Barker Blames Himself for Stellies’ MTN8 Final Defeat

Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker shoulders the blame for his side’s MTN8 final defeat at the hands of Orlando Pirates on Saturday, 13 September.

Despite Stellies maintaining 53% possession of the ball, they were unable to score any goals at Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. Likewise, Pirates were unable to capitalise on any opportunities.

After 90 minutes of goalless action, however, the Bucs found their stride in extra time: thanks to two goals from Tshepang Moremi and one from Tshegofatso Mabasa, the Soweto giants went on to win the final 3-0.

In a post-match conference, Barker took responsibility for Stellies’ loss, factoring in the numerous substitutions he made during the match.

“I take some responsibility for some of the decisions I made in terms of substitutes,” he said. “The first person that I need to look at in the mirror is myself because I need to reflect on what happened.

“I had a feeling we could go for it. I wanted to be positive and maybe, with hindsight, we could have dealt with things differently. But it doesn’t take away the fact that we competed for 90 minutes, but they outclassed us in the last 30 minutes of extra time.”

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