Steve Barker has reflected on Stellenbosch FC’s 1-0 DStv Premiership win over rivals Cape Town City.

Stellenbosch retained bragging rights over rivals Cape Town City on Tuesday evening after recording a 1-0 DStv Premiership win at the DHL Cape Town Stadium, courtesy of a first-half goal from Devin Titus.

“For us as coaches, you don’t always enjoy these matches because of the tension, but from a neutral point of view I felt it was a game where two teams came out to win and really had a go at each other,” Stellies head coach Steve Barker reflected after the match.

“From a tactical point of view, they had their ideas and plans and so did we, and I thought it was an interesting tactical battle between the two teams, and the desire to win was high, which made for a very good football match.”

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Tuesday’s victory fired Stellenbosch to second position in the DStv Premiership and equal a club-record run of 15 matches unbeaten across all competitions, dating back to the club’s last defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns in September last year.

“…It was a great performance and a great three points,” Barker added. “It’s massive for us as a football club to be in the position we are.

“There is a long way to go but on current form, we’re on a really good unbeaten run and I think that sets us up nicely for what will be another tough encounter [against Cape Town Spurs] on Saturday.”

The result also saw Stellies extend their unbeaten run against Cape Town City to seven matches, and the coach highlighted the importance of maintaining that run of form against their cross-town rivals.

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“It’s difficult to pinpoint it because every game has been tight. We’ve come out of some of the matches a bit fortunate to win, but I think once you have that momentum it does help because you have that belief,” he concluded.

“We have a mantra at the club that we don’t lose derbies so we try to stick to that and give extra where we can…”

Stellenbosch will return to action on Saturday, 9 March 2024 when the club hosts fellow rivals Cape Town Spurs to the Danie Craven Stadium in the DStv Premiership.

That match is scheduled for 17h30 and tickets can be purchased from both Webtickets and Pick n Pay outlets.