Cardoso eyes first silverware with Chiefs

He will, however be closer to changing that if Amakhosi beat Bidvest Wits in the Telkom Knockout semifinals tomorrow afternoon – the match is set for a 3.30pm kick-off at Bidvest Stadium in Milpark.

“We are just two games away from it now,” said the Amakhosi defender. “As a player, I have never won a cup, even at my previous clubs,” said the former Free State Stars player, who joined Chiefs in 2015.

Since then, the trophy cabinet at Naturena has only been opened to house the worthless Macufe Cup, Maize Cup and Carling Cup but Cardoso feels the real deal will be added soon enough. Still, there is a pretty urgent matter of breaking down a stubborn Wits side first.

READ: Lorenzo and I work well together – Cardoso

“Wits are not an easy team to beat. But we are at least going through a good streak and have not lost a match since the defeat to Baroka (on September 30). We have also been keeping clean sheets which is a good thing,” he said.

“We want to win the trophy … we need it for ourselves, for the club and for the fans. We have not won anything in two seasons and this is the chance to make amends now.”

Like Cardoso, Amakhosi coach Steve Komphela – who signed Cardoso while at Ea Lla Koto five years ago – is also yet to taste cup glory. Komphela’s stay at Amakhosi has been an uncomfortable one as he is yet to keep up with the side’s tradition of winning trophies.

Komphela has had to shield his players from angry fans who question their quality whenever they lose – he has soaked up all the pressure by himself. That has not gone unnoticed by the players and Cardoso said they want to repay the coach for his faith in them.

“Steve has a lot of balls. He handles the pressure and takes it away from us. That is why we are trying to win this for him. As a coach he has not won a domestic trophy, so I think we owe it to him to win this one,” said Cardoso.

READ: Chiefs coach Steve Komphela in last chance saloon