Stellenbosch keen to kick off new season with MTN8 quarter-final against Galaxy
LOCAL soccer is back this weekend after almost three months since the last competitive ball was kicked in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL).
On that day, May 25, Stellenbosch went down 2-1 to Richards Bay, who won the promotion/relegation play-offs thereafter to stay in the top flight.
Coach Steve Barker Winelands team did enough, though, to earn third place in the league, with only champions Mamelodi Sundowns and second-placed Orlando Pirates - who beat them on goal difference - outperforming them.
Looking to do even better than last season, Barker then added 27-year-old midfielders Sanele Barns (from Richards Bay) and Bradley Mojela (from TS Galaxy) and 20-year-old defender Omega Mdaka (from Kaizer Chiefs) to a roster that includes Bafana hotshot Iqraam Rayners.
And while they’ve made some moves off the field, the cold and wet Cape winter made it tough for the Stellies team to train on a daily basis.
But when they set out to make the final four of the MTN8 when they face TS Galaxy at 3pm at the Danie Craven Stadium in Sunday’s quarter-final, there will be no excuses.
With the sponsors having increased the prize money from R8 million to R10m and each team getting a cool R1m for participation only, Stellies will be out to hit the ground running.
Speaking at the MTN8 launch on Wednesday, Barker says of Stellies’ pre-season: “Pre-season has gone as well as it could. Unfortunately there has been a lot of wet weather, rain in the Western Cape.
“The fields are not in the best state. But we were fortunate to travel to Gauteng and get a bit of dry-weather training and have some good training matches.
“We have a couple of our new signings - Sanele Barns, Bradley Mojela, Mdaka and they fitted in nicely.”
Shifting his attention to Sunday’s game, the coach adds: “It’s always exciting at this stage of the season … we are really looking forward to Sunday.
“Myself and coach Sead Ramovic and TS Galaxy have had many battles and over the last couple of seasons, it’s never an easy encounter.
“They are a really well coached team and did really well themselves in their own right last season [by finishing sixth].
“It was a good season for us [last time around], but can’t dwell on the past - we want to continue growing at the club and do our best …”
Cape Town City, meanwhile, will play their MTN8 quarter-final match against Sekhukhune United next week.
In this weekend’s only other game, Orlando Pirates tackle SuperSport United at 6pm on Saturday.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za