Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker says Sekhukhune United’s performance is not the true reflection of the team’s position on the DStv Premiership table.
This comes after Stellies managed to come back from behind to salvage a point away from home following their 1-all draw with Babina Noko at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday evening.
Since the start of the season, the Limpopo club has collected seven points, having won one game, drew four and lost three in the process.
As a result, they find themselves languishing at the bottom of the log standings [15th place].
Meanwhile, Sekhukhune head coach Kaitano Tembo has attributed his men’s failure to get fruitful results at home to “bad luck”.
BARKER ON SEKHUKHUNE
“It was a tough encounter. We knew that Sekhukhune are a better team and what the log table demonstrate does not reflect their good performance,” Barker told journalists in Polokwane after the match.
“They have got quality players such as Mabaso [Tshegofatso], Vusumuzi [Mncube] and Letsoalo [Victor]. They were very attacking.
“I felt like we were properly not on our best. I don’t know whether it was the weather conditions. It was a little bit warm; you know we come from Cape Town, where it is a little bit cool.”
However, the coach is pleased with his side’s fighting spirit till the last breath of the showdown and happy with a point away from home.
“Coming back and salvaging a point I think is a good thing for us considering everything that happened. I think we created better chances to go one nil up in the first half which we didn’t take.
“But, all-round performance was good enough given all the circumstances,” he added.
Barker went on to lament Stellies’ failure to keep clean sheets in the last seven matches they had played.
“Our last clean sheet was here [Peter Mokaba Stadium] against Marumo Gallants.
“It is very disappointing because we proud ourselves as a team that is hard to beat and hard to go against,” explained the ex-AmaTuks mentor.
“So, we have to find ways to tighten up at the back as we get ourselves in some individual errors and allow pressure to get the better of us. But that is something we need to work on.“
