The R145 000 fine and punitive measure by the PSL to play home

games in September against Mamelodi Sundowns and Black Leopards

without spectators seemed to weigh heavily on Chiefs as they

dominated play territorially, but seemed jinxed not to secure an

important breakthrough goal.

And there is little doubt that the dismal start to the season by

the PSL champions, culminating in the ugly vandalism at FNB Stadium

on Saturday night during the shock 2-1 SAA Supa8 deefeat against

Bloemfontein Celtic, has systematically sapped the confidence of

the Chiefs' players.

Still, despite the pending ban from watching their beloved

Amakhosi in action next month, almost 10 000 Chiefs' fans still

turned up to see their team in action.

But what they witnessed in a frantic, action-packed but often

unco-ordinated display only added to their frustration as Andre

Petin in the Ajax goal brought off a string of superlative saves.

And the youthful Ajax team ran their hearts out to defend as

though their lives depended on the outcome, with their hard-earned

point deserved on the basis of effort alone.

Recent Chiefs signings Serge Djiehoua and Louis Agyeman, who

came on as a second-half substitute, both came tantalisingly close

to scoring on several occasions, but the miss-of-the-match as far

as Chiefs were concerned was reserved for the 87th minute when

veteran John "Shoes' Moshoeu found himself with the goal at his

mercy from barely five metres.

However, Moshoeu, another second-half substitute, hesitated

momentarily and gave Petin the opportunity to deflect the ball onto

the crossbar in breathtaking fashion.