Caretaker coach Arthur Zwane insisted that finishing in eighth position should never be celebrated by a club of Kaizer Chiefs' stature after his side clinched a Top 8 spot with a 1-0 win over TS Galaxy on Saturday.
Samir Nurkovic proved the match-winner as he struck the game's decisive goal in an away win at the Mbombela Stadium with Chiefs leapfrogging their opponents into eighth spot.
The win sees Chiefs qualify for next season's MTN8 competition and prevent an unwanted record of equalling the club's lowest ever finish of 9th.
Despite two consecutive wins, Zwane said that a club of Chiefs' calibre should never celebrate not lifting trophies.
"We all knew that we'd have a very difficult season," Zwane said post-match.
"We didn't manage to bring in new players while also having many injuries and suspensions.
"We also travelled a lot in and out of the country while some players additionally represented their national teams, so it was a tough season for us.
"When results were going well at the start, we knew there would be a challenge to keep everyone happy and positive in camp, and all players refreshed physically.
"But we knew it would at some stage time catch up with us, and you could see that in the middle of the season, we were battling and struggling so hard.
"But a club of Kaizer Chiefs' calibre, we shouldn't have been in the situation we were in. We also shouldn't be happy that we've qualified for the top eight.
"We should only be happy when we win league titles, but some of the things that happened did so for a reason.
"But on a positive note, this is the same team that managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League with a hope we can go through to the finals.
"We also want to do it for the country as we're the only South African team remaining in the competition."