Thapelo Xoki - We blocked outside noise to win the title

Pirates had dropped crucial points against Durban City a week prior, which created anxiety among the fans about whether they could get the job done. He says they just had to keep composure and remember their plans from the beginning of the season.

"From the start of the season we always tried to block the outside noise. We tried our best to get over the line against Durban City, but it was not meant to be that way. We stuck to our processes and we always believed. 

"If you had asked us at the start of the season, 'You can have the last game of the season against Orbit College to win the league, will you take it?'

"Of course we would've taken the opportunity and we reminded each other of that fact before the final game."

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Asked whether they had moments of anxiety and nervousness heading into that game, Xoki says the doubters were only outside the club, while they always believed the treble will be completed. 

He added that they knew they had to stick together as a group and carry each other over the line.

The 31-year-old also admitted that their relationship as players with coach Abdeslam Ouaddou didn’t get off to the best of starts, but in the same breath said it was smooth sailing once they found each other. 

"He is a passionate coach who demands a lot and doesn't accept anything less than excellence, and we had to learn that from the start. At times it created a bit of friction at the start, but we started to understand the type of coach he is, and now we're enjoying him because he's also a funny coach."

Xoki has undergone the most challenging period of his career with a long-term injury sustained when they were involved in a bus road accident last year, and has not been able to get onto the field since. 

He has praised the club’s medical team for the work they’ve done in his rehabilitation.