ORLANDO Pirates head coach Eric Tinkler got his tactics spot on and hopes Saturday’s 3-1 Soweto Absa Premiership victory over rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium will boost his players’ confidence.
Said Tinkler: “We got three points that we desperately needed. Even though a derby is a special occasion, it’s just another game to us.
“It was vitally important to come here and win because we started the league poorly. Our strategy worked well and I am proud of the boys.”
Pirates have another tough assignment against highly rated Ajax Cape Town at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday before they can start thinking about round two of the derby.
Added Tinkler: “We started with the right energy, we put them under a lot of pressure and we didn’t give them a lot of time and space to move, which is what they are very good at.
“They are also good on the counter-attack but we recovered exceptionally well. There is not a single player that did not put a good performance today.
“It’s fantastic to get a 3-1 win against Chiefs. But the truth of the matter is there is another game coming up on Wednesday and we need another three points.”
Chiefs coach Steve Komphela revealed that the shocking defeat had affected his players’ mindset.
Bucs’ goals from Issa Sarr, Ayanda Gcaba and Thamsanqa Gabuza shattered Chiefs’ hopes of going to the top of the Premiership table, while Eric Mathoho’s goal was not enough to maintain Chiefs’ unbeaten run and gain bragging rights.
Said Komphela: “Nice game, not a nice feeling. It’s a bad day at the office. Compliments must go to Orlando Pirates. They came in with the right energy and knew they had to win at all costs. It’s not that we didn’t want to win the game, we just have to applaud the fact that they had better energy than we did.”
Added Komphela: “We played into their hands by losing possession too often. Every time we lost possession they were on for a counter-attack.
“Mentally, obviously, we have suffered and we know it takes a lot, it’s a derby and there is pride involved.”
Komphela hopes they will get a chance to rectify their mistakes when the teams battle it out at the same venue in the Telkom Knockout semifinal on Saturday. However, his players will first need to channel their energy into their next league fixture against Golden Arrows at the same venue tomorrow (7.30pm), before they can start thinking about revenge.
0 Comments