Orlando Pirates care-taker coach, Eric Tinkler will take heart in the fact that one half of his prolific striking duo, Kermit Erasmus bagged his eighth goal of the season and is now tied with Lehlohonolo Majoro.
This despite the Buccaneers dropping crucial points in their pursuit for a top two league table finish and CAF Champions League qualification.
Read: Ovono Enters Defining Week At Bucs
The Buccaneers' four-match winning streak was haltered by a resilient Free State Stars side in the mid-week league encounter played at the Charles Mopeli Stadium on Wednesday night.
'KE95' put his side ahead in the seventh minute of the game, however Stars fought back to equalise in the 37th minute through Moeketsi Sekola, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
As indicated by the crew, 'Ballojoro' was rested for the encounter, with Tinkler thinking ahead to Saturday’s Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs and not wanting to risk the striker who was on the verge of suspension having already acquired three yelloe cards.
What may further please the Bucs faithful is that Erasmus finished the game without a booking, meaning Tinkler will have both his prized strikers available for the colossal clash on Saturday at the FNB Stadium.
Ballojoro and Erasmus have now increased their tally for the Bucs to 16 league goals with eight a piece heading into this weekend’s derby showdown against arch-rivals, Kaizer Chiefs.
The match is expected to commence at 15h30 at the FNB Stadium.
