West Hamilton 0 v Matamata Swifts 4

Matamata Swifts completed a quick return to winners circle with a comfortable win at Weka Street against West Hamilton. Two goals apiece to strikers Bevan Shelley and Joe Alves did the job for the Swifts, who continued their 2004 goal binge and, in the process, kept the pressure on the Premier League frontrunners.

Matamata started the stronger of the two teams, and that's pretty much how things remained for the rest of the match. The Swifts carried a narrow 1-0 lead into the break, courtesy of a Shelley headed goal from a Scott Hudson corner. Matamata, adapting quicker to the slippery surface, created a hatful of first half chances but failed covert them, leaving their opponents, at least for a while, with a glimmer of hope. At the other end Matamata survived a couple of minor scares but, in truth, stand-in keeper, Jason Collins, had little to do. Collins was pressed into service between the sticks due to injury to regular goalie, Ian Moody. Moody snapped a couple of tendons in his left hand during last week's loss at Claudelands, and looks likely to be out for at least a month.

The Swifts began the second half in much the same way as they had finished the first - by firing a succession of blanks. Just about eveyone got in on the act, before, thankfully, the game was wrapped up on the hour mark. Bevan Shelley was in the action again. He was shoved over inside the box, and proceeded to get up and tuck home the resulting penalty. Not to be outdone his strike partner, Joe Alves, added two goals in the last quarter of the match. His first was snapped home from close range while the second, from outside the box, came from a sweetly struck drive that skipped inside the right-hand upright.

The Swifts no nonsense defense held up well in difficult conditions. Colin Taylor and man of the match, Steve Beattie, were particularly outstanding. The midfield engine room of David Hyslop and John Van Gog broke down most of the home side's attacks while Scott Hudson, unshackled from his customery defensive duties during the second half, proved menacing down the left.

Swifts squad 1-Jason Collins; 11- Steve Beattie, 16-Dwayne Barlow, 4-Colin Taylor, 12-Scott Hudson; 6-Floyd Emson (13-Marcelo Marquez 46m), 14-John Van Gog (c) 9-David Hyslop, 5-Jamie Cox; 7-Bevan Shelley, 10-Joe Alves.

Other results
Ngaruawahia 1 v Claudelands 6
Putaruru 0 v Tokoroa 4
Wanderers 2 v Cambridge 3
Hamilton North (Bye).



Above: Bevan Shelley (No 7) slots home his, and Matamata's, second goal from the penalty spot.