Kaizer Chiefs maintained their lead at the top of the Castle

Premiership and their unbeaten league record when they defeated

bottom club Hellenic 1-0 in an entertaining league fixture played

at the Athlone stadium on Sunday.

Chiefs led 1-0 at halftime.

Hellenic - depleted by injuries - started brightly and it took a marvelous save from Amakhosi goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez to deny Koena Mathopa a goal in the sixth minute. The Hellenic striker made space and hit the ball powerfully only to watch as Fernandez pulled off a great save.

Chiefs looked the better side when going forward. Swaziland international striker Sibusiso Dlamini won a penalty in the 12th minute when he was fouled by Hellenic keeper Gareth Ormshaw inside the penalty area as he was powering his way towards goal.

The evergreen John "Shoes" Moshoeu stepped up and calmly slotted home a well taken penalty to put the log leaders into a 1-0 lead.

Moshoeu who has been in stunning form this season, almost made it 2-0 with a well aimed 20 metre drive in the 39th minute. But this time Ormshaw managed to get his fingertips to the shot and the ball bounced off the post, rolled along the goalline and into the safe arms of Ormshaw at the second attempt.

Hellenic battled to find a path through the Chiefs defence and were restricted to shooting from range. One such effort in the last minute of the first half by Vuyo Mere forced Fernandez to make another timely save.

Hellenic looked a lot more composed at the start in the second half. But the fact they lost by the single goal is down to the outstanding display by Ormshaw who saved a string of shots in the second stanza.

Ormshaw did well to stop a 20 metre effort from Jabu Pule comfortably in the 53rd minute. Pule had a goal disallowed when he waltzed past the defence, rounded Ormshaw and fired into an empty net in the 55th minute. But the referee's whistle had blown earlier when the ball went out of play.

Pule failed to hear the whistle but it did not matter as the goal did not count and Pule simply wasted his energy.

Chiefs found themselves under pressure and it took a good clearance from midfielder Stanton Fredericks to prevent Russell Khuzwayo from getting a shot in on Chiefs goal in the 61st minute.

Pule was unlucky in the 68th minute when his rocket hit the underside of the crossbar and from the rebound Ormshaw made a brilliant save from a close range shot from Patrick Mayo.

Ormshaw who after conceding the penalty played a blinder and produced a stunning save from a flying goal bound header form Moshoeu who connected a Pule free kick in the 78th minute. Two minutes later Ormshaw kept Hellenic in the game with another outstanding save from Moshoeu.

The Hellenic goalkeeper's display thwarted Chiefs who pushed

hard in the last 15 minutes looking for a second goal to settle the

game.

Teams:

Hellenic: Ormshaw, Brown (Johnson 75), Montsi, Magolego, Sixaba, Ncaca, Mere, Hlahlele (Masilela 82), Khuzwayo, Mathopa, Soma-Phiri (Fransch 59).

Kaizer Chiefs: Fernandez, Mabedi, Nzama, Kannemeyer, McCarthy, Nengomasha, Fredericks (Richards 69), Moshoeu, Pule, Dlamini (Radebe 80), Mayo.

Referee: Amos Masondo