Chippa United coach Brandon Truter was satisfied after his team battled admirably to earn a valuable away point in their Betway Premiership season opener against Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium at the weekend.
In a fiercely contested clash that saw three yellow cards handed to the Gqeberha side, both teams ultimately settled for a hard-fought goalless draw.
Although Truter, who took over the Chilli Boys one game before the season finale last season, was pleased with the point away from home, he said if they had maintained their first-half performance, they could have achieved a better result.
“It was two different halves,” Truter said.
“In the first half we were dominant. We were on top of it, and we controlled many aspects of the game.
“We could have made better decisions in our final third and capitalised on them.
“The first half was a good outing for us, but in the second half Arrows came back, and they started very brightly.
“However, we also have to do a revisit now and see what caused the dip, because I don’t think in the second half we were as energised as the first half.
“But well done to Arrows for the second-half performance; they put us under pressure.
“We reacted and managed to contain it.
“I think, in a different season, Chippa would have conceded under that pressure.
“I am mindful that this is a new crop, the mentality is different.
“We sustained it when they put us under tremendous pressure, and we secured a point away from home, and I am happy with that.”
The Chilli Boys announced eight new players on their Facebook page ahead of their match against Arrows.
In addition to Stanley Nwabali’s return and Goodman Mosele’s permanent move to Chippa from Orlando Pirates, the Chilli Boys added Nthuthuko Mlotshwa, Muhammad Carrim, Daba Diakite, Tshepang Makara, Muzomuhle Khanyi, Lebohang Tshabalala, Obakhe Tshaya, and Highbury FC’s Imraan Jones to their squad for the new season.
Chippa’s home game against Richards Bay on August 11 is at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto at 7.30pm.
The quarterfinals of the MTN8 competition will be played this weekend.
The fixtures are:
Saturday: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Polokwane City, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, 3.30pm; Orlando Pirates vs Durban City, Orlando Stadium, 6pm.
Sunday: Kaizer Chiefs vs Golden Arrows, FNB Stadium, 3.30pm; AmaZulu vs Sekhukhune United, Moses Mabhida Stadium, 6pm.
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