Former Bafana Bafana striker Bernard Parker will look to roll back the clock to 2014 when Kaizer Chiefs host Platinum Stars at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday.
The fixture is the second of three home matches the Soweto club will stage in the Mother City this season, after their 2-1 win against Wits in December, and ahead of next month’s clash against SuperSport United.
Parker’s role in the victory over Wits was curtailed to a cameo when he was injured inside the first 20 minutes and substituted.
Though that game will not live long in his memory, the striker says he does have much better recollections of playing at the iconic Cape venue, particularly during the 2014 African Nations Championship (Chan).
“Cape Town has always been good to us, even when we play Ajax. This time around it’s a home game and we have great, loving Amakhosi supporters cheering for us,” he said.
“It’s such an honour and a great motivation to play in a stadium with that calibre of support. I have very good memories of Cape Town Stadium, especially with the national team. I can remember during Chan, I scored four goals and finished as the tournament top goal-scorer.”
Chiefs recently stretched their PSL undefeated run to five matches when they edged Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 in the Free State, thanks to a 72nd minute Willard Katsande penalty, and Parker says he intends to replicate his Chan form and fire the club to a second consecutive win in 2016.
“I will be looking to get on the score-sheet again against Platinum Stars. It’s our home game and we have to produce the result,” he said.
“Our first home game in Cape Town against Wits went well, and this time around we’re more familiar with the venue and even more psyched up. I predict that we’re definitely going to get a positive result.”
Chiefs are currently fourth on the league table, trailing leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and second-placed Black Aces by five points.
Though the Glamour Boys remain in title contention at the season’s halfway mark, and appeared in both the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout finals (losing to Ajax Cape Town and Sundowns respectively), their performances this season have paled in comparison to the 2014-15 campaign.
Last season, Stuart Baxter led the club to victory in the MTN8 and claimed the league title with three games to spare (with runners-up Sundowns eventually finishing 12 points behind Chiefs) before leaving for Turkish side Genclerbirligi.
Parker believes Chiefs are improving with every match and expects things to click into place as soon as the players come to grips with the methods of current head coach, Steve Komphela.
“We are still getting familiar with the new coach’s philosophy. It’s starting to become clearer and clearer. I’m confident that we will be producing good results consistently very soon,” he said.
“Last season was great, but we had been with the coach for three seasons; that’s why we won the league so convincingly. We are still in the race this season and anything can happen.
“It’s not easy to compare Stuart Baxter and Steve Komphela. It takes time for a player to adapt from one style to another. We have been adapting well and we are behind the coach.
“There is not much difference between Mr Komphela and Mr Baxter, because they have worked together in the past. The coach wants us to be more explosive this season. He wants our football to be stronger and more aggressive.”
As for his own performances in the famous black and gold jersey this season, Parker does not rate those as highly.
The 29-year-old scored seven league goals during the previous campaign, but has hit the back of the net just twice so far this season.
Parker says the changes in playing personnel have played a role in his slump, but insists that is no excuse and has summed up his performances as “below par”.
The former FC Twente player is as motivated as ever to rediscover his scoring touch, for the sake of Chiefs’ trophy ambitions and his personal goals.
“I still believe that I have a lot to give to the national team, to make sure that we get back into the top 10 of African football,” Parker said.
“I have proven over the years that I can do the job. I’m the third highest all-time goal-scorer for the national team (tied for third with Katlego Mphela) behind (second-placed) Shaun Bartlett (and first-placed Benni McCarthy).
“The country knows Bernard Parker is a goal-scorer, so if I reach my scoring form again I believe my chances of getting a call-up again are good.”
Bernard Parker facts:
*Parker’s wife Wendy (maiden name Cherry), appeared in the first season of Mzanzi Magic reality programme Diski Divas.
*The striker has a passion for luxury cars and owns a Range Rover Evoque, BMW 538i GT, Jeep Wrangler and a BMW M3.
*Born: Boksburg, Gauteng Favourite film: Training Day
*Favourite music: R&B and hip hop
*Former clubs: Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), FC Twente (Holland), Panserraikos (Greece) - Cape Times