Ernst Middendorp is a happy man right now, and he's singled out two Kaizer Chiefs players for special praise as they go into the final game of 2019 on top of the Absa Premiership.
The Glamour Boys are comfortably 10 points clear of their nearest competitor going into their last game of the calendar year against Maritzburg United, and could potentially end up with a 13-point gap come December 22.
Chiefs' fighting spirit has been one of their standout qualities over the course of the 2019/20 season so far, with their 5-3 win over Bloemfontein Celtic being the third time that they've come from behind to take home all three points.
Two players in particular stood out v Siwelele, and speaking about Leonardo Castro, who scored Chiefs' 1000th goal in the Premier Soccer League era, and hat-trick hero, Samir Nurkovic, the German told Chiefs' official website, "This is an important milestone to achieve, I'm glad Leonardo Castro scored this landmark goal and mainly contributing to a win. These are important to highlight and are products of the teamwork.
"Another one to highlight (Nurkovic), it is all in the attitude and the quality of the player… Samir Nurkovic works tirelessly for the team, he deserved the goals and the Man of the Match tag."
Meanwhile, looking forward to their final game of the year, he added, "We want to keep the momentum. We want to keep working hard in each and every game. The team is well aware of this. We have already started with preparations for the next match. The last match of the year is the most important agenda point for us."