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Pre-Season Friendly

Matamata Swifts 0 v Whakatane 2

Matamata AFC got season 2002 underway in sweltering conditions, losing 2-0 to a slick Whakatane team at the Domain. The Swifts looked promising in the first half, adapting well to an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation. This period was dominated by a battle for control in the middle of the park which, like the score, finished even at the break.

The wing-backs, Cam Pearson and Colin Taylor, didn't take long to find their feet in their new roles, while David Hyslop and Jamie Cox, last season's leading scorer, looking threatening going forward. Indeed, Hyslop had the best goal scoring chance of the half from either side. Put through by Pearson, he had just the keeper to beat but screwed his shot narrowly wide of the far post.

The second half was controlled by the visitors as the heat, along with the Swifts' lack of match practice, took its toll. Whakatane got the ball in the back of the net twice but, in truth, both goals were avoidable. The first, from a corner, was drilled home at the far post by an unmarked visitor, while the second bounced in off a Whakatane striker's shin, leaving goalie, Jim Brand, with no chance.

Matamata can be relatively happy with their performance, given this was their first match of the season. The players generally did what they were asked to do by the coaching staff and only fell away slightly when the searing heat got to them.