Kaizer Chiefs defender Dillan Solomons has spoken for the first time about his transfer to the Soweto giants from Swallows FC.
The 23-year-old right-back sent fans into a frenzy on Saturday night when he stepped up and clinically executed a penalty that saw Amakhosi defeat the new kid on the block Richards Bay 1-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Solomons, who was a regular under Dylan Kerr at the Dube Birds last season, was earmarked as one of the Glamour Boys’ top defensive targets, and he is now delivering what has been expected of him on the field of play.
Speaking to the club’s media, Solomons shared how it felt to don the Kaizer Chiefs jersey for the first time.
“I am very happy to be at Kaizer Chiefs. The first time kicking a ball in Chiefs’ colours was very nerve-wracking, but as I went on, I got used to it.
“Everyone made me feel at home, and there are a lot of good things going on at the club at the moment,” said the ex-Cape Town All Stars (now known as All Stars FC) player.
He earned heaps of praise over his time at Maswaiswai, and his tenacious style of play has won Amakhosi’s faithful over.
From a tactical viewpoint, he adds another dimension, and he is in high spirits after netting the winner against the Natal Rich Boyz over the weekend and looks forward to returning to his hometown (Cape Town) to face struggling Cape Town City tonight.
“I’m really excited to be playing in front of my family for the first time in Kaizer Chiefs’ colours. It’s a proud moment for me. It’s a proud moment for my family.
“All my friends are very excited, my family is very excited, so hopefully, we can pull out the goods and take the three points back to Joburg,” he added.
“The past game (against Richards Bay) was a very difficult game. It’s not easy playing against a newly-promoted team.
“They come with a lot of energy, and then we got a red card in the first. They were thinking this is their moment to beat Chiefs, but we stuck to our game plan and knew something would happen for us.”
The star player went on to divulge the responsibility of slotting spot-kicks nerveless in front of thousands of football fanatics.
“I’m very confident when it comes to penalties. Those are my type of things. I’m one to soak up pressure and release that pressure when I score penalties.
“When I’m taking a penalty, I’m always in the zone. I’m always focusing on myself and not on the keeper. I know where I want to go before I even take the ball. Wherever the keeper goes, it doesn’t disturb me. Whether he goes the right way, I would just slot it further in,” revealed the defender.
In his football career, he also represented teams such as Milano United, Royal Eagles, and Stellenbosch FC.
Kaizer Chiefs will take on the Citizens at DHL Stadium, with the kick-off scheduled for 19:30.
