Ashley du Preez has had a love-hate relationship with the fans. As such, the Kaizer Chiefs No 9 wants to repay the latest bit of faith they’ve shown in him.
Du Preez was tipped to be one of the top marksmen in the land, given his blistering pace and eye for goal during his time at Stellenbosch.
Those emerging flashes of brilliance were expected to be honed at Chiefs after joining the local giants on a multi-million rand deal under then-coach Arthur Zwane.
Fans of Chiefs’ arch-rivals were also lamenting their teams for not acting swiftly to secure his services as he was also a Bafana Bafana international.
However, Du Preez struggled to hit consistency as he was in and out of form. The fans acted on his inconsistency as they jeered him in both Bafana and Chiefs games at times.
Du Preez, though, was showered with love by the same fans last season as they voted him into the inaugural All-Stars team which faced Carling Knockout Cup champions Stellenbosch FC.
The 27-year-old had a slow start in the new season, with new coach Nasreddine Nabi preferring Ranga Chivaviro over him for a starting berth.
Du Preez’s fortunes looked to have changed when he got the nod ahead of Chivaviro, a feat he initially repaid with back-to-back goals in the Premiership.
But he was back at it in his last game against TS Galaxy in the league, missing a sitter, something that resulted in Nabi replacing him with Chivaviro, who scored the equaliser, at halftime.
By then, the fans had still shown their affection for Du Preez, voting him into the All-Stars team which will face champions Magesi FC at Orlando Stadium today (3pm kick-off).
“When you get to be voted for by the fans, that means they trust you, and believe in you,” said Du Preez on making the cut in the All-Stars team yet again.
“So for me, it’s just to do what I have been doing best. If they still believe in me, it’s up to me to give back to them.”
Given Nabi’s decision to rotate Chivaviro and Du Preez, the external observer is looking at the Carling Cup game as a chance for the latter to jump high in the pecking order.
But Du Preez begs to differ.
“Not really. I think this is a different competition, and outside of the club – so whatever happens, happens,” Du Preez explained.
“I am not here to prove anything to the coach at Chiefs. It’s just for me to come here and enjoy myself, because I think it’s something different regarding the club.”
Locked in ✅
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) December 19, 2024
Here's the Carling All-Stars starting XI set to face @Magesi_FC on Saturday 21 December at Orlando Stadium.
Tickets for this match are available at TicketPro outlets and online for R50: https://t.co/KMnanOyWUU pic.twitter.com/31KrklH7zb
Du Preez believes in and lauds hard work, so much so that while his All-Stars team coach Jose Riveiro is the master tactician of arch-rivals Orlando Pirates, he believes in the Spaniard’s qualities.
“It’s our second time with the coach (Riveiro). He’s very good, and he understands the players very well, so it will be a nice game on the weekend,” he said.
“His consistency and how he’s been as a coach (makes him successful). The first time I got the opportunity to work with him, he was very positive.
“I think for me as a player, coach Riveiro has been a great coach and he’s been doing well at the club.
“With his (Riveiro) experience and all the players going into this weekend’s game, he’s doing a great job.” | Independent Media Sport