Force defender. Surprisingly, only a yellow card appeared from the referee’s front pocket, as the visitors dodged another bullet.
Despite the fact Matamata didn’t manage to secure victory, this was another good performance. The results will come in what appears to be an extremely tight and competitive league.
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