Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter lauded Bernard Parker after his brace in the 2-1 win over SuperSport United made him the club's top goalscorer in the PSL era.
Parker was teed up twice by Keagan Dolly to net either side of half-time and hand SuperSport their first DStv Premiership defeat of the season.
The 34-year-old has come in for more than his fair share of criticism over the years but has repeatedly defied the critics. And Baxter praised Parker for his model professionalism and mental resilience.
“Without wanting to sound like I’m having a swipe at anybody, I just think we’re living and playing football in a time where it’s all about quick fixes and instant success,” Baxter said.
“When you’ve worked as long and as hard as Bernard has, it’s very easy for people to say you’re over the hill and you’re not up to it. They’ve been saying that for a long time.
“They’ve said that about Shabba [Siphiwe Tshabalala] seven years before he retired, they said it about Yeye [Reneilwe Letsholonyane], they’ve said that about a lot of players.
“So that’s the one thing, and we’ve got to live with that as players and coaches because that is the society and world we’re living in at the moment.
“I’ve just said to the players that they are privileged to have a senior professional like Bernard Parker who puts in the shift he put in tonight.
“He gets the two goals that wins us the three points and who is an absolute glowing example of the sort of players that we want to produce in South Africa.
“Hardworking, humble, a good team player and responsible in society and for that reason, and that reason alone Bernard Parker is worth a place at Kaizer Chiefs.
“But he’s more than that, he’s still a very, very competitive player.
“When everyone’s fit, will he play every game? I don’t know. But certainly, Bernard is one of those players who is a pleasure to have around the club.”
