After a strong start to the season Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp believes his side is heading in the right direction, but won’t start dreaming of silverware just yet.

Chiefs progressed to the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout Cup on Saturday afternoon with a penalty shootout victory over arch-rivals Orlando Pirates.

The early-season cup run coupled with their fine league form, which have Chiefs topping the Absa Premiership standings, started a conversation about the club ending its four-year trophy drought.

Middendorp, though, was quick to distance himself from the dry spell and instead insists on focusing on one game at a time.

‘We seem to be heading in the right direction but at the moment I’m not dreaming, I’m thinking about the next game, which is against Chippa in Port Elizabeth,’ Middendorp said after the TKO victory over Pirates.

‘I have nothing to do with the past four years. I only came here in December 2018. I’ve been here for the past 11 months.

‘We definitely had some changes to make. We had a very clear target at the start of the season. We wanted to do much better than last season.

‘When you win, you build confidence. Game after game your confidence grows. You can see even if you go to a penalty shootout, players don’t run away. They are raising their hands and saying, “I’ll take the first one and I’ll take the last one.”

‘This is a very clear indication that confidence is building up. We are heading in the right direction.’

Chiefs next take aim at basement dwellers Chippa United as they travel to Port Elizabeth for a clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday night.