Barker and Co within reach of Confederation Cup spot

ROYAL AM have rightfully attracted praise for being one of the surprise packages this Premiership season, while Stellenbosch

FC’s heroics have quietly gone unnoticed.

If one thing is certain a lot of clubs can learn from Stellies and the way they have stuck with coach Steve Barker through thick and thin, allowing the tactician to grow and implement his style of play on the players.

The Western Cape side were in a relegation battle last season and only avoided the drop by two points.

It’s safe to say that most clubs in the Premiership would have sacked Barker due to their “fickle” nature.

Barker has been in charge of Stellies since 2017 and is now the league’s longest-serving coach.

Stellenbosch have reaped the reward of sticking with Barker through difficult times.

The club’s players have learnt the hard lessons from last term, and they head into their final game of the season against Cape Town City with a chance of claiming third place, which would earn them the right to play in next season’s CAF Confederation Cup.

The Cape derby will be interesting for Stellies as they potentially have to ruin City’s shot at finishing second and qualifying for the CAF hampions League.

Should City play in the Champions League next season, they will be the first club from the Western Cape to play in Africa’s premier club competition.

A player who has pulled the strings for Stellies this season is forward Ashley du Preez.

The attacker tormented Mamelodi Sundowns’ defence last weekend by bagging a brace in his team’s 3-0 win over the league champions.

The defeat was Sundowns’ first home league loss of the season.

There is no doubt that the 24-year-old Du Preez has now proven beyond any reasonable doubt that he should be included in head coach Hugo Broos’s next Bafana Bafana squad.

Du Preez’s positional awareness and pace has caused problems for opposition defences in the league this season, and it is hardly surprising that he has been linked with a potential move to one of Gauteng’s big clubs in the close season.

Another player who has been solid for Stellies this campaign is goalkeeper Sage Stephens.

The keeper also quietly played a key role in the club’s win over Sundowns, as the heavyweights could have easily taken the lead early on had he not withstood their onslaught on his goal.

Had Sundowns taken a early lead, the entire game could have gone in another direction.