Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has praised the mental fortitude of defender Siyabonga Ngezana to bounce back after some costly mistakes at the start of the season.
Zwane said there was no need to bury Ngezana because he was bound to bounce back because of what happened at the start of the campaign, which came at a time when he was trying to find his right combinations along with new signings.
Ngezana had a tough start to 2022/23, making two costly mistakes when Chiefs lost 4-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in just the third league game of the season. He also had another tough outing in the 2-0 loss to Cape Town City away.
However, of late, the defender has bounced back big time, even scooping Man of the Match awards, one in particular against Maritzburg United in the Nedbank Cup last-32 last month in KwaZulu-Natal – the province he was born from.
Back to the province where he was born this past weekend, Ngezana was solid as Chiefs defeated Richards Bay 1-0 at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, heading the game’s only goal to see Chiefs win two matches on the bounce for a second time this season.
At the end, Ngezana claimed another Man of the Match gong, as he, alongside Edmilson Dove, protected goalkeeper Brandon Petersen well, with Zitha Kwinika moving to right-back, the position Ngezana used to play.
“I always say this, football is the game of mistakes,” said Zwane to iDiski Times when asked about Ngezana’s return to form.
“Once a player makes a mistake, we bury him. Are we helping his game to grow in this country?
“We have to look at ourselves because there are many other players that were exceptional and they also made lots of mistakes that were costly.
“But they came back very strong. Even when I was a player, I made mistakes and I was given an opportunity to play football and football is the game of opportunities.
“I’m happy for Siya, and yes he looked solid and I expect him to continue that way.”
Ngezana’s headerin the eighth minute where he was perfectly set up by Mduduzi Shabalala, Chiefs saw the victory move them to fourth in the DStv Premiership table, leapfrogging Bay, with 34 points after 22 matches, levelled with their arch rivals – Orlando Pirates, who they share the identical wins, loss and draws.
