Chippa and Celtic play out goalless draw

Chippa United and Bloemfontein Celtic played out a goalless stalemate in their Absa Premiership clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The match got off to a slow start, with neither side coming out of the blocks with any pace or real intensity. Through the first half hour Celtic enjoyed more possession and midfielder Lantshene Phalane was an influential figure.

However, Chippa had their promising moments, especially when Tercious Malepe and William Twala combined down the left flank, though the visitors goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane was left relatively untested.

With the lack of creativity and penetration, it was no surprise to see the half end 0-0. The second stanza saw Celtic make the first change just before the hour mark in an attempt to liven up their attack, with Harris Tchilimbou rising off the bench to replace Ramasimong Maloisane.

Yet it was Chippa, with the hoe crowd behind them, who looked the more pro-active team. The introduction of Thabo Rakhale added some pace to their forward play, but they struggled to break down a resilient Phunya Sele Sele.

The teams looked happy to settle for a share of the spoils by the end of the match. The result sees Chippa remain in 13th place on the log with four points from six matches, while Celtic are up to fourth spot with eight points.

Chippa will return to league action on Friday 27 September when they play away to Maritzburg United, while Celtic will travel to Thohoyandou for a game against Black Leopards on Sunday 29 September.

Chippa United 0

Bloemfontein Celtic 0

Chippa: Tignyemb, Modisane, K. Moyo, Mthethwa, Malepe, Damons (Maziya 82’), Mashaba, Komane, Twala (Rakhale 61’), L. Manzini (Kwem 68’), R. Manzini

Celtic: Mabokgwane, Rikhotso, Baloyi, Mahashe, S. Ngobeni, Luthuli, Mashikinya, Phalane, Maema (Matjia 70’), Maloisane (Tchilimbou 58’), Mabena (Ndou 82’)