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Johannesburg - A stern talk from head coach Steve Barker whipped the University of Pretoria into shape, striker Thabo Mnyamane said after they fought back for a superb victory over Moroka Swallows.
Trailing 2-0 with half an hour to play in Dobsonville on Saturday, AmaTuks struck three times to snatch the points with a 3-2 win, lifting themselves two points clear of the Premiership relegation zone.
"The coach told us to lift our heads and forget about the first 45 minutes," man-of-the-match Mnyamane said.
"We knew we could do better, so we went out there and gave it our best."
Lerato Chabangu scored just 68 seconds into the match after a defensive blunder by the Tuks defence, and Felix Obada stretched the lead seven minutes after the half-time break.
The visitors regained their composure however, to turn the match on its head. Atusaye Nyondo pulled one back from the penalty spot on the hour mark, before Mnyamane equalised from the edge of the area.
Partson Jaure netted a deflected goal with seven minutes left in the match to bag the win.
"We got ourselves into a lot of trouble after giving the first goal away, which was very poor," Barker said.
"At half-time I told the players it was probably from the best 90 minutes two weeks back (in a 3-0 win over Ajax Cape Town) to the worst 45 minutes I've seen them play."
Barker though, lauded his players for their impressive turnaround in the second period.
"It's a magnificent victory. To come from two goals down and win 3-2 is fantastic."
Swallows meanwhile extended their poor run of form to seven league matches without a victory, slipping to second-last place on the log.
Caretaker coach Fani Madida admitted the Birds were finding it more difficult to pick themselves up after each game as their struggles continued.
"It will be a big ask from them. The next game we're playing is against Maritzburg United, which is a hard-running team, but we have to go there with our heads high and try to compete."
