“The pitch was not conducive for the kind of football we want to play,” lamented Giovanni Solinas after having watched his side play to a stalemate against a robust Highlands Park on Tuesday night. “The ball didn’t move as well as we wanted.”

The Absa Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Highlands Park ended in a goalless draw in front of a capacity crowd at Makhulong Stadium.

“The pitch is not an excuse though,” added the Italian mentor. “We played against a resilient team. Kudos to Highlands Park for giving us a highly competitive game. They deserved to take something out of the match, even though we obviously wanted the three points.”

Chiefs took away a point after coming close to scoring, as clear-cut opportunities to find the back of the net were created, especially in the second half. “We should have buried those chances. But I am glad with the performance of my players and for Hendrick Ekstein for getting into those goalscoring positions, which bodes well for the future.”

Ekstein came on as a second half substitute and immediately came close to scoring. Both his attempts went wide after good penetrating play from the middle of the park.

“We like to play a passing game,” said Solinas, before pointing again to the missed chances and being without the services of marksman, Leonardo Castro, who is still out due to an ankle injury. “Castro is continuing with his rehabilitation. He’s getting there. We hope that he will soon return to contribute upfront.”

“I’m happy with the guys who played tonight. We just need to convert the chances that come our way,” concluded Solinas. “We will take the point. We will now prepare and focus on the next game against Polokwane City.”