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Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates missed a great chance to close the gap on Absa Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns to three points when they were held to a 0-0 draw by a gutsy 10-man Platinum Stars in their final fixture of 2010 at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.
Downs, who enjoyed a six point lead over the second-placed Buccaneers going into this final round of matches in 2010, were shocked 3-2 by AmaZulu in their match played at Atteridgeville, also on Wednesday.
Pirates will have to be satisfied by going into the two-week Festive Season break five points adrift of Downs.
But at the end of the night it was a fair reflection of play.
Stars were reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute when referee Jerome Damon sent off Lebo Ramolesa for a second bookable offence.
Stars defender Mbulelo “OJ” Mabizela was lucky to have seen out the 90 minutes. He continued to argue with Damon when decisions went against him and was fortunate not to be booked for a couple of crunching tackles.
The visitors started well by taking the game to their hosts. Stars striker Thuso Phala missed an open goal when he sliced a well-directed cross from Ramolesa wide in the fourth minute.
Birthday boy Teko Modise, who turned 28 on Wednesday, orchestrated the Bucs midfield and eventually managed to put Stars under pressure once he gained control halfway through the opening half. But he wasted far too many free kicks and corners.
Stars central defender Phelelani Mpangase was wide with a powerful header on nine minutes while teammate Solomon Mathe had a goal bound shot deflected for a corner in the 17th minute.
Modise forced Stars 'keeper Tapuwa Kapini to fist his well-aimed shot for a corner in the 24th minute as the home side started to take control.
Then Modise, seeing Kapini well off his goal, tried a spectacular lob from the halfway line that went wide.
Kapini did well in the 53rd minute to deny Bucs' big Nigerian-born striker Elena Otorugu the breakthrough when he rushed off his line and threw his body at the ball to deny Otorugu a shot on goal.
Then Stars were handicapped when Ramolesa went off in the 55th minute.
Kapini came to the rescue when he pulled off a stunning save from Otorugo in the 61st minute. The wide awake 'keeper did well to block the Bucs' striker's shot, and from the rebound Patrick Malokase thought he had scored but his shot was ruled offside.
To their credit Stars refused to sit back and defend, and in the end Pirates can thank 'keeper Senzo Meyiwa, deputising for Moeneeb Josephs, for their point. Meyiwa pulled off the save of the match and one of the finest seen this season when he spectacularly blocked a point blank shot from Phala in the 78th minute.
Phala had a goal disallowed for offside in the 86th minute.
