Last season he played bit parts making his entrance as a substitute on a handful of occasions; this was not the way he had envisaged his career going when he left Wits University midway through the 2003-2004 season.

The future looked bleaker for Gert as coach Ernst Middendorp told him that he wanted to see him show more of a fight during training and the practices matches that he was given a starring role in.

A chance meeting between the young midfielder and a motivational speaker in a Johannesburg shopping mall was the impetus the young man needed.

He got both his confidence and enthusiasm back as he began to show more spirit in training - and after impressing in the Macufe Cup; he was rewarded with his first start in a PSL game against Moroka Swallows.

Gert capped a sterling performance against Swallows with his first goal for Chiefs, one which will stand long in the memory, as a diving Gert headed chiefs into the lead in a game, which was ultimately drawn.

Yusuf Muhammad: Gert you got to start your first game for Chiefs in the 1-1 draw against Swallows and you got to score your first goal. How has this opportunity changed your view and helped your confidence?

Gert Schalkwyk: The most important thing for any player is to be made to feel part of a team. For a while not being in the squad made me feel alienated and lonely. Then something clicked in me and I realized that I hold the key to my own destiny, and I began to play like I wanted to be at Kaizer Chiefs.

Then came the Macufe Cup and I did my best. I showed firstly myself what I can do and then demonstrated my commitment to the coach.

When he gave me the chance to play against Swallows, I knew I needed to make an impact and obviously scoring has helped me keep my head up and has shown that I belong at Chiefs, and that I can make an impact here.

YM: Talk us through your goal against Swallows - it was spectacular to say the least.

GS: The thing is I saw our guys moving down the left, and when the cross came in I thought maybe Louis or Cyril will get to it first. When they missed it - I saw the Swallows keeper off his line.

There was only one thing for me to do so. I acted as fast as I could, and just jumped at the ball and it was the best moment of my life in soccer terms and on a personal level when I saw the ball hit the back of the net!

YM: There was a trigger to your improvement in form, and getting you psyched up to challenge for a place in the team and not throw in the towel. What was this trigger?

GS: I met by chance with a young man who does some motivational speaking and he works as a sports psychologist. We had a short exchange of words. Although our meeting was brief - the words he said made a lasting impression on me. It made me understand that I needed to be stepped up my input.

YM: What further words of advice did he offer to you?

GS: He told me he was a fan of mine and he knew I can be the best player in the country. He helped me regain my confidence, which I had lost for a while, and it was really what I needed.

He also said that if I want to be the best - I must act like I am the best. He told me an important thing - if Chiefs did not think I could help them then Chiefs would not have bought me in the first place.

I must be worth something for a team like Chiefs to have show and interest in me. I need to show them what they saw in me as a youngster at Wits is still there. Those words made me realize that failure does not exist, and that I needed to forget about petty issues that were in mind and look at the bigger picture. The bigger picture was to establish myself as a starter in the first eleven.

I think that talk with this guy has helped pull me onto the right track. If I am positive, that also bodes well for the team as I will play better and it has shown in my performance.

YM: Chiefs begin the defense of their Coca-Cola Cup against Classic this weekend. How confident is the team that we can reach the final for the fifth consecutive season, and win the trophy for the fourth time the third in a row?

GS: The Coca-Cola Cup is special. There is so much of hype that does not necessarily exist during other games because of our success in the tournament. The incentives to win are high - the crowds are good and it results in entertaining games with lots of goals. The more goals there are, the more money for charity.

When it comes to Kaizer Chiefs defending our title - we have the confidence that we can do it. I believe that we have what it takes to win this competition.

YM: Do you think it will be harder for Chiefs to win the trophy this year then it was last season?

GS: Our first game this year on paper is easier than our first one last season, which was against Arrows. Our record against Arrows has not been really good in Durban but we won the game and then had a difficult semi final against Swallows, where we showed our strength as a team and won the game on penalties. We then beat our hoodoo team SuperSport.

We are prepared for any opponents. The important thing is not to get over confident - we need to take it game by game and not underestimate our opponents or for that matter be overawed by anyone.

YM: What do you hope to achieve for Chiefs and where would you like the team to be by the end of the year? Looking at the first part of next year, what does the team need to do to ensure that it can be a serious contenders to retain the PSL title?

GS: When the break comes around it will be a welcome one! The first thing would be to go into the break not far off from Pirates.

We need to beat them, and not drop points particularly against teams that are in the lower half of the table. We need maximum points against them, and then we can know when we return from the break we can challenge for the title.

I think this is realistic, and along the way we would like to pick up the Coca-Cola Cup and ABSA Cup!