Ernst Middendorp will be a very happy man after Saturday's Soweto Derby win, but he's had Orlando Pirates' number for some time now…
It was a battle of the Germans on Saturday as Middendorp faced countryman, Josef Zinnbauer for Soweto bragging rights in their final Absa Premiership clash of the season, with Lebogang Manyama's solo strike proving to be the difference as Chiefs grabbed a 1-0 win.
Victory not only meant that Chiefs went seven points clear at the top of the table as they stayed on track to win the league title, but they also went nine points clear of the Buccaneers, probably ending any hopes that Pirates had of catching their rivals.
A win for Middendorp, however, probably shouldn't have been much of a surprise… He's never lost against Pirates in either of his two stints at Naturena, and the victory on Saturday saw him become the first Chiefs coach to do a league double over Bucs since he achieved the same feat over a decade ago back in 2005/06.
Middendorp also became only the second Chiefs coach in the PSL-era to go six league games against Pirates without losing – the other was Stuart Baxter during his tenure with the club.
Now Chiefs turn their attentions to struggling AmaZulu on Saturday as they look to add to their title credentials even further with another three points.
