Barker: What CAFCC Group Stage Spot Means
Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker says qualifying for the group stages of the CAF Confederations Cup in their first attempt is a special milestone for the club.
The Cape Winelands outfit booked their berth in the group stages after claiming a 3-1 aggregate win over Congolese giants AS Vita in the second preliminary round, this after easing past Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini with an aggregate score of 8-0 in the first round.
Barker’s charges secured a historic result in what was the club’s first match outside of South Africa, and the Stellies mentor has expressed his excitement about progressing to the next phase of the competition as he believes his team thoroughly deserved to go through.
“It was special playing in DR Congo, in a special stadium, in front of a special crowd, ” said Barker. “I feel that we deserved the result over the two games and that we were the better team, and we have now achieved our objective of getting to the group stage of the competition.”
However, Stellies were made to work hard for the result in Kinshasa after going a man down with Ismael Toure receiving his marching orders, but Lehlohonolo Mojela’s second-half strike put the tie to bed with AS Vita scoring a consolation goal from the penalty spot.
“It wasn’t easy, especially when we went down to 10 men as that left us in a precarious position, but I can only be proud of what our players have done, for the way they worked and for their commitment.”
With the club losing key players in the off-season and only getting their first taste of continental football, Barker admits that the achievement is special for the club.
“We are a young club and reaching the group stage of the competition is very special for us, ” he said. Stellenbosch will find out their opponents next month, with both the CAF Confederations Cup and CAF Champions League group stage draw set to take place on Monday, 7 October in Cairo, two days after their MTN8 final encounter against Orlando Pirates.
In the meantime, Stellies will face Polokwane City at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday (17:30).
