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West Hamilton 0 v Matamata Swifts 2
Saturday June 22, 2002
Waikato 1st Division

Matamata Swifts picked up their first away win of the season with a gritty performance in the mud and slush at West Hamilton United. Two goals in the last fifteen minutes from the Swifts young strike duo of Jamie Cox and David Hyslop sealed victory in a match that, in truth, could have gone either way.

Matamata also owed a huge debt of gratitude to new goalie, Ian Moody, who, in only his second game of the season between the sticks, pulled off two superb saves to keep the Swifts on level terms.

Given the conditions, a spectacle of flowing football was never going to be on the cards. For most of the game it was a struggle for the players just to stay on their feet, with goal scoring chances being at a premium. The first half was most notable for the amount of times the Swifts managed to get themselves caught off-side. This was a combination several delayed final passes, along with players not holding their run long enough.

At the back, Matamata was a solid as can be expected in such difficult conditions. The back four, with David Mann outstanding once again, were able to cope with most of what West Hamilton had to offer.

After the break Matamata, for a while, looked a little less threatening in front of goal as the match degenerated into a midfield scramble. The home team even had two good chances to kill the game off but first Moody, and then the upright, came to the Swifts rescue.

Just as a scoreless draw looked like the only possible result, Matamata found the scoring touch. First, following a deft pass out of midfield, Jamie Cox was released on goal. Cox was dragged down by the West Hamilton keeper but, just as the referee was raising his whistle to blow for the penalty, managed to regain his feet and nudge the ball home.

Within a minute the Swifts had doubled their lead. This time Cox's strike partner, David Hyslop, found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalie and made no mistake in finishing the game off. Matamata closed the game down during the final ten minutes to ensure they walked off with the points, in the process registering their first clean sheet of the season.

The Matamata Hotel player of the day was goalie Ian Moody.

Other Results:
Te Awamutu 6 v Claudelands 1, Tokoroa pp v Cambridge pp,
Unicol pp v Ngaruawahia pp, Wanderers 1 v Melville 0.

Full Table (as at June 22):