Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha says the team remains firmly in the Betway Premiership title race as they continue to push forward in the campaign.

The Buccaneers dropped two crucial points after they played to a thrilling draw at the Richards Bay Stadium on Friday evening.

The draw sees Pirates remain in second place in the Betway Premiership standings with 55 points after 24 matches.

Pirates will be hoping to bounce back and return to winning ways when they host AmaZulu at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

He added that the team must continue playing their own game and take things step by step, insisting that Pirates are focused on their own journey rather than outside pressure.

“I believe we are still in the race,” Mbatha told Pirates TV.

“And we have to continue playing our game because we have to take it one game at a time.

“We are running our own race, and I believe that is something we must continue doing.

“I believe we did whatever it takes, the team fought but as you can see the team was disappointed. For us, it was a matter of giving our all and coming with the three points.

“It’s the last stage of the league so we believe that we have to continue fighting and continue getting all the maximum points.

“We’re happy that we got the points away, as we came back in the last minutes so for us it’s to continue working and continue putting in the work.

“We’re playing AmaZulu next week (Saturday) at home and I believe we have to continue where we left off and being able to win at home again,” he concluded.