Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabang Monare is delighted at how he got off the mark for his new club following his impressive performance against Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend.

The 31-year-old made his debut for Pirates during their 3-0 victory over Amakhosi in the semi-final first leg of the MTN8 competition at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Prior his debut, Monare last kicked a ball two months ago when he played 26 minutes during Bidvest Wits’ 3-1 victory over Polokwane City.

However, Monare looked like he never missed a beat after commanding the midfield alongside Ben Motshwari.

‘It feels good to be off the mark for my new club but, more importantly, it’s great to get the win. I haven’t played competitive football in a while, so obviously, my match fitness for the competitive games is not where I want it but it’s getting there.

‘We are happy with the result on Saturday and I want to give credit to my teammates for making my debut a dream start, but we are well aware of the fact that the tie isn’t over yet, which is why we are not going to get ahead of ourselves.

‘With the season so jam-packed, there’s little time to dwell on Saturday’s result, the games are coming thick and fast and we have already shifted our minds to the next match against [Bloemfontein] Celtic on Wednesday.’