Bafana Bafana were held to another 0-0 draw, this time by a second string Jamaica in their final friendly of the year at a cold Free State Stadium on Tuesday night.

The biggest losers where the 20 000 odd supporters who braved the cold wintery conditions to support their team who turned in a below average display.

It is now over six hours since Bafana last scored a goal and that was against minnows Madagascar in a friendly played in Kimberley in September.

New Bafana head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira goes into the Festive Season international recess with a major headache – how to score goals.

And how to instil a sense of urgency into his players. Urgency was one of the main ingredients Bafana lacked in front of their enthusiastic Bloemfontein fans.

But at the end of a cold night Bafana's performance was a huge disappointment giving the quality of their opposition.

Parreira has seven months until the World soccer showpiece kicks off on South African soil and after Tuesday night's showing Parreira will have his work cut out to get this bunch of players anywhere near ready to take on the world's best countries in seven short months.

Bafana showed plenty of fighting spirit when they drew 0-0 against highly rated Japan in Port Elizabeth last weekend but failing to beat a make shift Jamaica shows that Parreira will be earning all of his R1.6 million per month salary during the next seven months.

Jamaica were there for the taking in the first half but Bafana could not capitalise on their visitors slow back four and sloppy passing.

Bafana were too casual, kept playing the ball sideways and backwards and wanted too many touches.

Bafana also wanted to dribble and show off and as result they got nowhere in the opening 45 minutes against a limited Jamaican side that looked like they would be overwhelmed but nearly shocked their hosts in the 23rd minute when Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena did brilliantly to rescue the situation when he managed to scoop Dane Richards shot off his goalline.

Bafana started off confidently when Siphiwe Tshabalala threaded the ball to Katlego Mphela whose shot went wide after only two minutes.

Mphela, the Premier Soccer League and Mamelodi Sundowns leading goal scorer should have scored in the 10th minute when he was set up by Benni McCarthy.

But instead of firing past goalkeeper Dwayne Muller, Mphela managed to direct the ball from close range straight at the grateful Jamaican keeper.

It was all Bafana at this stage. Reneilwe Letsholonyane tried a right wing cross for his Kaizer Chiefs teammate Tshabalala, but the Bafana left wing failed to connect the ball at the far post in the 22nd minute.

A minute later the Bafana defence expect for Mokoena went walk about but the Bafana captain saved the day with a great stop on his goalline from a Richards shot that was heading for the back of the net.

At the other end Muller pulled off a stunning save from a powerful 25 metre free kick from McCarthy that had goal written all over it in the 25thminute.

McCarthy who struggled again as he did in the 0-0 draw against Japan in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, was wide of the target in the 35th minute. Unless he gets game time at club level he is not going to be an asset for the 2010 World Cup.

Jamaica's only other goal scoring attempt came from a free kick from Demar Phillips that screamed over the crossbar five minutes from the break.

Bafana were frustrated again after the break and despite having territorial advantage had no penetration in front of goals.

Bafana came close to breaking the deadlock when a volley by Kagisho Dikgacoi flew centimetres over the Jamaican crossbar on 67 minutes.

The match fizzled out after the Fulham midfielder's tremendous volley and at the end of the night Bafana sent their loyal fans home disappointed.

For Parreira his first two matches in charge produced more questions than answers.

Sapa

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