People were a bit sceptical
“I expect a far tougher season, but that’s what you want.”
“The most important part is to never become complacent.”
If you think that Stellenbosch FC miraculously found themplace selves in fourth on the DStv Premiership log at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, you better think again as the club’s head coach Steve Barker is gunning for more surprises this season. He’s aware that all eyes will be on his side in 2022/23 after the team’s remarkable season that saw them complete a double over Kaizer Chiefs and humiliating Mamelodi Sunamong downs, other notable results. In this interview, the ever-modest coach discusses the season’s objectwith ives Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina. He is confident that he has left no stone unturned in preparing for the campaign, despite losing several key players from last season, including veteran defenders Robyn Johannes, Marc van Heerden and Sibusiso Mthethwa. Barker also weighs in on how he thinks Ashley Du Preez and Zitha Kwinika will do at Kaizer Chiefs.
Masebe Qina: Hi, coach. Firstly, how was pre-season for Stellenbosch FC?
Steve Barker: The pre-season was good, you know. We’ve had to welcome a lot of new players and we had a lot of training sessions to integrate the team and to get the unity and the togetherness that is required to be successful. So, yeah, we had a good and solid pre-season and hopefully all our hard work from it will be rewarded.
MQ: Are you happy with how you’ve done business in the current transfer window?
SB: Yes, we are happy, and all the players have integrated really well and they are enjoying being at the club. They have fitted very nicely and they have added huge value to the team. They have been participating in everything both on and off the field, so we are very happy with the signings that we have made. Each and every one of them has already shown the value that they will bring to the club.
MQ: A lot will be expected from the team after you did so well last season, finishing fourth on the standings. Can you replicate the previous campaign’s performances and results?
SB: Yeah, I think it is important for us to continue with another good season. We want to be a club that is successful, so to be successful you have to have consistency. So, it’s important for us not to become a club that does very well for one season and then doesn’t in the next season. Our challenge is to be consistently a difficult team to play against and consistently a team that plays well from game one to game 30. Last season, we had a good first quarter and the last quarter, but during the middle quarter we weren’t as good, so we want to look to improve on that to show consistency from the first game to the last game.
MQ: Do you expect this season to be tougher than the previous one
as teams will be coming to you with more caution as they now know not to underestimate your capabilities as a team?
SB: I think it will be tough, you know, (because last season) we did very well against some of the bigger teams. I mean, we got six points off (Kaizer) Chiefs and we got six points off Cape Town City and four points off (Mamelodi) Sundowns and to replicate that will never be easy. So, it’s important for us to be able to know how to get points from all the teams in the league. So, yeah, it’s going to be a tough season and I think a lot of teams have done well and teams like Chiefs and (Orlando) Pirates, I’m sure they will want to bounce back from last season and to do better. I expect a far tougher season, but that’s what you want. We want to be playing in a competitive league and we want to be challenging ourselves against some of the best teams in the league on a weekly basis.
MQ: Having parted ways with several players from last season, including experienced defenders Robyn Johannes, Marc van Heerden and Sibusiso Mthethwa, you obviously had to then plan for life without them, isn’t it? SB: Yeah, I think that planning wasn’t sudden. It was well thought-out already a season back, or even two seasons back, and we planned ahead. We knew that at some stage we’d have to look to refresh the squad and that a lot of experienced players that did very well for us as a football club would move. We are thankful to those players for their contribution, but we also wanted to bring in players that are of a little younger age so that the club can continue to grow. As much as we have lost them, we’ve also replaced them with a lot of energy and experience with players like Vusi Sibiya and Lasse Sobiech, who have brought that experience to the team.
MQ: During Stellenbosch’s press conference ahead of the new season, club CEO Rob Benadie said, “We are
competing, not only participating in the Premiership.” Does that put you and your technical team under pressure to deliver a trophy for the club?
SB: No, it doesn’t put us under pressure. We want pressure. We know where we are going as a football club. We know that long-term success doesn’t mean that it’s an overnight thing, it takes long to lay the foundation. So, we laid a good foundation last season and this season again it’s our aim to lay a good foundation to continue growing off and on the field.
MQ: Last Sunday, you lost to Chiefs in the MTN8 quarterfinals. What went wrong?
SB: Look, I think we still need to penetrate teams more and we need to get more final third entries and we need more balls played in the box. Although we did have good possession, I felt that maybe we just need now to take it to the next level in the final third and be better in decision-making. I think those are the areas, and it is always individual errors that lead to goals and that’s always something that you’ve got to try and keep working on to minimise and eliminate. But, yeah, otherwise I felt the rest was good and it is work in progress.
MQ: Overall, what have you made of your team’s start to the season?
SB: In my opinion, we are probably two points short of having a really good start, if I look at the draws against Marumo, Pirates and City. Had we managed to convert one of them into three points, I think it would have been a really good start. Considering that we played the winners of the league, we played third and second in Royal AM and City and we played Pirates, we had a tough start in terms of the fixture list. So, had we maybe got one more win under the belt, I think it would have been a really good start. But considering who we played, and you know we did make a lot of turnaround of players at the beginning of the season, I would say it is a satisfying start, but it could have been better.
MQ: One of your top performers from last season, Ashley Du Preez, is now with Amakhosi and has already shown what he can do, before his injury. How do you think he is going to do under Arthur Zwane, with so many expectations and so much pressure from the fans?
SB: I think Ashley is going to do well because he’s got some really good qualities and he is a good finisher. He’s got electrifying pace and he is difficult to play against. He will thrive in that environment, and he needs to push himself and he needs to have confidence in himself. So, yeah, he’s a well-rounded person, he’s got his feet on the ground and he works hard every day at training, and I don’t think it will be any different for him there. I’m positive that he will have a big im
pact for them.
M Q: And how about your former captain, Zitha Kwinika? SB: Zitha is already a quality person, quality footballer and a good leader. He’s the type of player that Chiefs will enjoy having. He’s comfortable on the ball, he’s able to build up and is a good defender in one-on-one situations. He is a good signing for them.
MQ: With Stellenbosch’s reserves having recently been crowned the Premier League Next Generation Cup champions after thumping Leicester City
FC 7-2, following their DStv Diski Challenge triumph, what does that mean for the future of the club?
SB: I think it’s good for the club and it’s important for a club like us to get our brand out there. I think when we were promoted, people were a bit sceptical of how the club would develop and grow and what they would become. So, for us to have won the Diski Challenge and also to have gone to the Next Generation Cup and done as well as we have, with some of our players already representing the national team, it’s good for us as a football club. It’s good that our brand is getting out there, not only locally but internationally, but the most important part is to never become complacent. We’ve got to keep on finding ways to improve from the lowest level to the highest level on the field and off the field. So, we will continue to be humble and we will continue to work hard each and every day. We see every day as an opportunity for new success.
MQ: What is your promise to the supporters for this season?
SB: The supporters will always get one thing from us and that’s 100% effort and 100% commitment. We will fight for the badge in front of the jersey and you can expect that we will never ever give up in any of our games and that we will be a hard team to play against. At home, we want to be picking up a lot of points and we need to go out there and perform at the highest level and we need the supporters to get behind the team, support them and encourage them to perform at the highest possible level.
MQ: Couldn’t have said it better, coach. Thanks for your time.
SB: Thank you. ❐