Ajax Cape Town and Golden Arrows played to a 1-1 draw in an Absa Premiership clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening.

Lerato Lamola and Rivaldo Coetzee with the goals for their respective sides as they managed a point apiece from their opening encounter of the 2017-18 league season.

The Urban Warriors applied all the early pressure, but came up against a resilient Arrows defence who were happy to drop deep in the opening minutes.

This forced the hosts to try their luck from range, and the tactic almost paid immediate dividends in the 16th minute as Sedwyn George forced a good diving save out of Nkosingiphile Gumede between the Arrows sticks.

Newly appointed captain ,Mosa Lebusa, then went close for the Urban Warriors a minute later. The defender unlucky to see his glancing header bounce inches wide of goal.

Arrows, though, would open the scoring against the run of play as Brandon Petersen's attempted clearance cannoned of the hard-running Lamola and into the back of the net with 24 minutes on the clock.

Abafana Bes'thende had successive opportunities to double their lead soon after, but Wayde Jooste and Kudakwashe Mahachi were guilty of squandering gilt-edged chances.

They were almost made to rue their missed opportunists as George - on debut - broke through on goal following a quick 1-2 with Neo Makua, but last season's NFD top-scorer failed to hit the target.

Arrows with a 1-0 lead at the interval.

The Urban Warriors would pull level from an unlikely source four minutes following the break as Coetzee nodded in from close range. The Bafana Bafana defender, who had gone AWOL in an attempt to force a move away from the club last month, with his first goal for the club in close to 90 appearances.

Both teams would squander further chances with Mahachi guilty once more. The Zimbabwe international unable to pounce on another mistake by Petersen as he guided his powerful shot over the crossbar in the 66th minute.

With both teams tiring, the final exchanges ended on a whimper as the duo settled for a point apiece.

Ajax Cape Town (0) 1 (Coetzee 49')
Golden Arrows (1) 1 (Lamola 24')

Ajax Cape Town: Petersen; Lebusa, Coetzee (Sasman 58'), Nhlapo, Isaacs - Mdabuka, Margeman, Kabwe - Mosadi, Makua (Mzwakali 79'), George (Morris 64')
Golden Arrows: Gumede; Mngwengwe, Cele, Jooste, Bilankulu (Molefe 76'), Nonyane, Mzava Dlamini, Mahachi (Mutizwa 76'), Ntanga (Sibiya 53'), Lamola