Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker was quick to defend Ashley Du Preez after a day to forget in front of goal against Orlando Pirates. Infact, Barker has backed his player to become one of the very best finishers in the country in due time.
Du Preez missed at least three clear cut chances against Pirates, with the Stellies eventually settling for a goalless draw despite boasting good chances to kill the game on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite the misses, Barker was pleased with the effort of all his players, including the misfiring forward on the evening.
“It does seem like I’m repeating myself every week, it’s just been unfortunate the season we’re having, the commitment of the players is superb, the effort is superb,” Barker said after the game.
“We’re trying our best to win football matches, it’s not through lack of commitment or trying, ja it just doesn’t want to go in the net for us right now.
“We created the far bigger chances in the game, it shows if their keeper is the Man of the Match, so we just need to keep fighting.
“It’s a good point, it should have been three but it’s a good point, we just need to continue believing in what we’re doing. The players will reap the rewards of the efforts that we’re putting in currently. Very proud of the effort again, we just have to find a way to get that goal or two than can get us over the line.
“We did change things a little bit, went with a 4-2-3-1, a couple of more players upfront, try to unsettle them, then make them defend which I felt especially first-half they had only one shot against us.
“The second-half, the only two saves that our keep made was from set-pieces, so I thought we changed it up nicely and created our chances as you saw in the first-half, I’m not too sure about the penalty shout, whether it was or not.
“We did mix it up and it did work for us today, we’re flexible, we can change the way we want to play according to the opposition and I think today we applied ourselves very well.
Speaking more on Du Preez, Barker categorically claims that Du Preez would be one of the very best in the DStv Premiership in just a few years.
“The goals aren’t going for him [Ashley Du Preez] currently but what makes me proud of what he’s doing is the other things, he chases, he presses, he gets behind, he creates set-pieces maybe unlucky not to get a penalty.
“When the goals aren’t going for you, you have that lack of confidence, it happens to the best strikers in the world, where for that patch or period it doesn’t seem to go in, so ja with Ashley if he doesn’t score another goal this season but continues to do what he’s doing, the work rate that he’s putting in, the effort that he’s putting in, he will one day reap the rewards. I predict that he will be one of the top scorers in the league in years to come.”