Kaizer Chiefs defender Dillan Solomons says they are determined to change their fortunes and finish the season on a high note, with the Soweto giants still in contention for securing a top-eight spot in the Betway Premiership.

Amakhosi missed out on a top-eight berth last season after registering their worst-ever league finish in the PSL era in position 10. This prompted a reshuffling of the technical team, with Nasreddine Nabi roped in to restore the glory days.

Coming into the job, the Tunisian mentor brought a new sense of optimism stemming from his success with Tanzanian giants Young Africans and AS FAR of Morocco, amongst other clubs he took charge of, but a string of indifferent results brought a reality check in Naturena.

Now, with Nabi’s debut season not entirely going according to plan, Chiefs’ right-back urged his teammates to assume responsibility for the lackluster performances that put the Glamour Boys at risk of missing out on a top-eight finish for two consecutive seasons.

“As players, we appreciate the support that we get week in week out, and like you said the pre-season was special for us as a team, obviously new technical staff, new players coming in, ” said Solomons, who joined Chiefs in June 2022.

“So, people were very [excited], they expected us to show a better showing than last season, obviously it didn’t happen, but as players we have to take responsibility, and we have to acknowledge that the inconsistency is also [down to] us.”

With the business end of the 2024/25 campaign fast approaching, Solomons is adamant there’s no chance of Chiefs winding down as they are eager to show critics what they are made of and put a smile on their supporters’ faces.

“We can’t blame other people; we have to take responsibility, and we have to show that this last stretch [of the season] we can do it as a team. We can show people what we are about, not just on the field but our character,” he added.

“We look forward to showing people what we can do, and we are in the final, but that’s just a bit further back. We have to stay focused on the games that are here, and hopefully we can put some smiles on the whole of South Africa’s face.”

Chiefs are currently in eighth place with 31 points collected after 25 Betway Premiership matches.

Nabi’s charges will host relegation-threatened Marumo Gallants in their next league outing at FNB Stadium on Saturday [15:00].