Pirates still winless in pre-season prep

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates have continued their winless pre-season preparations, following losses to Mamelodi Sundowns and African Stars in the Dr Hage Geingob Cup.

The Mayfair-based outfit finished in last position of the four-team tournament held in Namibia over the weekend, after falling to consecutive penalty losses against Sundowns and Stars respectively.

Assistant coach Bradley Carnell said that, despite being disappointed with the results, the tournament provided an ideal platform for the Soweto giants to try out various combinations ahead of the new season.

"Look, obviously we are disappointed and were looking to get a better outlook but at the end of the day it was about preparing for the new season. We used this match to try out various combinations," he told the club's website.

"For us it is about building blocks, we have a puzzle to build and we have about two to two and a half weeks to build this puzzle. We need to make sure we focus and look to see improvement.

"We have another friendly on Wednesday and another one the following week so we can get to a good rhythm where the coach wants to go."