Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic says Thamsanqa Gabuza is the ‘darling’ of the team despite his recent form in the Absa Premiership.

The 30-year-old has managed to net three goals and create one assist from 14 games in all competitions so far this season.

Sredojevic defended his striker after Gabuza missed a golden opportunity to hand his side the win over Golden Arrows over the weekend.

‘He is the darling of the team. He is as good a positive guy that you could imagine,’ Sredojevic told KickOff.com.

‘Thabo Matlaba, his good friend, will agree with me. He is a very nice guy, good for the team, very positive personality at training.

‘All of us, we really wanted today [Saturday] to break this jinx. He scored two goals against Polokwane and since then he has had many good chances but missed.’

The Serbian coach believes Gabuza will soon find the back of the net when it matters the most to the club.

‘In the dressing room all of us have given him support. He is our man. In football we win as team, we draw as a team and we lose as a team. We were close to winning today but we didn’t. Why we didn’t is exactly that final product,’ he added.

‘When you miss one there is that proactive reaction of our players that enters his head and the mental blockage that stops him from thinking about this but [instead] looking forward to creating more and break the jinx.

‘I believe after the first and second miss he started to have a blockage. We need to support him because the time will come when he will repay with goals important for us.’

Orlando Pirates will be hoping to redeem themselves when they take on Free State Stars at Goble Park in the Premiership on Saturday, with kick-off set for 18:00.