Foster targets goals galore with Bafana Bafana

Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster has his sights set on leading the line for his country on a regular basis, starting with the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations Group K qualifiers against Liberia.

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South Africa will play Liberia on Friday at Orlando Stadium and on Tuesday in Monrovia, knowing that six points will guarantee them a place in the Afcon finals in the Ivory Coast.

“I would be lying if I said ‘no’. It is a position (Bafana striker) I have wanted since I was a kid and I definitely want to cement that position as South Africa’s leading striker,” said Foster this week.

Foster is one of several attackers coming into the Bafana squad in high spirits. The 22 year-old joined English Championship leaders Burnley from Belgian side Westerlo in the January transfer window, and has already bagged a first goal for his new club.

The former Orlando Pirates man moved to Burnley from Westerlo for a reported R138 million (7 million Euros), that could rise to almost R200 million (10 million Euros), a record transfer fee for a South African player.

“I am grateful for everything that is happening, I try not to think about being South Africa’s most expensive player, I just want to play football. I am happy to be in the UK and hopefully I can have a long and fruitful career there. I will continue working hard and try my best to go as far as I can,” said Foster. 

Burnley are currently 13 points clear at the top of the Championship and well on course to play in the English Premier League next season. Foster and the rest of the team got a taste of what that might be like on Saturday as they were hammered 6-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Foster got a close-up view of City’s goal machine Erling Haaland, who scored another hat-trick.

“To score goals,” said Foster with a smile when asked if he could learn anything from Haaland, before elaborating a little.

“His movement,” added the Bafana striker.

“The way he positions himself. Every rebound comes to him. Some people might think it is luck but he does it so often that you have to think it is intentional.”

Confidence booster

Foster did score Bafana’s only goal in Afcon qualifying so far, in the 2-1 loss to Morocco last June, a goal he credits for helping his confidence going into the new season.

“It definitely kick-started my season … I went into pre-season with loads of confidence. I hope it is not the last – I want to score a lot more goals for club and country.”

Foster is excited at the prospect of playing with the likes of Percy Tau and Bongokuhle Hlongwane against Liberia.

“We have the firepower and I am very excited for the national team, but it means nothing if we don’t perform on the day. We have to get the results,” he said.