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Barker praises Aces effort

Johannesburg - Head coach Clive Barker was relieved to see his Mpumalanga Black Aces team fight back in the second half, as they snatched a point away from home in their first fixture following the lengthy Premiership break.

Aces winger Aubrey Ngoma, who had worked hard on the flank all night, was rewarded for his efforts in the latter stages of the game by netting the equaliser as Aces and Platinum Stars settled for a 1-1 draw in Phokeng on Wednesday evening.

"They controlled the destiny of the game in the first half, but we murdered them in the second half and we deserved to get the goal," Barker said.

"I enjoyed the game. It was open, it was good, it was quick, and I'm delighted we were able to get something across the line.

"I think both sides needed this game. It was fantastic all round, we had a great fight back and I'm very happy."

After being denied a penalty attempt in the first minute of the match, Stars dominated the opening period and Mahlatse Makudubela eventually put them in front shortly before the break.

Makudubela, the Man of the Match, latched on to a loose ball to hit the back of the net from a tight angle.

The visitors struck back in the 79th minute, however, when Ngoma connected with a through ball from Miguel Timm to score from close range.

"In the second half we did not dominate the way we did in the first, and I think that's where we let ourselves down," said Stars coach Allan Freese.

"We let them come at us, so we've got to fix that."

While Aces were clinging to ninth place in a close mid-table battle in the top-flight standings, Stars continued to struggle in second-last place, though they held a game in hand over most other teams in the league.

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