Steve Barker has revealed that he is wary of the ‘new manager bounce’ threat posed by Marumo Gallants ahead of Tuesday’s Betway Premiership encounter.

Stellenbosch FC have traveled to Bloemfontein where they are set to take on Marumo Gallants in a league encounter at Dr Molemela Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Gallants currently sit 13th in the log table but recorded an impressive 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates last weekend in what was the club’s first match under their newly-appointed head coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou—and Barker admits he is wary of the so-called new manager bounce they might be enjoying.

“Preparations have gone well for the match against Marumo Gallants,” Barker said. “We’re excited for it and hoping to get the three points to start climbing up the table to the positions we want to be in.

“That is a massive motivation for us to get the maximum points on the day, but we understand that we’re coming up against a Gallants team that has shown some really good signs of late.

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“They showed it last weekend with a massive victory over Orlando Pirates and a lot of their players look like they are enjoying themselves and playing really well.

“When there’s a new coach there’s always a new vibe and energy with the players wanting to prove themselves to him, so it always adds a bit of impetus to the team which will make it even more difficult for us.”

Stellenbosch will next play Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final on Saturday, but Barker insists his side is taking it one game at a time and fully focusing on the task at hand against Gallants.

“We need to concentrate on the match against Gallants and after that well turn our attention to another big game this coming weekend in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals,” he concluded. “We have to put in a big effort and play to our full potential if we want to get maximum points.”