HE MAY have sounded ambitious when he questioned his omission from Bafana Bafana, but Kaizer Chiefs' Jimmy Tau felt redeemed by his club accolades last night.

The 30-year-old reaped rewards after a season in which he was judged Amakhosi's player of the season award, capturing the biggest prize on offer at the club's glamorous awards ceremony held in Kyalami in Johannesburg. Tau drove off in a club-sponsored car with a whopping R90000 cheque.

"If I was being selected on merit then I think I should be in there, but if it's about my relationship with the coach then that is another matter," the Chiefs skipper was quoted as saying last month.

Even Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung and coach Vladimir Vermezovic backed Tau to win the PSL's player of the year award, which, however, went to Thulani Serero, formerly with Ajax Cape Town.

Tau, however, was not the only winner on the night Amakhosi celebrated a season in which they won the Telkom Knockout Cup and enjoyed a fairly good run in the league. Germany-bound Knowledge Musona was voted the player's player of the season by his teammates, golden boot and goal of the season award, and also received accolades for being voted player of the month on four occasions and pocketed R85000 in total prize money.

Departing defender Punch Masenamela received a feather in his cap, walking home with a R20000 cheque after winning the most improved player of the season, while snazzy dresser Siphiwe Tshabalala scooped both the best-dressed player and the Kaizer Chiefs online player of the season awards worth R5000.

Other player of the month prize winners were Masenamela, Burundian former defender Valery Nahayo, Itumeleng Khune and Reneilwe Letsholonyane.