JOHANNESBURG - Kjell Jonevret walked into Orlando Pirates’ press conference hall at Orlando Stadium in a good mood, following his side’s 2-0 victory over Maritzburg United on Tuesday.
This was Pirates’ first victory in a league race after a very long time, having gone 12 league matches without a win this campaign.
Jonevret expressed how pleased he was with his side’s performance, saying that it felt good to win again following their 4-1 triumph against Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup this past weekend as well.
This win against The Team of Choice was Jonevret’s third since arriving at the club in February.
“I don’t care if we missed a few chances,” Jonevret said.
“I don’t care that things might not be looking perfect as yet, but what’s important is that I’m pleased having produced a clean sheet and also walking away with three crucial points. That was the important thing for me.
“We have something to build on leading up to our upcoming matches. It was nice to win again.”
The Sweden-born coach, though, expressed his concern leading up to this league tie, adding that he thought his side may drop their performance following their hard-fought win over Ea Lla Koto at the weekend.
“I was a little bit worried in the first 10 minutes of the game,” Jonevret admitted.
“I think we looked a bit jaded and tired when we we started the match. I believe the match against Free State Stars took a lot of energy out of my players because it was an emotionally-charged game, and they so desperately wanted to win it.
“We won 4-1. My concern was that they would be both mentally and physically tired for this tie.
“I’m happy with how they responded, though. We scored from a corner which I thought was impressive and the two red cards given (against Maritzburg), I think really helped our cause (in the second period).”
In their next league encounter, Pirates take on league strugglers Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 8.15pm) and Jonevret said he was expecting a tough match against their opponents.
“It’s two down and one to go,” Jonevret reflected on the two wins he produced leading up to the weekend’s fixture.
“We have three days to prepare for our next one. It’s going to be a tough one but I’m happy now.”