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Cape Town - Following his side’s anxious 2-1 Premiership victory over Ajax Cape Town in Soweto on Monday night, Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa says he is aware of the constant speculation regarding the safety of his job, but is unconcerned.
"The last time I checked my contract, I was still in this job," De Sa said after Monday's game.
"In this job, there is always speculation. People are always talking… it's what sells. I've just got to listen to the people that matter.”
Goals from Khethowakhe Masuku and Thabo Matlaba in either half handed the Buccaneers their hard-fought victory and despite a poor showing on the field, De Sa said earning maximum points was the most important outcome.
"I think the nerves started to settle in, and the guys stopped playing a bit.
"The most important thing is winning, and to get used to winning again. Sometimes you have to dig up a game.
"It wasn't pretty but we did get the goals. I thought we did enough to get a third goal and bury the game.”
The victory, which lifted Pirates into the top eight of the league standings for the first time this season, ended a run of games without a win after the Sea Robbers were beaten by SuperSport United earlier this month and held by a resilient AmaZulu five days later.
"It's probably the worst we have played in our last three games, but it's the one we win. That's football, it's a funny old game.
"We conceded a sloppy goal from a set-piece (throw-in), which was something we had been working on. It's a lack of concentration.”
Ajax, meanwhile, headed into the clash without their former coach Muhsin Ertugral, who quit the Urban Warriors last week, citing personal reasons.
The Turk's former assistant Ian Taylor took over in a caretaker role.
“We started off quite poorly in the first half,” Taylor said of his first game in charge.
“We put ourselves under pressure but we have to learn those things, we have to learn where to play in moments of the game.
“I was very happy with the second half, I felt that the boys showed character. They came back and I thought we could have gotten a point at the end… we were a bit unlucky.”
