Stellenbosch FC has become a tour de force in SA football

STELLENBOSCH FC already have the Carling Black Label Cup secured in their trophy cabinet this season and are aiming for a surprising double after securing passage to the Nedbank Cup semi-finals this past weekend.

Stellenbosch’s youthful outfit showed that they are transforming into a tour de force in SA football after they handed the highly rated SuperSport United a 4-0 hiding at the Danie Craven Stadium in the Winelands, and can surely be considered one of the favourites of the tournament – if surely not dark horses – due to their current form.

The emphatic performance caused their coach Steve Barker to acclaim the team’s outing as the “full package”, and who can dare to argue against him as they prove week in and week out that they are arguably the best team in the country currently?

“I do think that in terms of the quality we showed throughout the 90 minutes, I think it was a full package,” said Barker proudly after the match.

“When I look at a performance like this one,” he continued, “we beat a team of SuperSport United’s calibre – you look at the players they have, they are full of quality. We pulled a good performance, scored four goals and didn’t concede.”

Currently, placed second on the Premiership log, behind Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch has been showing steady progress this season. They will play fourth-placed Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday evening.

It is another opportunity for the club to further cement their place in the automatic CAF Champions League qualifying position – with a handful of matches left, what an achievement that would be. Stellies have been a breath of fresh air in this season’s campaign, and their rise through the ranks of SA football has added a muchneeded dimension to proceedings dominated by defending champions Sundowns.

Unlike a bevy of more illustrious clubs who have only failed to impress – here’s looking at you, Kaizer Chiefs – Stellenbosch, with the help of a significant cash injection from Johann Rupert, is fast becoming a joy to watch.

Long may it continue. The PSL certainly needs something new to reinvigorate what has become a predictable exercise.