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| Brilliant Khuzwayo vows to work his socks off to earn a place in the first team at Chiefs. (Picture: Twitter) |
Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo has vowed to work his socks off in a bid to consolidate a place in the first team for the upcoming season.
The 26-year-old struggled for game-time last term, managing just one appearance as Reyaad Pieterse commanded a regular spot in goal for Amakhosi in the absence of an injured Itumeleng Khune.
Khuzwayo made an impression during Khune’s absence in the MTN 8 final victory over arch-rivals Orlando Pirates back in September 2014 as he picked up the Man of The Match award.
Having made his Premiership debut for AmaZulu in August 2010, the Umlazi-born shot-stopper has only featured 25 times for the Soweto giants in four seasons.
But with Pieterse having subsequently made a switch to SuperSport United and Khune going to the Rio Olympics next month with the South Africa Under-23 squad as one of the overaged players, along with Eric Mathoho, Khuzwayo is determined to grab the opportunity to prove his worth in the Carling Black Label Cup against Pirates on July 30 at FNB Stadium.
“The fact that I’m still in coach Steve’s [Komphela] plans motivates me and fires me up to work even harder to convince him that I’m a goalkeeper that he can rely on,” he said.
“Yes, it’s frustrating to any player to struggle for game-time, but at a team like Chiefs, competition for a starting berth is the order of the day and you just have to live with it as long as you are part of the team.
“Obviously, in Itu’s [Khune] absence I was hoping for game-time though I knew I was faced with a challenge for a starting berth with Reyaad [Pieterse]. Well, Itu is going to Olympics, and I stand a chance of being in a starting line-up against Pirates in the Carling Black Label Cup Challenge on 30 July. Surely, this is my chance to impress.”