DOMINATING possession and at times stringing together plenty of slick passes, Thanda Royal Zulu let down themselves and their fans in a 1-1 home draw with Witbank Spurs at a windy uMhlathuze Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors would have been the happier of the two teams when they boarded their bus back home, knowing they been under pressure for most of the 90 minutes.
In truth, it wasn’t the best of games to watch but the Amabhubesi will certainly improve as a combination with each game of the new season.
There were signs of good things to come from a solid back four and a creative midfield, but there was a glaring lack of fire power up front and the return from injury and suspension of key players Mazwi Mncube, Junior Sekete and Evander Spandiel can’t come soon enough.
Thanda took the lead almost on the half time break when Nkosingiphile Ncobeni’s dazzling dribble beat three defenders and his well-placed left-footed cross was gleefully pounced on for a cool-headed Michael Gumede to tap in the ball from close range (1-0).
The Thanda defence had looked rock solid but for some strange reason they were pathetic in dealing with a harmless looking ball midway through the second stanza that bounced around in the box and ended up in the back of the net (1-1).
Keeper Nimrode Tsengwa must put up his hand but he was not the only one to blame.
Playing with a gusty wind at their backs, Spurs had a few chances but Thanda came alive with 15 minutes to go, launching attack after attack but creating few clear shots at goal.
They will and must improve for their next outing, away to Baroka FC on Saturday.
