Eric Tinkler has a two-pronged mission as the season draws to a close: to ensure Orlando Pirates secure a position in the top eight, and win the Nedbank Cup.
But having been hit by a wobble in the past two games - where they picked up just one point - Tinkler knows failure to achieve those goals would lead to a repeat of earlier scrutiny that sought to question his credentials.
His men will seek to win their first match in three when they take on bottom-placed Maritz- burg United this weekend.
"It will be extremely tough, just as you can expect at this stage of the season," the Pirates coach said. "All the teams are fighting for something, and Maritzburg are no exception. They are in a precarious position. They know that if they don't win, they'll probably go down to the National First Division.
"And at this stage you get crazy results. You saw Bloemfontein Celtic winning by five goals against Ajax. A week before, Chippa United gave Platinum Stars four."
Pirates' position in the top eight is far from secure, after they drew with Polokwane City and lost to Platinum Stars in their past two games.
Tinkler admitted these results torpedoed his mission of a third-place finish, which would have secured a place in next year's CAF Confederation Cup.
Now he aims to halt the slide against Maritzburg at Orlando on Saturday.
"Had we won those games against Polokwane and Stars, we would be on 44 points. That would have given us a chance to finish third and qualify for the Confed Cup. We can still achieve that by winning the Nedbank Cup, though. But what's important now is that we don't drop points because we could find ourselves in danger of missing the Top 8. Other teams are climbing up, like Chippa, who are a point behind us. SuperSport and Arrows are also close by, so we can't afford mistakes," Tinkler said.
Pirates' only hope of salvaging the season is winning the Nedbank Cup, but they face a tough trip to Free State Stars in the semifinal next weekend.
"I had hoped that by this time I would long have won my first trophy as head coach. But I'm happy that I still have that chance. It's very important for us to finish the season on a high."
Weekend Fixtures
Saturday: FS Stars v Platinum Stars, Goble Park, 3pm; Chippa v Arrows, Buffalo City, 3pm; Pirates v Maritzburg, Orlando, 8.15pm
Sunday: SuperSport v Polokwane, Lucas Moripe Stadium, 3pm
Tinkler's plan to save Bucs' season
Eric Tinkler has a two-pronged mission as the season draws to a close: to ensure Orlando Pirates secure a position in the top eight, and win the Nedbank Cup.
But having been hit by a wobble in the past two games - where they picked up just one point - Tinkler knows failure to achieve those goals would lead to a repeat of earlier scrutiny that sought to question his credentials.
His men will seek to win their first match in three when they take on bottom-placed Maritz- burg United this weekend.
"It will be extremely tough, just as you can expect at this stage of the season," the Pirates coach said. "All the teams are fighting for something, and Maritzburg are no exception. They are in a precarious position. They know that if they don't win, they'll probably go down to the National First Division.
"And at this stage you get crazy results. You saw Bloemfontein Celtic winning by five goals against Ajax. A week before, Chippa United gave Platinum Stars four."
Pirates' position in the top eight is far from secure, after they drew with Polokwane City and lost to Platinum Stars in their past two games.
Tinkler admitted these results torpedoed his mission of a third-place finish, which would have secured a place in next year's CAF Confederation Cup.
Now he aims to halt the slide against Maritzburg at Orlando on Saturday.
"Had we won those games against Polokwane and Stars, we would be on 44 points. That would have given us a chance to finish third and qualify for the Confed Cup. We can still achieve that by winning the Nedbank Cup, though. But what's important now is that we don't drop points because we could find ourselves in danger of missing the Top 8. Other teams are climbing up, like Chippa, who are a point behind us. SuperSport and Arrows are also close by, so we can't afford mistakes," Tinkler said.
Pirates' only hope of salvaging the season is winning the Nedbank Cup, but they face a tough trip to Free State Stars in the semifinal next weekend.
"I had hoped that by this time I would long have won my first trophy as head coach. But I'm happy that I still have that chance. It's very important for us to finish the season on a high."
Weekend Fixtures
Saturday: FS Stars v Platinum Stars, Goble Park, 3pm; Chippa v Arrows, Buffalo City, 3pm; Pirates v Maritzburg, Orlando, 8.15pm
Sunday: SuperSport v Polokwane, Lucas Moripe Stadium, 3pm
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