Bradley Cross urges Kaizer Chiefs to turn draws into victories

Kaizer Chiefs defender Bradley Cross says his side must start converting draws into wins if they are to remain competitive in every competition this season.

Chiefs return to league action against Stellenbosch after a three-week break, which followed the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the MTN8 final. Cross believes the time away gave the squad an opportunity to address the problems that have contributed to their inconsistent campaign.

The defender has been recovering from a pre-season injury and has watched a period of the season from the stands, giving him a different perspective on the points Chiefs have dropped.

“We had too many draws, we need to capitalise on winning games and not conceding such silly goals, but you know that’s part of football, so yeah, we need to keep up maximum points,” Cross said.

Avoidable goals have been a particular concern for Chiefs, with Cross acknowledging that the team’s defensive lapses have made it harder to turn performances into victories.

Chiefs determined to stay in contention

Chiefs have ambitions across a number of competitions, and Cross echoed head coach Fernando da Cruz’s warning that the club cannot allow itself to lose contact with the leading teams.

“We don’t want to fall behind, we want to compete for everything that we’re in, every competition we’re in this season – as the coach said, we don’t wanna fall behind, so we’re just trying to stay there.

“Too many draws won’t help us in that instance, we just need to look forward, take it game by game, win and get maximum points.”

The focus now is on moving beyond the points already lost and building momentum through the next fixture. Cross said Chiefs must approach each match individually and make sure they take advantage of their opportunities.

Their immediate challenge is a meeting with Stellenbosch, a fixture Cross expects to be difficult. Chiefs used the international break to work on areas they felt required improvement, while also preparing for a Stellenbosch team containing several players who previously represented Amakhosi.

“Playing Stellenbosch is never easy, but we took time in the international break to work on things we needed to work on – also there’s certain players that were once here that are now there, we know their attributes,” Cross said.

Given Msimango, Darrel Matsheke, Ashley du Preez and George Matlou are now with the Western Cape club, both teams will have considerable knowledge of the opposition. Cross believes that familiarity can help Chiefs prepare for the contest.

He also praised Stellenbosch head coach Gavin, while stressing that Chiefs’ aim is to leave with all three points.

“Also, Gavin is a good coach, we will go in there, give our best, hopefully not give too much away but we’re going in for three points.”