Frenchman Fernando da Cruz insists Kaizer Chiefs have played well enough to string victories together, urging his team to eliminate costly lapses and stake their claim for silverware.

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Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has admitted that costly mistakes have prevented his side from building winning momentum this season.

Amakhosi have been unable to record back-to-back victories in all competitions, with their inconsistent results becoming a concern as they attempt to establish themselves as genuine contenders.

The Naturena-based outfit have played 13 matches this season, winning five, drawing five, and losing three.

While those numbers suggest a side capable of competing, their inability to follow up victories with another win has highlighted their struggle for consistency.

Speaking to the media ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup encounter against Siwelele on Sunday, Da Cruz was asked to explain why Chiefs have been unable to put together consecutive wins.

The Frenchman believes the problem is not necessarily a lack of quality or poor performances, but rather the mistakes that have cost his team valuable points.

“The analysis for that is very easy. If you look at our journey since the start of the season, sometimes we draw games because we make mistakes when we actually deserve to win these types of games,” he said.

“We have deserved to win two or three games in a row because of our performances, but those reasons have stopped us from doing so.”

Da Cruz’s assessment suggests that Chiefs have often been competitive enough to win matches but have failed to make their dominance count when it matters.

For a team with ambitions of challenging for silverware, those missed opportunities can quickly become costly, particularly when they prevent the building of momentum.

The Carling Knockout now offers Amakhosi another opportunity to get their campaign back on track.

A victory over Siwelele would take them through to the next round and, just as importantly, give Da Cruz’s side a chance to put their unwanted record behind them.

However, Chiefs will need to turn encouraging performances into results if they are to end their frustrating run of inconsistency.