New Stellenbosch FC signing Sanele Barns has revealed his excitement after making his debut for the club during last weekend’s 3-1 MTN8 quarter-final win over TS Galaxy.

Barns, who was nominated for the DStv Premiership Midfielder of the Season award last season, joined Stellenbosch from Richards Bay at the start of the current campaign and immediately formed part of the matchday squad for Sunday’s clash against TS Galaxy.

Match report | Stellies rocket to MTN8 semi-final with win over TS Galaxy

Although not named in the starting XI, the 27-year-old was introduced for his debut as a second-half substitute and nearly marked his maiden appearance in style, narrowly missing out on an early Goal of the Season-contender with a long-ranged effort from outside of the box.

“I’m very excited to have made my debut for Stellenbosch FC,” Barns reflected. “It’s never easy to come off the bench and join the game when the team is playing at such a high tempo, but I think I managed to gel quite quickly.

“It was my first time playing in the MTN8 competition and in front of the Stellenbosch fans, who really cheered us on, so it was a great experience and a great win for the team as well. There are a lot of positives that we can take from the game into the next round.

“It’s going to be a long season, and a long journey, but I think we will gel even better with time, and I’m prepared to fight my best not only to make the starting lineup, but also to help the team moving forward.”

Barns was not the only player to make their Stellenbosch FC debut against the Rockets, as fellow new recruit Lehlogonolo Bradley Mojela, signed from TS Galaxy last month, was also introduced during as a substitute during Sunday’s encounter.

Read | Stellenbosch FC Reserves crowned Premier League Next Gen champions

Stellenbosch FC will be back in action again on 17 August when the club travels to Durban to take on Nsingizini Hotspurs in a CAF Confederation Cup First Preliminary Round clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium.