Deano van Rooyen and Ashley du Preez are as close as brothers in Cape Town.
The Stellenbosch FC midfielder was taken in by Du Preez’s mother, who is Van Rooyen’s aunt, in order to continue his schooling when he was young.
It is a friendship that got stronger when both Idas Valley players joined Stellenbosch FC at the same time as teens in 2015/16.
After Du Preez’s high-profile offseason transfer to Kaizer Chiefs, though, they faced off against one other for the first time last Sunday at the Danie Craven Stadium.
After suffering an injury, there was a chance that Du Preez might not be able to participate in the match.
However, Du Preez passed a late fitness test and scored the game-tying goal for Amakhosi. Despite the fact that Du Preez did not celebrate his goal out of respect for everyone at Stellies who has done so much for him during the early stages of his career, he let out a yell of ecstasy as he walked back towards the halfway line.
Van Rooyen’s missed penalty in the shootout, which let Chiefs to win the match and proceed to the MTN8 semi-finals, exacerbated the disparity in fortunes between the two teams.
It was a devastating moment for Stellenbosch FC, and there is no doubt that Du Preez felt the anguish his “brother” Van Rooyen was experiencing at that time.
However, life goes on, especially in the world of professional football, and Du Preez will have to put his Stellenbosch allegiances behind him and learn to deal with the rigors of being at a club of Chiefs’ stature.
Amakhosi’s players are frequently scrutinized, particularly recently acquired forwards with stellar reputations like Du Preez.
Due to this, Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane is currently handling Du Preez with child gloves, especially after the groin injury he suffered against Maritzburg United.
“We welcomed back Du Preez after he missed approximately three games, and he was a bit flat due to fitness. “As much as we played him, we were also concerned because we didn’t want him to break down again or sustain another injury, so we tried to control him,” Zwane added.
The 25-year-old has already scored two goals in three games and has become an integral part of Zwane’s long-term ambitions.
Zwane believes that Du Preez’s strength will increase as the season goes.
“We knew that he was not going to finish the game, but it was important for him to score because it will restore his confidence. In the next game, he should be better in terms of performance, and he may be able to score even more goals, so we are glad to have him back.”
Saturday, the Chiefs will face AmaZulu at the FNB Stadium.
@ZaahierAdams