Platinum Stars coach Allan Freese had a friendly jibe at his opposite number Pitso Mosimane's past complaints about "parking the bus" following their victory in the MTN8 quarterfinal at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend.
Last season Mosimane, like Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, frequently accused opponents of "parking the bus".
Freese added: "The strategy was to park it, [but also] put a driver in quickly and go forward.
"You must write also that the wheels weren't taken off the bus. So our bus also moved forward a little bit."
The defending champions caught Sundowns with swift counter attacks that could have resulted in more goals than the two they scored before halftime. They had to withstand a late onslaught to go through to today's semifinal draw.
"It was an indicator that we are ready [for the new season]. Some of my players were dead on their feet at some stage but it is a result that gives us a great boost," he said.
Stars lost several regulars at the end of last season, with Siphelele Mthembu joining Kaizer Chiefs, Issa Sarr being sold to Orlando Pirates and Botswana international Mogakolodi Ngele about to join Lindokhule Mbatha at Sundowns.
"It happens every season. There are some players we cannot keep and others whose contracts we do not extend. We used three new players against Sundowns," said Freese, whose side takes on Chippa United in the Premier Soccer League season opener in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
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