Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker has told his troops to put their league opener defeat against Kaizer Chiefs behind them and bounce back against Magesi.
Stellenbosch, who beat AmaZulu 3-2 in the MTN8 quarterfinals the previous weekend, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Chiefs in their first league game of the season at Athlone Stadium on Sunday. Stellies hope to bounce back when they face Magesi at Seshego Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm).
“We need to bounce back immediately...we can’t dwell on this [defeat]. We need to stand up, be resilient and show our bounce-back ability for a big three points on offer on Wednesday,” Barker said.
Stellies were reduced to 10 men when Siviwe Nkwali was red-carded in the 13th minute after fouling Mduduzi Shabalala. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo converted the resultant free-kick, while Glody Lilepo scored a late penalty to make it 2-0. Stellies hit the woodwork twice in the first half.
“I think had we just been more fortunate and got a goal before halftime, I think the game and the complexion may have been a bit different,” Barker said. “The second half, I felt was a little bit difficult for us...we played so long with 10 men and you could see that our legs weren’t as fresh as they should be.”
It was Stellies’ fourth successive defeat against Amakhosi in recent competitions. Barker said losing against Chiefs at the rate they have been doing was “unfortunate”, suggesting that sometimes dubious refereeing comes into play when they meet Chiefs.
“I think we’ve got our fair share of results against them [Chiefs] in the past, but of late we’ve been losing against them. They seem to be a team that’s got one over us. It’s unfortunate. Next time we play them we have to find a way to get ourselves a win.
“It always feels like a double blow when you get a red card and concede a penalty at the same time,” he said. “It’s not the first time against Chiefs that there’s been a red card or an incident that led to them winning the game.”
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