PORT ELIZABETH – Relegation-threatened Bidvest Wits squandered a golden opportunity to secure back-to-back victories when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Chippa United in an Absa Premiership clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.
The Chilli Boys certainly emerged from the match the happier of the two teams after surviving for much of the match on scraps.
They salvaged a share of the spoils with an 81st-minute equaliser by defender Kristopher Bergman, following some good build-up work by substitute Mxolisa Macuphu.
After a lukewarm opening 20 minutes where neither side looked particularly threatening, the ‘Clever Boys’ slowly began to assert their forward dominance.
And it paid dividends in the 27th minute when Maliele Pule broke the deadlock from a pinpoint Thulani Hlatshwayo assist.
Basement club Wits were the livelier and more innovative of the two teams, and controlled the tempo for much of the game, always looking likely to extend their fragile one-goal lead.
Instead of sitting on their lead, the visitors looked to build on their dominance and were rarely troubled, aside from the isolated raid by United which rarely tested the Students’ defence.
Wits coach Gavin Hunt will be none too charmed that the spoils were shared, and would probably have had some harsh words to exchange with his charges in the dressing room for letting Chippa back into the game.
The draw moved the defending champions off the foot of the league table, while Chippa United maintained their mid-table position by coming away with a point from what deteriorated into a scrappy encounter in the final quarter.