Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp reveals he listened to the 'advice' from Steve Komphela and Jomo Sono ahead of the Soweto derby.
Chiefs completed the league double over the cross-town rivals after Lebogang Manyama's first-half strike sealed a 1-0 win at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
"It's quite a good outcome, we were talking a lot about advices from Steve Komphela, Jomo [Sono] and basically they are right. These last ten games it's about mentality, how you handle it, how you take it," Middendorp told SuperSport TV.
"And I know my players, I know this team, I know them very well, I could see during the week already that we're prepared, we want it and unfortunately here and there some injuries.
"Leonardo [Castro] had to go off as you see, Willard Katsande had to go out and that's always a difficult moment, players from the bench, in particular huge compliment to [Anthony] Akumu coming on and taking over in a really crucial position," he continued.
"I'm very proud of it and I think each and everybody on the Kaizer Chiefs side, players, technical team, supporters, deserve this moment and they should enjoy it."
Middendorp also went on to explain how approached the game, having previously watched Pirates as he does with other sides.
"It's very different from what I have seen with all the other teams and I travel and follow the teams, it was very important today to do positional defending, not going in advance marking, keep the central corridors closed, make sure you're prepared for the balls on top of the defence line.
"And of course the reference point has to be the ball and your own teammates, not the other, don't follow them, getting tracked out, getting pulled out, this is not, then you're in a really nonsense position and I think the players have done well.
"Good, we had some moments when they had possibilities to score but other moments on the other side I think it's Eric [Mathoho] and other players we had the possibility to make it 2-0 and a close book would [have been] earlier."
