Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker believes Amakhosi will continue to grow and become stronger as a team as they prepare for the start of the DStv Premiership season.
Amakhosi got their campaign off to a slow start after suffering a 2-1 defeat on penalties against Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarter-finals of the MTN8 competition last Sunday.
The Soweto giants will now be hoping they can walk away with a win in their DStv Premiership opener against TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday.
Parker is confident his side will develop a cohesive team that will make them stronger as they look to end their six-year wait for a trophy.
“I did not expect now that we’ve reshuffled and have quite a few new inclusions, that we would learn so fast and click so fast. It’s good that we are getting to gel this fast,” Parker told his club’s official website.
“With the Kaizer Chiefs that gave the champions a problem, I believe we can grow further and be tough to beat. There are a lot of signs that Amakhosi will be back soon in terms of the style of play and in terms of winning ways.
“It’s now up to us as players to keep our attitude and our game temperament levels up every time come match day.”
Parker was delighted to have found the back of the net against Mamelodi Sundowns in their MTN8 opener over the weekend and was hapy to be fielded in a more advanced position rather than in midfield.
“I played higher up in this game, as a striker. In previous games I’ve played as a midfielder and couldn’t get into scoring positions, trying more to construct and consolidate build up play to get the team up to an attacking phase,” he added.
“This time I was playing higher as a striker. With the Bernard Parker instinct I have, I kept trying to find myself in good positions. When the ball came, I was in a good position to put it away. It was a good feeling.
“I would like to add more goals if I keep playing in a higher position. But wherever the coach will put me, every time you see Bernard Parker, he will give his 120% for the team.
“The good thing is that after they got two goals, we kept our heads high. We kept soldiering on and motivating each other, knowing and believing we can come back. And we did play better afterwards.
“We started taking more risks in our build up in terms of going forward and it worked out for us. We kept them on the back foot and implemented what we worked on, that we wanted to come out on the diagonals.
“When we found (Njabulo) Blom out on the diagonal, he put a brilliant cross in, where I ran into the near post, anticipating it well and the cross came in with such pace that I just guided it into the corner,” concludes Parker.
