Goals from Issa Sarr, Ayanda Gcaba and Thamsanqa Gabuza secured the victory for the Bucs, leaving their coach both relieved and delighted.
“We were very good today,” he said after the game. “We started the game extremely well and put them under a lot of pressure, particularly in the first half. Our transition was very good.
“I’m very proud of the boys, particularly the first half performance, but it was obviously very important to continue in the second. And I said to the players, as the game goes on, they’ll start tiring and we’ll be able to catch them on the counter and that’s exactly what happened.
“I’m obviously disappointed in the way we conceded because we knew that was an aerial threat of theirs, Mathoho got away from Sarr, but it happens. But overall I’m very impressed with the performance.”
Pirates and their coach have been under pressure following a string of poor results, yet entertained the fans in a convincing win at FNB Stadium, and Tinkler hopes his side can continue in the same vein.
“You don’t become a bad team overnight … obviously our form hasn’t been great in the League, but I knew one performance would change that, and for it to come in the derby is fantastic,” he said. “Now it’s about maintaining that consistency, and with tough set of fixtures ahead, this win was extremely important for us.”
The win sees Pirates climb up to 11th in the Absa Premiership standings on eight points from eight matches, while Chiefs remain fourth, two points behind Bidvest Wits having played two more matches.