Micho: 'I have to give respect to our supporters'

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic credited the supporters for choosing a winning team following the 2-0 Carling Black Label Cup victory over Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The pre-season showpiece allows the fans of the two sides to vote for which players they want to see in their respective starting XI's.

Initially prior to the match, Sredojevic had some doubts over whether the team voted for had the 'right balance between defence and attack', but after the triumph, he did an about-turn on his comments.

"I have to give respect to our supporters. They are the ones who have chosen the team. We needed under the circumstances to find that perfect balance between defence and attack," Sredojevic told SuperSport TV.

Goals from Augustine Mulenga and Thembinkosi Lorch secured the cup for the Buccanneers and 'Micho' believes the victory will give the side confidence ahead of the new season.

"We succeeded in keeping a clean sheet against a team that threw everything at us and took a lot of risks going 2-0 down," said 'Micho'.

"The most important thing after five weeks of preparation is that we have won. This will be an injection of motivation for us.

"We are far from having a right competitive shape. There is a lot of work to be done. We are a work in progress. But there is no better thing than beating Chiefs and getting that injection of confidence.

"We must critically look at the things we need to improve on.

"Congratulations to the boys. They have applied themselves. Thank you to Carling Black Label for this cup and to the supporters for choosing the team."

New signings Fortune Makaringe, Bongani Sam and Gabadinho Mhango all made second-half appearances off the bench and 'Micho' gave his verdict on how their first outings went.

"We are very happy that they have started on a winning note," said Sredojevic.

"They are still very far from just walking in to the team. But they have experienced the atmosphere and this should motivate them.

"We want winning to become a habit."