Conceding a last-gasp winning goal to champions Mamelodi Sundowns in their weekend clash saw Maritzburg United miss out on a massive confidence boost‚ said coach Eric Tinkler.

Plucky Maritzburg were on course for a share of the spoils in Atteridgeville on Saturday night when they allowed Lyle Lakay time and space to swivel and bury a half volley in stoppage time for a 2-1 win for the champions.

It left coach Tinkler “gutted” and he must now pick up the pieces when they host Chippa United on Friday.

Both clubs go into the game at the Harry Gwala Stadium without success this season but Maritzburg would have been in a much more confident mood had they come away from Tshwane with something at the weekend.

“I’m gutted because I think we could have left with at least a point and it would have been an extremely valuable point leading up to the Chippa game‚ both in terms of points‚ obviously‚ but also morale and the belief in the team leading up to that game‚” said the Maritzburg coach.

“Now‚ we’ve got to sit the whole week to lift them again.

“It’s now about everybody taking responsibility because we cannot be committing the same mistakes week in and week out and complaining about the same thing‚” Tinkler added.

Maritzburg have two draws and three losses from their opening five games and are second from bottom in the standings after the weekend’s games.

On Saturday‚ Maritzburg came back from a goal down at half-time to fight back and equalise.

“In the second half the players needed to show character‚ which they did‚" he said.

"We changed the formation‚ made a few substitutions and it worked. But again‚ it was only from set-pieces where we were threatening and that’s where our equaliser came from.

“They didn’t really hurt us in the second half but then‚ right at the death‚ we gave them space through the middle and we conceded.

"It left me gutted because we could have left there with a point.”