Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has revealed that he was left speechless after his side came from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 DStv Premiership win over Orlando Pirates.

The Maroons climbed to third position in the DStv Premiership standings on Friday after recording a remarkable 3-2 come-from-behind win over Orlando Pirates, with Iqraam Rayners, Devin Titus and Andre de Jong finding themselves on the scoresheet.

Reflecting on the 90 minutes, and the tactical alterations that inspired the change in fortunes, Stellies head coach Steve Barker said, “I thought that in the first half, we didn’t play well enough.

“I thought our execution and passing let us down, there were a lot of turnovers and we weren’t holding the ball up. On transition, the final pass was just over-hit or under-hit, and maybe we struggled a bit with the quick surface, so I wasn’t happy with that first half performance.”I duly told the players that and that we had to come out in the second half and play with a lot more intent, more bravery, and courage, not show them the same respect and be in their face, get the ball, and start playing.

“I explained to them that we came back in the [Carling Knockout] final to get a draw and take it to penalties and that if we could just get one goal back again, then we would be back in the game.

“Then it went to 2-0 and to be honest, I thought it was going to be one of those evenings where it was going to be tough and might even end up being a 3-0 or 4-0 scoreline in Pirates’ favour.

Key to the turnaround was the introduction of some key second-half substitutes, with Antonio van Wyk and Andre de Jong among the players who made a telling contribution off the bench against the Buccaneers, the former heavily involved in the build-up to all three goals, and the latter netting the match-winner.

“I thought the substitutes were superb,” Barker continued. Antonio van Wyk came on and changed the game, Nhlanhla Mgaga was calm on the ball, Andre de Jong received the ball in pockets after we changed the formation a bit, and… I can’t describe those eight minutes of football.

“To score three goals away against a very difficult team to play against, at their home ground, to take it from 2-0 down to 3-2 up…I’m speechless, to be honest.

“…We did make a tactical change for the second half, changing it to a 4-2-3-1 with Van Wyk down the middle. He moved around though, and I think he caused a bit of confusion with them not knowing who should pick him up.

“There was a bit of movement and rotation around that, but his ability to go past people started causing them problems.

“Our reserves have been incredible of late in general, though. I don’t want to speak to match about it, but it’s now been 11 matches in which we’ve picked up 10 wins and one draw.

“If other teams in the league were doing that they would be trending every week, but we go about our business quietly and by getting on with it, but I thought that tactically, there were some good substitutions and changes made, and that the late substitutes who came on also helped keep the energy and intensity of the game.”

MATCH REPORT | Stellies end 2023 with sensational comeback win over Orlando Pirates

Asked to expand on his half-time team talk, Barker explained that he asked the players to dig deep and find a similar level of motivation that saw them come from behind to win the Carling Knockout trophy earlier this month.

“There are some words that I can’t repeat,” he joked.

“No, my biggest fear was after having such a good run and winning the cup, that the players [switched off] and that they wouldn’t stand up to be counted.

“The half-time message was, ‘If you want to win trophies, if you want to be champions and compete at the top of the table, you need to show more character, personality, desire, and commitment than you have done, and the performance needs to improve.’

“It was quite a strong team talk and I think it paid dividends. We came out with a lot more energy, although we conceded the second goal, which was a bit unfortunate for Sage Stephens because he’s been superb and he ended up saving us two points at the end with a magnificent save from the free-kick at the end.

“But it was a strong message for the players to show who they are, to show that they can do this week in and week out, that they can come back from 1-0 down at Orlando Stadium because that will just give you the belief and confidence that we can do some special things this season.”

Having seen his charges heed his call in the second half, the coach was left with nothing but pride for what his side had achieved against Pirates and over the better part of the 2023 calendar year as a whole.

“It’s strange, but if you look back to the 27th of January we were probably at the deepest of depths, lying 15th in the league and 2-0 down to Cape Town City. We then came back to beat them 3-2, and now end the year winning 3-2,” Barker concluded.

“I think it’s capped off an amazing 2023 – 51 points in the calendar year. It’s just incredible what these players are doing, their never-say-die attitude, the willingness, bravery, and courage to keep going and they got rewarded for that tonight.

“It could easily have been one of those matches where we go 2-0 down and drop our heads and don’t show that spirit and fight. But there was a lot to play for – an unbeaten record to hold onto, a chance to go third on the log and finish the year off on a high, and a platform to show that we didn’t just win the trophy only to not be up for the next game.

“I can’t describe how proud I am of what these players are doing week in and week out, whether they are starting or coming on,  it’s just an incredible feeling.”