Ovono was benched on Saturday having made a costly blunder in a 1-0 defeat to Bidvest Wits in the previous game.
Tinkler, however, insists Ovono's mistake did not cost him his place in the side for the quarter-final tie on the weekend.
“This was a tough decision but I need to go back to Zamalek game where we lost 4-1. It was extremely important to allow Ovono to play that next game because of his confidence and also me to assess how he would react,” Tinkler explains.
“And what I saw was a young man who bounce back straight away which was good for him and also for us.
“So the choice of me not selecting him for this game has nothing to do with the mistake he made because your best goalkeepers in the world make those mistakes.
“What I have done with him was I explained to him that I want to give Siyabonga Mpontshane an opportunity because he deserves it. He has been working very hard and where he comes from he was a first choice goalkeeper.
“This was an opportunity for him to get some game-time. Ovono, like I said, a fantastic goalkeeper. The following day he was training, smiling, laughing and he understood my reasoning behind wanting to play Siya and he backed him 100 percent and that's what you want from a goalkeeper.”