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Cape Town - Eric Tinkler was livid with his Orlando Pirates players who thought their clash against Polokwane City would be a walk in the park.
The Buccaneers failed to score at the FNB Stadium in their goalless draw with Julio Leal's men on Wednesday night, and Tinkler admits he warned Bucs of undermining Rise and Shine especially after they lost to National First division outfit Baroka FC in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
"We didn't put in a good performance and, truth be told, already on Monday that was my concern, particularly after the result against Sundowns," he said after the match.
"Players were on a high and this game was always going to be a tough one for us. If you watched their game against Baroka on Sunday, you would be thinking it was going to be an easy one.
"My experience has told me that it was not going to be the case. It was going to be a completely different kettle of fish. That's what I have been telling the players every day... do not underestimate them."
Third-placed Platinum Stars lost the earlier game to Chippa United, which made Pirates' inability to find the back of the net all the more frustrating for Tinkler as his side missed the chance to go level on points with Dikwena.
"They were going to be different from what we saw on Sunday and we needed to work hard. I don't think we got that from the players. I think we underestimated them," the Pirates head coach added.
"Platinum Stars losing [4-1 to Chippa United] was good for us, and had we won we would have moved to 41 points. If we play against them and get a result then we are level on points, so this was like two points lost."
