Orlando Pirates co-coach Fadlu Davids believes his side are still heading in the right direction despite playing out to a stalemate against Baroka on Thursday evening.

The Buccaneers were forced to settle for a point after playing out to a goalless draw at the Orlando Stadium on Thursday evening.

The draw leaves the Buccaneers in seventh place in the league standings with 19 points from 13 games, while Bakgaga moved out of the relegation zone and up to 14th place with nine points from 12 matches.

“We started the game well, we had a huge opportunity to go 1-0 ahead with an open goal, I think Hotto slipped in that moment and then going across goal, there was a corner-kick, so maybe there was a touch,” Davids told SuperSport TV after the game.

“But a good start, good ascendancy, trying to get a goal but if you don’t take your chances, like our previous games we were on the ascendancy, dominated and we scored the opening goal.

“Today it didn’t happen in that first period but what was really good, the players didn’t take their foot off the pedal, we constantly went in the second half, I think we would have played for another 20 minutes, I don’t think we would have scored.

“But real effort to get that goal, unfortunately, tonight was not to be. They came for a draw, I don’t think they had a shot on target tonight, they never caused us any problems, we had them in their half, pinned back.

“One or two moments of counter-attacks but they never got into our box from these counter-attacking moments. We could have counter-pressed better, to keep them in their half but that calmness in the number ten’s position.”

The Buccaneers mentor went on to bemoans Deon Hotto’s missed chance after he was set up by Olisa Ndah.

“Once you make the run in behind, the first touch is not there. So these moments we’ve got to work to be able to score. Today was easily a game where we could have scored four but okay it was not to be,” he said.

“Hotto was clear in his role in what he had to do in terms of getting behind the defence, sometimes dropping to get the full-back out and then movements from the number tens to get in behind but it wasn’t to be.

“They had their four defence line, sometimes making it five, really stuck to their game plan to close that centre and we were not creative enough in the number tens to create more clear chances, there was but we could have created more today.

“I think we’re in the right direction, scoring five goals in the last two matches, today it wasn’t meant to be but we have to continue in our movements, in the way we play, how we dominate teams but we have to score goals when we’re in the dominance phase.”