Du Preez reflects on his season at Chiefs
By Neo Poho
Kaizer Chiefs striker Ashley Du Preez has revealed that he is determined to keep his mind focused on what matters most to him and to help his team finish the season strong.
Du Preez who joined Kaizer Chiefs at the beginning of the current season from Stellenbosch FC had a rather slow start in his debut season at Naturena and at times being on the receiving end of criticism owing to initial personal struggles to settle in at Amakhosi.
Despite the slow start, the 25 year old never gave up and always held his head up high in a bid to improve and get better under the guidance of head coach Arthur Zwane.
With the DStv Premiership reaching its conclusion days, Du Preez has had a brilliant run in the black and gold colours of Amakhosi particularly during the second half of the season.
Amid the consistent form and intensity Du Preez has shown lately, the Bafana Bafana international has opened up about how he had to push himself despite the criticism he faced.
“As an individual you can’t be dwelling on other things, there is negativity all around, but as a person you need to remain fully focused towards your goals.
What I do is just keep thinking about what I can do to help the team, that is my approach going into games – thinking about how I can provide for the team so that we get the desired results," Du Preez said.
Having scored nine goals and providing five assists in all competitions so far, Du Preez's outstanding performance has been acknowledged by Zwane and the former Stellenbosch FC player insists there's still more room for improvement.
"I heard what the coach said about me being an important player and one of the key players in the team, I think for me, that’s a motivation – if the coach recognises you as an individual player doing well for the team and for yourself, learning every day and getting better.
In the midst of everything it is also so important for you as an individual to do well, and to get better, so for me, it’s just to keep going and finish the season on a high," Du Preez added.
Du Preez furthermore alluded that his desire to perform at the highest level with Kaizer Chiefs has never been so stronger than it is now.
“A big club like Kaizer Chiefs helps me because everyone here pushes you and you can see what the club is capable of doing for you as a person, so, as an individual I want to play for big clubs like this one, and to keep moving forward in my career - that's the most important thing for me now."
Alongside Christian Saile and Mduduzi Shabalala, Du Preez will hope to help the Glamour Boys defeat SuperSport United and Cape Town City to potentially qualify for the CAF Confederations Cup next season.
Kick-off at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday afternoon against SuperSport United is at 15:00.
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