Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter described the Free State Stadium pitch as a cow patch following Amakhosi's goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night.
The forthright Baxter also castigated the PSL for not ensuring that Premier League games were played on suitable surfaces, befitting the stature of matches in the country's premier division.
“That is something I would expect from an organisation with the status of the PSL, who are progressive and affluent in many other directions,” Baxter said.
He blamed the state of the “bumpy, uneven playing surface” as a prime reason for log leaders Amakhosi's loss of two valuable points from an up-and-down performance which affected the finishing of both sides.
“We started the match in rampant style and dominated the opening 20 minutes when there was a lot of dew on the surface and control of the ball was not such a severe test of the players skills.
“But as the uneven pitch dried out and became harder, our performance became increasingly off-key and for a period after half-time I thought we were in real trouble as Celtic dominated the proceedings.
“Still our players showed their mettle and character by regrouping against a very dedicated team and regaining control in the closing stages when we might easily have pulled off a victory.”
Baxter, however, also reiterated an earlier warning that the League championship race was not over yet.
“It's not yet in the bag for us, despite the commanding lead we presently enjoy in the log table.”
Chiefs went into the Celtic game with a 12-point advantage over Mamelodi Sundowns, who crushed Moroka Swallows 4-1 in Atteridgeville on Tuesday, and now lead the defending champions by 13 points, but from one extra game.
Baxter's caution, no doubt, was heightened by the fact that at a similar stage of last season, Chiefs were seemingly running away with the league enjoying an eight-point lead over the second-placed Brazilians.
But Chiefs lost their impetus and Sundowns responded with a rousing finish to overtake Amakhosi in a photo-finish finale.
A resolute Celtic, who during a second-half onslaught were thwarted by Brilliant Khuzwayo in Chiefs' goal from opening the score, gave as good as they got against the unbeaten log leaders, in spite of occupying 11th place on the log.
“This was a particularly pleasing performance for myself and our supporters,” said Celtic coach Clinton Larsen, who is back with the Bloemfontein club for a second stint after being replaced by the now Chippa United-based Ernst Middendorp.
“The team had gone through a lean period prior to the mid-season break, but our fans never wavered in their support and were back in large numbers for the game against Chiefs.
“Their presence certainly helped and motivated the players and they were rewarded in turn with a performance that showed we can hold our own with any team in the PSL.” – Sapa