Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler was luke-warm in his praise after his side beat Maritzburg United 2-0 in the Telkom Knockout quarterfinals on Saturday. 

 

Kermit Erasmus opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Mpho Makela netted on the rebound following a penalty save just after the break.

 

Tinkler commented after the game: "It was important how we started today. We started on a very positive note. We created the first chance which I stated was important today and ultimately we managed to get the result. 

 

"Still a lot of things that we can improve on. I don't think we had a great performance from the squad today. The result was more important than anything."

 

Tinkler gave a few new names an opportunity on the day. The coach saw a few nerves from them but was pleased by the way they adjusted.

 

He added: "You could see a couple of the new guys who came in were a bit nervous. Mvelase and Mugerwa you could see they struggled a little bit, but as the game went on and we scored the second goal they settled in. 

 

"Gift Matupa came in and also made his debut. I was quite impressed by what he had done in the little time that he played."