'It's definitely something to work on' - Davids critical of Orlando Pirates' finishing after Royal AM draw

Orlando Pirates co-interim head coach Fadlu Davids was disappointed by his charges' finishing in front of goal following their draw against Royal AM on Thursday evening.

The Buccaneers fought back to hold Thwihli Thwahla to a 1-1 draw with Linda Mntambo canceling out Levy Mashiane's opening goal in a PSL encounter which was played at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

Davids was also not pleased with the manner in which they conceded against Royal AM as miscommunication between defender Happy Jele and goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane led to Mashiane tapping the ball into an empty net.

"We never really got into the game in the first minute, credit to the opponent they came pressing us, their centre-backs stepping into midfield lines, we didn't really get that space," Davids told SuperSport TV.

"But we were giving away too many balls easily in the build-up phase, not able to progress the ball from the back, to midfield and into the next line. So the first half was not what we really expected.

"Disappointing the way we conceded, although we were not in the game but to concede a goal like that is really disappointing but okay, it's part of the game but really fantastic second-half."

The 40-year-old tactician feels that Bucs played much better in the second half following the introduction of Bandile Shandu, who was a livewire in the right flank as a wing-back.

"We changed the structure a little bit, inverted our wing-backs, really creating problems getting back into the game and really unfortunate that we couldn't get the winner, because the dominance in the second half I think we should've got a goal from that," he continued. 

"We really need to take the positives out of this second-half performance and we have to start games better, especially at home. We wanted to dominate the game but really we couldn't put our foot on the ball but much better second-half."

The former Maritzburg United head coach, who is working with fellow co-interim coach Mandla Ncikazi, feels that the 'final shot' is one of the aspects missing from their game. 

"That's how we want to play, that's how we want to dominate teams but again what's eluding us is that final shot, we're getting into fantastic positions," he added.

"We're unlocking teams but we're not able to put the ball in the back of the net, it's definitely something to work on and of course starting games better."

Pirates will now play host to Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium on November 2.