Gavin Hunt's Durban City left devastated after coming close against Kaizer Chiefs

Durban City coach Gavin Hunt says his players must learn to translate good performances into results after narrowly losing 1-0 to Kaizer Chiefs in a hard-fought Betway Premiership encounter at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night.

A late header from Portuguese born Fabio Silva denied Hunt’s side a share of the spoils in a match that saw City match their more established opponents for much of the 90 minutes.

Hunt admitted the result was difficult to take, given how close his team came to claiming a valuable point.

“The dressing room is obviously devastated after being so close but yet so far,” he said. 

“But as I said to them with regards to the last three games, in football you have to give yourself something to hold onto and we haven’t done that with regularity. If you don’t score, you don’t have a chance.”

City created a few promising moments of their own, particularly in the first half, but failed to make them count — something Hunt felt summed up their night.

“We had one or two moments there where we could’ve scored but the ball didn’t fall in the right way,” he said. “In the end, you have to look at the positives. You can’t put so much in and not get anything out, so we’ll focus on those and move on.”

The veteran coach, who has guided several clubs to league titles, said he still sees untapped potential within his new-look City squad.

“I’ve coached a lot of football teams and I know when I know,” Hunt explained.

“There’s a lot from this football team that still hasn’t come out, but we have to get better at certain things — and one of those is concentration.”

City have shown flashes of quality this season but have struggled for consistency, with late lapses often costing them points. Hunt believes those small details will make all the difference in tight games like the one against Chiefs.

“At some moments we’ve needed luck and haven’t had much — even in the games we’ve won,” he added. “I’m not saying we’ve deserved it, but against AmaZulu and this game, I think it might have helped our good performances.”

Despite the defeat, Hunt praised his players’ work ethic and application, insisting that their performances will eventually be rewarded if they maintain the same attitude.

Durban City will next host Marumo Gallants at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday, where Hunt hopes his side can finally combine strong performances with a much-needed victory.