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Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp says the Nedbank Cup final loss to TS Galaxy galvanised the squad to do better this season.
Chiefs finished outside of the top eight for the first time in 12 years last season and to add insult to injury lost in the Nedbank Cup final to NFD outfit TS Galaxy.
But this season, Amakhosi have been a different beast altogether, making their best start to a campaign in five years as they lead the standings with 13 points after six games.
And Middendorp believes that the difficult times have made the Glamour Boys a more mature side and one who have learnt from history not to repeat the same mistakes again.
"We have grown up. We have had too many childish moments in the past. A lot of our games we looked entertaining, but football is about the results at the end of the day," he said.
"The mixture at the moment - of players who have come in from outside, in terms of age and quality in different departments - shows the good character and attitude."
After suffering a 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City after the international break, Middendorp's side got back on track with a 2-0 victory over AmaZulu at King Zwelithini Stadium on Tuesday evening to reclaim top spot in the PSL standings.
