The new Cape Town franchise defeated Polokwane City 2-0 in their league opener to get their campaign off to a positive start, while Chiefs lost 2-1 to BidVest Wits on the same night.
Tinkler, who led Chiefs’ bitter rivals Orlando Pirates last season, says for him the cup quarterfinal is just another game, but for the players it's a chance to make a huge statement about their potential.
“We treat every game, irrespective of who we are playing, as an important fixture to win,” Tinkler said.
“It was very important to start the league on a positive note and it showed the motivation and the desire is there. The players will be less nervous now having got a first win.
“Starting off the season with a cup like the MTN8 … I have told the players they are four games away from winning their first title and that they must go out there with a positive mentality.”
Tinkler admits that for some of his players, especially the foreign contingent of Australians Matt Sim and James Brown, Austrian Roland Putsche and Latvian defender Renars Rode, facing Chiefs, with their huge support in the stands, will be an eye-opener.
“We have got players who we have signed that have not faced Chiefs before and played in that environment,” he said.
“I saw when we played Polokwane that the Aussie players, when they were coming out for the warm-up, were listening to the opposition singing in the tunnel and I think they got a bit of a fright. This will be a whole other level.”