Bafana Bafana legend Mark Williams sends message to Lyle Foster

Foster has not been a very popular figure with some South African fans in recent times, and was booed in their final match at home before departing for the World Cup against Nicaragua after missing a penalty. Williams, known as The Nation Builder due to his winning goal in the 1996 Afcon final, says the best way to answer his critics is to score goals on a regular basis for the team.

"So I think the people must try to support him. I had a chat with him and I said to him, 'Listen here, good luck. Go out there and just try to forget about it.' But I think it's South African fans, you know. I mean, I don't mind; you can boo me, but I will show you I will score. And I think that's the message I can give him, but if you don't get the service, it becomes difficult," said Williams.

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Williams further jumped to Foster’s defence saying that he would not be playing in England if he was not the best striker in the country. He added that the coaching team and the players need to assess whether they’re playing in a way that can make it easier for him to score goals, and drew comparisons between Foster and his late former strike partner Phil Masinga who also endured some abuse from the fans at times.

The 59-year-old did also voice out his frustration at the team not scoring enough goals, and says perhaps it’s time the coach played two strikers upfront to give themselves the best chance at the World Cup.