Swallows coach Brandon Truter has blamed tiredness for his side’s come-from-behind 1-all draw at Mamelodi Sundowns at the weekend, implying they would have won the game with more days to rest before this top-of-the-table clash.

Swallow netted deep in stoppage time courtesy of Musa Nyatama to cancel out Kermit Erasmus’s 45th- minute strike at Lucas Moripe Stadium. The stalemate meant the two teams remain neck and neck at the summit of the table on 27 points. Downs boast a better goal difference.

“I think we were really tired. We can’t run away from that, it’s a fact. They had extra days to rest and it counted at the end. But in that tiredness we could have gone 1-0 up with Fawaaz Basadien,’’ said Truter. Basadien squandered one of the few chances in the first half.

“If we were not as tired as we were, I think we could have had a better first half and got 1-0 up. [Ruzaigh] Gamildien usually buries those chances he got but with fatigue, [good] decision-making and good technique go out the window. On a better day or with extra days [to rest] it would have been a different scoreline.’’

Before this game, the Dube Birds had last played on Wednesday (playing out to another 1-1 draw against Chippa United at home), while the Brazilians’ last outing before meeting Swallows was against Bloemfontein Celtic on Tuesday.

“Fatigue is a big worry for us, hence I am giving the players two days off. We will come back  [to training] Tuesday [tomorrow] afternoon. We have to refresh. We will try and manage it [fatigue],’’ Truter insisted.

The same way Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi felt Swallows’ goal was offside, Truter also had a  sense that Erasmus scored from an offside position. The Swallows coach also felt referee Luxolo Badi should have awarded them a free-kick in the build up to Downs’ goal.

“[There was] a foul that wasn’t given on Gamildien in the centre of the park, he turned [the ball] over and it was a forward pass. My defender set Erasmus in an offside position, I am not too sure,’’ said Truter.