After four league matches against Orlando Pirates in two seasons as a coach of two different PSL teams Muhsin Ertugral’s record thanks to Saturday’s hard fought win for The Amakhosi over the Buccaneers, means that Ertugral’s teams have won two and drawn two matches against Pirates. The Amakhosi’s win over Pirates on Saturday was Ertugral’s second in a league game over Chiefs arch rivals in eight meetings, with the only other time he presided over a Chiefs win against Pirates was on the final day of the 2000 – 2001 season. Thabo Mooki was the lone goal scorer on that occasion at the FNB Stadium, for Ertugral Pirates are in the past and Bloemfontein Celtic are his immediate future and his wish is to close off the debate against the Free Staters on Wednesday evening whether or not Chiefs will feature in the 2008 – 2009 top eight competition.

Pirates reflection

The Chiefs coach holds the view that Chiefs win against Pirates on Saturday was more than just a morale booster and has kept his team ticking as the season comes to a halt, Ertugral said of the win over Pirates, “it was a dramatic match with an equally dramatic result. I said I always like derby matches and just like our game against Swallows this one had every thing, they had early chances you know to win a game like this all you need is to come up with one magical moment and we did. Credit also to Pirates for making a game of it, they held the upper cards in the opening 20 – 25 minutes of the first half”.

Ending speculation

With Pirates out of the way Ertugral is looking to end all the speculative talk about Chiefs finishing inside the top eight, the Amakhosi coach wants to end that discussion with what could be his teams third straight league victory on Wednesday evening when they face Bloemfontein Celtic at Loftus. Even a win on Wednesday will not be enough to see Celtic into a top eight finish but despite that Ertugral is not taking any chances, “forget where Celtic’s are currently placed and remember. That whoever plays Chiefs they always lift their game, we already have experience of what kind of a team Celtic are and we not going in thinking we have the three points already won”.

08-09

Victory in the penultimate game against Celtic will be perfect for Ertugral who has one eye on next season already as he explained, “for some time now the planning process for 2008 – 2009 has begun. Right now once we assured we in the top eight those plans will begin to take further shape” Ertugral believes that Chiefs recent good form has set up a strong framework around which the building process for next season will take shape around. The Chiefs coach added “after a number of very detailed sessions with the chairman and Bobby Motaung we have set up the structures for next season, I have identified the personnel that I need and other input and I firmly believe that as we were in the latter part of this season we will be that way through out the next one”.