Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker and his captain Sage Stephens have opened up about the heightened expectations on their team after reaching the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals last season.
The Cape Winelands side is back in Africa this term for another shot at the second-tier club competition. They begin their campaign in the second preliminary round against Equatorial Guinean outfit FC 15 de Agosto de Akonibe.
Barker and his men will be at Estadio de Ebibeyin on Saturday for a first-leg tie against their opponents from Central Africa. Kick-off is set for 16:00.
They arrived in Ebibeyin carrying a favourites tag from last season’s run in the Confederation Cup. Expectations are now high on them to do better than last term by going all the way to the final.
STELLENBOSCH SET THE BAR HIGH FOR THEMSELVES
“Once you’ve reached the semi-final stage of the competition, like we did last year, you don’t want to take a step backwards, so that’s also the sort of stage of the tournament we want to be reaching,” said Barker.
“We fell one hurdle short of playing in a continental final, but now we have to start taking it just one step at a time again. Our first priority is getting into the group stage, and that’s our main focus for this match, and then we’ll take it from there.”
The Maroons have struggled for consistency in the Betway Premiership, where they find themselves in an unfamiliar 14th position with just one win from nine matches. Five league defeats weigh heavily on them, having also shared spoils three times.
But they could be reminding themselves of their pedigree by reaching the final of the MTN8. Boosting their confidence ahead of Saturday’s match is eliminating Kaizer Chiefs from the Carling Knockout Cup, a feat which could be a turning point in their season.
“We set the bar very high in the CAF Confederations Cup last season, so that’s something for us to chase again this season,” said skipper and goalkeeper Stephens.
A TESTING SEASON FOR STELLENBOSCH SO FAR
It is a term Stellenbosch have so far faced each of the Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates and Chiefs twice, and they have also come up against Mamelodi Sundowns in testing assignments. They are teams that command respect in Africa and are participating in CAF inter-club competitions with ambitions of dominating the continent.
“South Africa has shown that we are a footballing force to be reckoned with on the continent,” added Barker.
“You can look at the progress Sundowns and Pirates made in last season’s CAF Champions League, and us getting into the semi-final of the Confederation Cup.
“Our national team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and our Under-20s did us proud by reaching the knockout stages of their World Cup, so I think we are in a good and healthy space as a country.
“That’s also why, when we play in these continental matches, we go in with the mindset that we’re not only representing Stellenbosch, but that we are representing South Africa as well.”
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