Williams on struggling Foster: ‘He needs a goal to get his confidence back’

Bafana Bafana Captain Ronwen Williams has backed Lyle Foster to overcome his crisis of confidence amid a goal drought that has impacted him at club and international level.

The forward has not scored for Burnley since their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on January 24.

And while he finished as Bafana Bafana’s top scorer at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), fans were unforgiving during their 1-1 draw with Panama at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night.

His inability to finish off clear-cut chances saw fans repeatedly call for him to be subbed off as they grew frustrated at Bafana’s lack of killer instinct.

Foster will now have a chance to try and get fans back on side and return South Africa to winning ways when they clash with Panama at a sold-out Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday night.

“Lyle is a big boy. You do not play in the Premiership for so many years if you do not have quality, and that is what you remind him of, ‘you are quality’,” Williams said in defence of Foster.

“Yes, he is probably in a difficult moment. Not only with the national team but his club as well. So, it is a difficult moment for him, and people need to understand that when you watch where his team is at, and how difficult it is for him. But for him to wake up every day, show face, show up, try and go again, miss chances, look for the next one, keep running, keep working for the team, that is all we can ask of him.”

Williams went on to add that, “eventually the ball will go in the back of the net because he’s got the quality. He is still the person he always is… bubbly. I have been trying to keep an eye on him, but he seems like he is okay.

“So, there isn’t much going on at this moment. I just think he needs that goal, just to get his confidence back, because strikers, like everyone, when the ball is in the net, they are confident and they forget about all their problems.

“Hopefully tomorrow night, the chances he gets, he can bury them, and he can go back to England happy, especially these last two months of the League, to go push and fight because we need him.”

ALSO READ:

Goss on Bafana’s World Cup campaign: ‘A quarterfinal would be awesome for SA’

Broos demands improvement as Bafana start World Cup build-up

Foster’s club looks on course for relegation back to the Championship, as they are second from bottom in the English topflight standings.

They have won just four of their 31 games so far in this campaign and are 10 points behind 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

“He is our powerhouse up front. He has been amazing for us. He has scored wonderful goals at AFCON for us. We need a Lyle in good spirits. The country must support him. He is our player, and he has done wonders for our country, so get behind him. In good and bad moments because he will bang goals.”

A player whose stock is continually rising in the team is Orlando Pirates forward Oswin Appollis.

Since 2024, there has not been a player more consistent than the former Polokwane City man.

During that time, he’s made 23 appearances, scoring 8 goals and registering the same number of assists.

“Amazing, and it shows the type of person and character he is,” Williams said about the growth shown by the 24-year-old in recent seasons. “Three years ago, he was without a team, and he was going through it. I had a lot of chats with Oswin because we shared so much. Our backgrounds, our communities that we come from, and, obviously, I was his captain at SuperSport United as well. To see where he is now? Amazing.”

“You can’t praise him enough for what he has done over the last few years because it’s not easy,” Williams added about Appollis and what he offers as a player.

“In today’s world. It’s very difficult to be a professional and a professional who shows up every week and shows his level. He has been consistent for the last 2,3 years, for the national team as well. So, it speaks volumes about the type of person he is, the type of player he is.”

Williams believes that Appollis’ turnaround is proof of what is possible for a player who believes in their talent and fights to be given a second chance.

“I am just happy to see that he isn’t one of the negative stories in South Africa that we have so many off. He is one of the positive ones and one that we need to use as an example.”