We are moving in the right direction – Tinkler after draw

Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler is relieved to have ended his side's three successive defeats with a goalless draw against Maritzburg United at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday.

Despite not getting all the three points at home, Tinkler was happy with the performance his side dished out and hopes they will build on this when they face Stellenbosch in the Cape derby on Saturday.

“I was happy with the performance of my team. Coming into this game was always going to be an extremely difficult game considering what happened over the past 12 days,” Tinkler told the media after the game.

“It was difficult times, difficult results but at the same time as I said before, the performance against [Mamelodi] Sundowns was exceptional although our build-up was a problem.

“We managed to fix that against Swallows and we were much better in terms of our build-up play and our possessions. We created the better of chances and we didn’t get anything out of that game.

“It was a similar scenario when we went to AmaZulu. So emotionally and psychologically I think that affects everyone – players, coaches and everyone involved.”

The Citizens remained bottom of the log with only a point after four matches and Tinkler feels it is only a matter of time before they register a victory. “On this match, for me, the most important thing was the results more than us looking to play a good brand of football,” he said.

“But I saw a grand brand of football, we got into the final third well, we got loads of box entries and we looked like a threat. As much as we wanted the three points, the fact that we kept a clean sheet and we are still moving in the right direction is not like we are playing bad football. Our luck must turn ... I believe it will.”

Meanwhile, Tinkler also confirmed that goalkeeper Hugo Marques left the team after he requested to be released by the club due to personal reasons. “He came to me, spoke to me, gave me his reasons and I clearly understood why he needed to go back home (Angola). So, we didn’t want to stand in his way.

“We wanted him to go and spend some time with the family and give him maybe a week or two, and then make a decision then but he was adamant that he wasn’t coming back.”