Low-flying Swallows may have not won the match but their morale got a booster after centre-back Wandisile Letlabika headed a last minute equaliser that earned his team a point against Stellenbosch at Danie Craven Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Swallows had a brighter start but it was Stellies captain on the day Zitha Kwinika, formerly known as Zitha Macheke, who put the home side ahead after just nine minutes .

Swallows coach Dylan Kerr threw everything at his Stellies counterpart Steve Barker in search of an equaliser and after a few near misses it finally came in the dying seconds of the match as new Venezuelan striker Juan Carlos Ortiz provided the assist for Kwinika to nod home his first ever top-flight goal and make it 1-1.

The point got Swallows away from the relegation danger zone by a whisker, moving them up a place to 14th. But Kerr and his players will sleep with one eye open knowing that they are only a point ahead of Baroka in 15th and two ahead of bottom club TS Galaxy, though the latter has played two matches less and the latter one.

Swallows, who have a meagre 15 points from 19 matches, will return to Soweto to host Galaxy in a bottom-of-the-table clash on Saturday where the two teams will be gunning for a win that will get them both out of the relegation dogfight for the time being.

Barker’s Stellies would have wanted a third successive win but will be content with a point that took them back to third on 30 points from 19 matches and only play their next match on February 26 against AmaZulu in Durban to strengthen their grip in the top three.

Newly signed Ortiz showed why Stellies did not hesitate to bring him from Venezuela.

The speedy South American was a constant threat in the Swallows danger area and will get better and adjust to a new environment as he racks up the minutes.