The Red Devils triumphed 1-0 thanks to Lee Martin’s first-half
strike in another intense encounter as United continue their
pre-season tour of South Africa.
It was a decidedly different United side from that which drew 1-1
with Kaizer Chiefs at the weekend, with the likes of Ben Foster,
Fraizer Campbell and Jonny Evans given the opportunity to stake
their claim for a spot in the senior squad come the season
proper.
Despite the narrowness of the win, Ferguson was pleased with the
way his men achieved it, insisting the home side’s pressure
contributed greatly to the spectacle.
"I’m satisfied with the result," he told United’s official website.
"Some of the football we played in the first half hour was very
satisfying: there was a lot of vision, movement and quick passing
in our game, and we didn’t dwell on the ball.
"The Pirates were very aggressive in terms of pressing the ball and
we had to be quick on it, which can only help us."
However, Sir Alex did admit that the some of his youngsters ran out
of puff towards the end of the first half, although Orlando’s
forwards failed to capitalise on the resulting concentration
lapses.
"After 30 minutes we lost our momentum a little bit, which happens
with young players. They start to lose concentration," Ferguson
continued.
"Defensively we were caught one or two times on the counter-attack
but they had a lot of pace, although they weren't great
finishers."
