While insinuating his side were miles away from being a complete team, Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer was happy with a point in the league opener against AmaZulu at the weekend.

AmaZulu held Pirates to a 1-all stalemate at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium. The Buccaneers struck first when Gabadinho Mhango converted from the spot in the 18th minute. AmaZulu levelled matters when Lehlohonolo Majoro tucked in a penalty rebound, with his first initial attempt saved by Wayne Sandilands 12 minutes before the end of the first stanza.

“There is a lot of work to be done with the team. We will take things slowly, we are not there yet. A point is a point. It’s important for us, we worked hard for this point,” said Zinnbauer.

“This wasn’t easy ... AmaZulu are a good team. They made high pressure, they fight. It was an away game for us. First game isn’t easy, you saw the results from other games.”

Bucs made one change from the side that dispatched Cape Town City 1-0 to advance to the MTN8 semifinals. Having missed that game through suspension, Innocent Maela walked into the starting XI, replacing Vincent Pule, who entered the fray at the start of the second-half.

Pirates have since shifted their concentration to their next league match against Stellenbosch at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm).

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“We have the next game on Wednesday, we must focus on that. We always expect to get three points, a home game now but  we know Stellenbosch are a good team,” said Zinnbauer.

Meanwhile, it has not taken long for new AmaZulu signing Luvuyo Memela to win the heart of his coach Ayanda Dlamini.

Having joined AmaZulu last week after rejecting a new deal at Pirates, Memela hit the ground running in Durban with his great debut.

Memela, 33, was a constant threat to the Buccaneers rearguard and eventually won a penalty that resulted to Usuthu’s goal that was scored by Majoro.

After the encounter, Dlamini never stopped raving about Memela. The AmaZulu mentor was also impressed with another debutant Makhehleni Makhaula.

“Obviously one has to mention Memela. He was our top performer today [Saturday]. I think he made a huge difference. He showed his experience that he has been playing in big games for some time and he rose to the occasion,” said Dlamini.

“Even when we brought Makhaula in just to stabilise that midfield .... he did very well. It was our first game with many players in the team, but it’s getting there. We are going to the right direction.”

The Durbanites’ next game is  away to rookies TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm).