Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has doubled down on his support for striker Ashley Du Preez who struggled to find the back of the net as Amakhosi defeated Orlando Pirates 1-0 in the Soweto Derby on Saturday.
Du Preez found himself on the receiving end of some booing after failing to beat Pirates' goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpotshane in a one-on-one scenario for the second time in the game.
The striker was later substituted off for Kgaogelo Sekgota and Zwane has clarified that the substitution was purely for fitness reasons and has backed Du Preez to soon find his scoring boots.
"Besides the chances that he [Du Preez] missed, he had a good game," Zwane said post-match.
"When we were defending, he was part of the team, like I said the plan was to force Pirates to go out wide.
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"When you look at the way he performance, apart form the chances. I think he did fairly well."
"Unfortunately, he ran out of steam as well [as some of the other players who were substituted] and we had to substitute him, but he did very well."
Du Preez has struck three times for Amakhosi this season, but has come under fire from sections of supporters over failure to covert goal scoring chances in recent games.
Zwane, however, is unwavering in his support of the forward.
"Look, this is a game of mistakes. He's going to get it right, I have no doubts about it," the 49-year-old forward added..
"One day he'll score three, we'll be happy. One day he'll score two, so at the moment I think it's part of the game where we have to understand that all the chances is because he gets into the right areas at the right time.
"Unfortunately he doesn't convert them, but next time he'll take them and we'll all be happy. I'm happy for him, especially with the performance. We'll fix the finishing as time goes on."
Chiefs will only return to DStv Premiership action on 31 December with an away trip to Lamontville Golden Arrows as their last fixture for the year.
For now, Amakhosi will turn their attention to the upcoming Carling Black Label Cup where they could possibly meet the Buccaneers again, alongside AmaZulu and Mamelodi Sundowns.
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