Chippa United coach Dan Malesela believes his side were in full control of their match against Witbank Spurs, following their 1-0 victory in the Nedbank Cup on Wednesday.

The Chilli Boys booked their place in the next round of the competition through a 58th-minute goal by striker Lerato Manzini at the Nelson Mandela Bay, handing Chippa their first victory in seven games.

The 51-year-old coach believes his side controlled most of the match, but admits that Spurs made it difficult for Chippa to wrap up the game early on.

‘We were in total control of the game, and I am saying this with respect to the opposition,’ Malesela told the Chippa United website.

‘We made things difficult for ourselves losing possession unnecessarily, we should have hurt them badly in the first half.

‘I do believe, though,  we won the game in the first half. We knew they would not chase us the entire game, and they were bound to open up, and they did.

‘We are delighted with the win, and it is, of course, a big boost for us following the past couple of weeks.’

Malesela continued to say that he is delighted to have progressed past the round of 32, but has urged his side to focus on their upcoming Absa Premiership encounter.

‘I am glad we have achieved another “first” going past the last 32 for the first time,’ he added.

‘We want to do well in this competition, but now the focus changes back to the league, where we need to start grinding for results.

‘There are areas to work on, and we are going to give players a few days off, and we start preparing for the next game.’

Chippa United will now return to the Absa Premiership when they take on Cape Town City at the Cape Town Stadium on April 1.

Kick-off has been set for 18:00.