Richards Bay coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi says he was surprised they had chances in the second half against Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
The Natal Rich Boyz boosted their chances of survival after edging Amakhosi 1-0 courtesy of a late goal by Simphiwe Mcineka.
Vilakazi says he was happy with the work rate and hunger of his players.
READ | Chiefs fall to struggling Richards Bay
"The attitude and the hunger has increased from the players. They wanted it so much, we know our situation, we don't have any room for a draw or a loss at this moment," Vilakazi said on SuperSport TV.
"If you want to find a team in a safe space we have to work very hard and I'm very impressed today with the hard work that they put in. In the first-half we didn't have a great game but we kept a clean-sheet which was very important for us,
"And second-half we had to come out with a counter-attack and try to get something. We were fortunate enough when we got a corner-kick and we managed to score a goal," he said.
The former Golden Arrows coach went on and suggested that they were happy to sit back and settle for a point in the second stanza but was surprised they found spaces on counter-attacks.
"I even introduced (Thabani) Dube because I thought they would come at us, let's reinforce our defence but only to find out that we still had opportunities. We came out, Justice (Figuareido) I think came out two times," Vilakazi continued.
"So I think the focus today was just top class. We showed in the field of play that we wanted it so much, so bad and I think they worked for it and they deserved it."
The KwaZulu-Natal side will be up against rivals Cape Town Spurs in their next game on Friday, with eight points currently separating the sides and six points behind 14th-placed Moroka Swallows.
"We're taking it one-game at a time but obviously facing a team that you're fighting with in terms of relegation, I think we have to go there and make sure that we get the three points," Vilakazi said.
"So far so good, six points in two games. I think if we can be consistent enough we might find ourselves victorious come the end of the season," he added.
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