Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker has expressed immense pride in his players’ efforts during their CAF Confederation Cup run, which concluded on Sunday, highlighting the significant challenge of playing all their matches away from their home stadium.

Stellies were unable to overcome a 1-0 aggregate deficit against Fadlu Davids’ Simba SC in the Confederation Cup semi-final second leg, which took place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

Despite being newcomers in the competition, Stellenbosch defied expectations by reaching the knockout stages. Their journey was further complicated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s decision not to approve their home ground, the Danie Craven Stadium, for Confederation Cup fixtures.

Consequently, they were compelled to play their home matches in various locations, including Durban, Pretoria, and other venues in Cape Town. However, this logistical hurdle did not prevent them from progressing to the semi-finals.

Adding to their challenges, Stellenbosch lost key players during the off-season, with Deano van Rooyen joining Orlando Pirates and Iqraam Rayners, instrumental in the club’s third-place league finish last season, moving to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mamelodi Sundowns further weakened Barker’s squad by signing their star midfielder Jayden Adams during the January transfer window.

“I told the players, from the bottom of my heart, that this group of players has shown the most amount of resilience in the face of a lot of traveling and adversity,” Barker said.

“Reaching a final [the MTN8] and narrowly missing out on winning it with two away goals was remarkable. To achieve what we have achieved, having started the campaign with two losses in the group stages when we were written off, we came through.”

Furthermore, Stellies achieved a notable feat by defeating the defending champions, Zamalek, in the quarter-finals, securing a 1-0 aggregate victory after Sihle Nduli scored the decisive goal in the second leg at the Cairo International Stadium.

“No one gave us a chance against Zamalek, yet we came through,” Barker continued.

“I’m really proud of the team. The effort they have shown is massively inspiring for me as a coach. Obviously, we would have liked to continue our journey on the African continent [but we are out].”

Barker’s side still has a chance to finish third in the Betway Premiership this season, which would secure them a spot in the Confederation Cup next term.

They currently occupy fourth place in the league standings with 38 points after 23 matches, trailing third-placed Sekhukhune United by three points, although Sekhukhune has played one game more.

Stellenbosch will host Chippa United at the Danie Craven Stadium on Wednesday [19:30].

“We still have important league games remaining, five of them, and we need to try and finish in the third-place position, which will allow us to play in the Confed Cup again,” Barker said.

“We have learned a lot from this year’s campaign, and I think next year, if we can qualify again, we will be competitively ready.”