Bartlett: Defeat is hard to swallow

Cape Town - Shaun Bartlett admits he can't fathom how the University of Pretoria had a clear penalty appeal turned down in their 2-1 loss to Kazier Chiefs on Wednesday evening.

The Tshwane-based outfit were 1-0 up when forward Thabo Mnyamane was brought down in the area but instead being awarded a spot-kick, he was cautioned for diving by referee Phillip Tinyani.

Steve Komphela's side went on to win the fixture with second-half strikes from Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Willard Katsande, and Bartlett concedes the defeat leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

"It's always difficult to swallow when you know you've done enough to get a point out of the game," he said after the game.

"Then again, you've got to take responsibility. You get into that 18-yard area, I think we had enough chances to put it away.

"Once again it's about being clinical. It's about being ruthless when you get into the final third. Now we move forward and do exactly what we did, except put the ball in the back of the net," the former Bafana Bafana striker added.

Bartlett, who has impressed since taking over at the struggling Absa Premiership outfit, feels the penalty should have definitely been given in a fixture that could prove crucial as only one point separates the bottom three sides - with four games remaining in the relegation battle.

"You always have those things to complain about, and it's at the referee's discretion, what he sees and how he interprets it," Bartlett said.

"For me, there was no contact with the ball. Obviously he went for the player, so how that wasn't awarded as a penalty is beyond me."