Tinkler in ‘panic’ worry despite win

KAIZER Chiefs have crept closer into the sights of Orlando Pirates, setting up a potentially exciting battle between the arch-rivals to see who finishes higher in the Premier Soccer League standings at the end of the season.

Pirate’s coach Eric Tinkler says he has emphasised yet again to his players the importance of keeping up winning form as they seek to end the league season as high as they possibly can – including above Chiefs.

The 1-0 win over Free State Stars at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday night pushed Pirates up to 35 points, now just four behind fourth-placed Chiefs.

“It’s very, very important for us now to ensure that we climb that league table and collect as many points as possible to first and foremost guarantee our position in the top eight, but at the same time looking to apply immediate pressure on the teams above us,” Tinkler said.

“We want to close the gap on [Mpumalanga Black] Aces and Chiefs.

“The players know that, and the focus is there and I thought we defended very well against Stars to make sure of that,” Tinkler said.

“But you don’t want to find yourself defending that much at home.

“We should be dominating and on Saturday night that was not the case.” Pirates retreated into a defensive shell in the second half on Saturday and almost let slip the early lead they had after Tendai Ndoro netted in the ninth minute.

“We seemed to panic,” Tinkler said.

“We turned over a lot of possession to them. Their confidence grew and we tended to drop off.

“But I have to compliment out opponents who made it extremely difficult for us,” Tinkler said.

Bucs, who are also in the running for Nedbank Cup honours, have lost only once in their last seven outings. They next play Lamontville Golden Arrows away and then meet Mamelodi Sundowns in the cup last eight.