Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has explained the reason behind his side’s recent slump with the Winelands outfit having not tasted a win in the last five games.
Barker was speaking after his side lost its 5th consecutive game in all competitions. They were beaten 2-1 by Richards Bay FC at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
This downturn follows an impressive 25-match unbeaten run across all competitions, which came to an end with a defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final.
Since then, Stellenbosch have lost three and drawn one of their last four league matches.
Barker attributed the slump to a thin squad, resulting in physical and mental strain on players. He also acknowledged that the unfamiliar territory of success might be a contributing factor.
STEVE BARKER ON STELLENBOSCH’S RECENT STRUGGLES
“I think it’s four [league matches where we struggled]to be honest [including] the draw against AmaZulu,” said Barker.
“One point from 12, you end up not achieving the target if that’s the case.
“But it’s quite a simple fact, we’ve got a thin squad in terms of numbers. And when you have such a long unbeaten run and then you lose it.
“We have two exhausting games, both games against Sundowns, cup and the league.
“Unlucky against AmaZulu, we were the far better team and then our worst performance was probably against Swallows. That was the killer one.
‘IT’S A POSITION WE’RE NOT USED TO’
“I think fatigue, mental and physical sort of strain on the players. It’s a position that we’re not used to being in.
“It’s a different type of pressure, it’s a good pressure, it’s a pressure that we must embrace. Hopefully, going forward, we can continue this way.
“But yeah once that unbeaten record gets broken, it does deflect you a little bit. Football is not easy, it’s a tough league.
“I just saw results, Sundowns getting their unbeaten run broken, a team like Kaizer Chiefs not being able to get over the line.
“A tough league, sometimes it’s those that are more desperate at the bottom of the table that at this time of the season are the most difficult teams to play against.”
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