Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari has stressed that the only thing that counts at this stage of the season is picking up points, irrespective of his side’s performances.

The Sea Robbers scraped over the line against title rivals Bidvest Wits, courtesy of a Keagan Ritchie own goal in stoppage time which sent Pirates to the top of the table.

The Soweto giant admittedly did not produce their best performance at the Bidvest Stadium on Saturday, but they still picked up the three points to keep their hopes of winning the league and end their five-year trophy drought.

With the season entering the business end, Pirates have just five games remaining, in which they would have to pick up maximum points in order to push Mamelodi Sundowns, and possibly Wits all the way in the title race.

Motshwari is under no illusion about the side’s targets over the next five matches as they aim to prioritise results over performances.

‘It wasn’t pretty [against Wits], but we dug in and got the job done. Look, I would be lying if we said we were happy with our performance on the day, especially considering how we played in the Sundowns game [last week Monday],’ Motshwari told his club’s website.

‘However, in the same breath I will say, that despite us not playing our best football on the day, our character and determination got us over the line and that is what is really important, especially at this time of the season.

‘Where we are right now is at the business end of the season; every team is gunning for points, more so than ever, therefore when you do get those points you count it as a blessing and move on to the next challenge,’ he concluded.