Orlando Pirates coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has thanked his team for their hard work after they secured second spot on the log with a comprehensive 4-0 win over outgoing champions Bidvest Wits.

The Soweto giants also kept their title hopes alive with the crushing victory over the Clever Boys at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday. They now only trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by four points with two games remaining after the Brazilians drew 2-2 with Maritzburg United.

‘First of all, I want to give credit to the players, they worked very hard. They prepared themselves. We knew with today’s win we are collecting 52 points. And after six years, we’re entering the top two of the PSL and qualifying for Africa,’ Micho told SuperSport TV.

‘I want to thank the players, the technical team. We have achieved a very important target. I also want to thank the players for today’s game. They followed the instructions. It’s very hard to play against Bidvest Wits.

‘They’re a team who goes for percentage football, sending those long balls and crosses all the time. So, you need to be ready for them.

‘Once you’re limiting them, you are giving an advantage to yourselves. So, there are many things we’re proud of because we scored during the critical elements of the game.

‘The opponents tried to press us high and we avoided that. We tried to play with the risk and once we avoided the pressure, we afforded ourselves the chance to score and open the game and I’m happy because the boys worked very hard and abide by all the instructions given to them,’ he added.