Highbury kicked off their Motsepe Foundation Championship campaign with a point at home against the University of Pretoria, and coach Kabelo Sibiya said he was pleased with the outcome.
The much-anticipated fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw, took place at the Gelvandale Stadium on Friday.
Highbury took the lead in the 35th minute when Siyabonga Dudula's strike beat goalkeeper Tokollo Makgolane and hit the back of the net.
However, Tuks answered in the second half with a goal from Prince Nxumalo
“We started the game well, honestly,” Sibiya said.
“We played better, we controlled the ball possession, we pressed the opponents, and we forced them to make errors. We could have finished the game in the first half, but we missed some chances.
“We had an opportunity to score a second goal, which could have helped us manage the game a bit better.
“In the second half, I think the wind also played a role. The opponents used the wind to their advantage as much as we did in the first half.
“Some of our players still have to learn how to play against the wind, but I believe that we will improve. This is just the first match in which we had a lot of positives.”
The Yellow Nation also started last season's league campaign with a draw.
“This is better than how we started last season. We played better today. We were a better team. We'll take the point and the positives and go and prepare for the next game.
Former Chippa United head coach Kwanele Kopo, who is in charge of AmaTuks this season, said his team can only build from their performance against Highbury.
“On the balance of play, I am not really happy. I think it's a game we contested well; there were no real threats in the first half from Highbury except for the one mistake we made in the build-up.
“It was difficult for us to play against the wind for the game we wanted to play, a position game. I think there was also a bit of nervousness from the players.
“We made the changes at half and we decided to use the win to our advantage, and we completely dominated the game, all they wanted to do was to put the ball behind us and we managed that space.
“I think here we had a big opportunity to take three points, but as the first game, we'll take it. At least away from the worst conditions in the league, in terms of the wind.
“It's a good point, good reaction from the player and technical application, we can only build from this,” Kopo said.
The Herald
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