Orlando Pirates coach Rhulani Mokwena praised the club’s fans for pushing the team to a tight 1-0 victory over Stellenbosch FC in their Telkom Knockout round of 16 clash on Saturday evening.

The Soweto giants dominated the encounter and despite having numerous chances to take the lead, and then seal the game, they had to wait until Thembikhosi Lorch’s strike in the 80th minute to seal their progression to the quarters.

Speaking to SuperSport TV after the game Mokwena admitted that he was frustrated by their wastefulness in front of goals but also praised his side for keeping a clean sheet after a run of games where they were shaky at the back.

‘I’m trying to collect my thoughts because, how many chances (did we create) in the first half? I stopped counting at seven. It should have been seven or eight, but the fans were unbelievable today,’ Mokwena told SuperSport.

‘The fans pushed us, really, really pushed us. If it wasn’t for the 12th man today, I don’t think we would’ve had that extra motivation to go beyond but again credit to these soldiers- Orlando Pirates players.

‘They leave everything on the pitch, they leave everything on the pitch. This is the same story, we create so many chances week in and week out but today at least we keep a clean sheet and I’m very happy about that.’