‘He’s a natural goalscorer’ – Steve Barker after Rayners’ quintuple
Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has had his say following Iqraam Rayners’ quintuple when his side thrashed Polokwane City FC 5-0 in a DStv Premiership clash at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday night.
Rayners is the second player in PSL history to score five goals in a league match and the first since James Chamanga for Moroka Swallows when they defeated Platinum Stars 6-2 in 2007.
The Bafana Bafana international is now the leading top goalscorer in the DStv Premiership with 13 goals with five more games to go before the season comes to an end.
Overall, Rayners has scored 15 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions for Stellies this campaign, and the 28-year-old forward doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
STEVE BARKER ON IQRAAM RAYNERS’ PERFORMANCE
In a post-match interview, Barker was full of praise for his goal poacher, Rayners, stating that he’s a natural goalscorer and is in a happy place.
“I think it was just a question of him being in a happy place. You know, the position that he plays as a number nine down the middle, I think at SuperSport United he wasn’t used as an out-and-out striker,” said Barker.
“So, when he came back the way he started, he went through a proper patch for six months and scored goals. He’s a natural goalscorer.
“You can see that he thinks of what he’s going to do; it’s not just about him taking a shot. You can see that he thinks ‘If I shoot now is going to get blocked so let me try to create a better angle or opportunity’. So he has always had that in him.”
Barker went on to say that Rayners’ Bafana Bafana call-up has influenced his game, and he has improved a lot since then.
“Now that he got that Bafana Bafana call, I think his game has even gone to a higher level and improved a lot and scoring a lot of goals,” he added.
“I think he’s doing himself a lot of favours once the selection of the Bafana squad is known. I hope he can maintain that position.”
As things stand, Stellenbosch remain in position two with 46 points after 25 games, 10 points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
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