An early second-half goal from Ayanda Patosi earned them a 1-0 victory at the Cape Town Stadium, with veteran midfielder Teko Modise scooping the Man of the Match award.
“It was a big game for us. Playing Pirates is never easy, especially with the form they are in. But I mean, we were never overwhelmed by the occasion. We stuck to our tactics and we knew that they were going to get a break because they put in so many numbers forward," Modise told SuperSport TV.
“Luckily we got a break, but we could’ve scored a couple more and Pirates also could have scored, but we wanted it more."
The loss will revive their campaign that’s been going through the motions of late after experiencing a four successive losses recently, but Modise believes they are in transition.
“It’s been a tough season for us. It’s been new for me and Benni (McCarthy) and a lot of other players. We lost a few key players so we actually a new team in terms of structure.
“So I mean we’re coming up well. This is the only cup that we know now is in our hands and we know that we have to win. It’s up to us.
“The league we know is not as open as it’s used to be but we are trying to push and give it all we have for the remainder of the season,” he said.