Matamata Swifts v Tauranga City Utd

Recap

Waikato Stud Matamata Swifts snapped a three game losing streak with the narrowest of victories on Saturday.

After sliding down the table in recent weeks the Swifts badly needed a win to improve their battered confidence. The difficult conditions, due to the weather that hit the region over the weekend, didn’t help things, but when Andrew Clothier fired home his third goal of the season just after the half hour mark the Swifts finally had something to hold onto.

That they did was due in large part to the Swifts putting in a much improved defensive effort this week, as evidenced by the team producing only their second clean sheet of the season. The back four of Gary Dobson, Jackson Allen, Michael Dawson and Joe Tompsett looked more assured, while the Swifts midfield screened them well.

The visitors, who are in the midst of a relegation battle, didn’t let Matamata have things all their own way in what was ultimately a reasonably tight encounter.

The local fans who braved the conditions will be heartened by the Swifts’ effort and will be looking for further improvement over the final couple of months of the season.