Santos travelled all the way from Cape Town hoping to collect maximum points against Wits University on Wednesday night and move up to third position on the Castle Premiership table.
The Capetonians had to settle for a point after their one-all draw with the hosts on a cold night at Bidvest Stadium.
Nonetheless the ”Peoples Team” leap frogged to fifth spot while the ”Students” remained in third position. Both clubs have played 29 matches. Wits boasts 13 wins, 12 draws and four losses and now have 51 points while Santos have amassed 49 points from 14 victories, seven draws and eight defeats.
The match was attended by the CEO of the 2010 World Cup Bid company, Danny Jordaan, and the owner of Jomo Cosmos, Jomo Sono.
Both sides have already secured a place in the SAA Supa Eight Cup competition.
Wits scored first via the golden boot of Ivan Winstanely when the lanky striker stabbed home a beauty in the second minute. Santos were then under pressure after conceding this soft goal, but they finally found their footing as the match progressed. They came close several times, only to be thwarted by alert goalkeeper Jacob Mokhasi.
However, Mokhasi could not save Tyrene Arendse’s close-range shot which rattled the net in the 32nd minute to level the score. The first half was well balanced as both sides won two corners apiece.
Wits’ game changed completely in the second half after the introduction of Patrick Mtawali, who replaced Stuart Murisa in the 73rd minute. This was after Murisa had earned his second bookable offence. His first yellow card was for a foul and then he disagreed with referee Ace Ngcobo, which earned him a second yellow card and an early shower.
Mtawali (20) is the son of former Malawian international Ernest, who plays with Ajax Cape Town. The youngster controlled the midfield like a seasoned player, dishing out neat passes, while Thembile Kanono was in full command of the engine room for Santos.
Winstanely went home with a cheque of R1 500 and a huge trophy after being voted man of the match. – Sapa