Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker is hoping to maintain the consistency of a five-match match unbeaten streak ahead of this weekend’s DStv Premiership clash against AmaZulu.

The Maroons will travel to Durban this weekend to take on the challenge of AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, hoping to extend the club’s five-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.

Ahead of the encounter, Stellies welcomed back head coach Steve Barker and assistant coach Wesley Sergel following their attendance at an eight-day-long CAF A coaching license course, and the former revealed that he was looking forward to the weekend’s clash after the program.

“It’s nice to be back with the squad, but it was interesting and nice to be part of the course,” Barker said.

“You always want to keep on developing and improving your knowledge as a coach, so that is something that I did gain from. It was also nice to interact with other coaches from around South Africa, and together as coaches see how we can grow that knowledge and improve.

“Ultimately, the biggest aim is to improve our football in the country overall, so it was an exciting experience and I’m looking forward to completing the rest of the course in the coming months.

“In my absence, people like Ruan [Rust], our conditioning coach, and our DDC coach Evangelos Vellios kept the team ticking over with some really good and solid training sessions, but it’s nice to be back preparing for Saturday.

“The mood is good and we’re coming off quite a decent spell with the team being unbeaten in our last five matches. We’ve now been getting the team organised for what will be a very tough match because AmaZulu have shown that they are a difficult team to play against this season, and a difficult one to score against.

“Their strikers have also shown good form of late with both [Augustine Chidi Kwem and Junior Dion] having scored hat-tricks, but we are in a good space as well and feeling positive. We are looking forward to the match and a big few weeks of football ahead.

That run of matches includes the weekend’s trip to Durban followed by a league match in Cape Town on Tuesday against Cape Town Spurs, before Stellies return to Kwa-Zulu Natal for the Carling Knockout semi-final against Richards Bay next weekend.

“I think it’s very clear that if you want to be successful as a club and as a team, then consistency is key,” Barker said of his side’s approach to the congested festive calendar.

“Our challenge is to maintain the level of performance that we have shown, both in training and in matches. We drew our last away league match against Chippa United so we have to get back to winning ways. Getting three points is always big and we have another opportunity to do that this weekend.

“So, it’s really about showing that consistency every day at training and then making sure that we carry that through into the matches.

“It definitely would help to start with a positive result this weekend, and then to come back and play again on Tuesday, and with a lot of matches in the next couple of weeks, it’s important to keep our focus up until our last match of the year against Orlando Pirates away on the 29th of December.

“After that we head into the Africa Cup of Nations and a nice break before we resume the league in February, so it’s all about that focus, and keeping the intensity and commitment at the right level during this period.

“It is a key period of the season, especially with us wanting to end the calendar year in a good log position, and hopefully getting into a first final [in the Carling Knockout] which if we do then to go on and win that as well.”