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Cape Town - Plucky Stellenbosch FC were able to claim a valuable point against Highlands Park after holding them to a 0-0 draw at the Cape Town Stadium in the Absa Premiership on Saturday, despite playing the entire second half with a man disadvantage.
Both sides made several changes after losing their league fixtures in midweek and the lack of cohesion was evident from the kick-off.
It took a while for either team to really find their feet and the first real chance only materialised around the half-hour mark.
Luckyboy Mokoena showed some fine skill to create the opportunity but was denied by s decent save by Boy de Jong.
While neither side were creating many chances, it was clear that Highlands Park were on top as large portions of the first half were played inside the home side's half.
A task that was already very difficult for Stellenbosch then seemed almost impossible when Morgan Gould was sent off on the stroke of half-time after receiving his second yellow card.
The home side had been set on defending their way to a point before Gould's dismissal and they retreated even further in the second period.
While it will not be remembered as a classic, nor will neutral fans have enjoyed the display, but Stellenbosch put in a colossal defensive effort to hold the Lions of the North at bay.
They barely created a chance of their own but they frustrated Highlands Park time and again, to the point that it never really felt as if the visitors would be able to find a breakthrough.
Stellenbosch head coach Clive Barker will definitely see this result as a point gained, while his counterpart will be ruing two points lost.
- TeamTalk Media
Channel 202
