Komphela praises his defence and recently signed Twala

Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela was more relieved than delighted after escaping from Bloemfontein with a win on Sunday.

Komphela again praised the defensive capabilities of his team in the 1-0 away triumph over Celtic - courtesy of a late Willard Katsande penalty - the sixth time Chiefs have kept a clean sheet in 14 league matches.

"We needed the three points badly. Another plus is that we did not concede because it is also important that we keep clean sheets. In terms of the energy from our players, it was very positive," said Komphela. "You could feel the pressure and they did not give us an opportunity to play for time after we scored. We couldn't even get possession and delay things. They kept coming. What is important to us is a victory."

Komphela complimented the contribution of new faces Sula Matovu and William Twala. Although Uganda international Matovu has been at the club since the start of the season, it was his first start and Twala was only signed last week from Chippa United.

"I think Sula performed well under the circumstances, even though you saw he needed a bit of time because he had not played in a long time. For William Twala, when he came on, it was important to make a mark and send a message, which I think he managed to. He hit the post and also his energy was impressive," added the coach.

Celtic coach Serame Letsoaka, meanwhile, is not yet ready to push the panic button even though the club has not won in its last nine outings - dating back to September - and lost two home matches since he took over.

"I would be a very worried man if we were not creating chances," said Letsoaka after the latest setback against Chiefs.

"We have been creating a lot of chances but unfortunately the biggest problem is the decision-making in the final third."

Letsoaka's next assignment is against the club where he spent his entire playing career. The derby against Free State Stars is at Goble Park in Bethlehem on Saturday.