Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker felt his side were destined to turn around their poor record against Kaizer Chiefs and says their progress to the Carling Knockout quarterfinal can lift up their poor league form.
Stellenbosch had lost their four previous clashes to Chiefs, including their opening game of the Betway Premiership in August at home.
But on Sunday, they edged AmaKhosi on post-match penalties after extra time in their first-round tie to put an end to their poor run of form against them.
“I'm never one that holds grudges or looks to beat any team because of past results, but I had a strong sense, and the message was to the players that this is an opportunity for some redemption,” Barker explained.
“You know we've had close calls. We've had red cards go against us, and tight games and having lost to them three times last season, and you know, already this season.
“It was important for us not to go and lose a fifth game on the trot against them. So the message was, you know, it's our opportunity to, first of all, win a game so we can get into the last eight as the main objective, and the second objective was to try and keep 11 players on the pitch for as long as possible, which we did until the last bit of the game,” he added.
“But it was an important win for us against a team that's basically been beating us too regularly for our own liking.”
A night to remember ✨️#HeartoftheCape #MoreThanFootball #StellenboschFC 🍇 pic.twitter.com/jygMEV3Bmb
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) October 5, 2025
Barker said Sunday’s clash at the Cape Town Stadium was attritional.
“I think both teams didn't create massively big chances to score the goal, and maybe just one goal would have been enough to win it for either team. So it just ended up being a game of just staying in the game for as long as possible and not conceding and hopefully being able to create a moment at some stage to seal the game. I think from our side, we tried everything.
“Our substitutions showed that we wanted to win the football game. I think it was important for the club, important for the players, just to find a way to win a single match, regardless of how it was won.
“I think the effort the players put in, the commitment, the unity, the togetherness that they showed out there, is exactly what we need to continue to do. You know, we do things our way, the Stellenbosch way.
“We're a team that's difficult to play against, hard to beat, and I think we demonstrated that. I still think in terms of progress, we need to just find ways to create better, clearer opportunities to threaten the opposition goal more, but just really proud of the effort that the players put into the 120 minutes,” Barker concluded.