Steve Barker has praised the professionalism of his players after Stellenbosch FC recorded a hard-fought victory over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.

Stellenbosch FC climbed to third position in the Betway Premiership standings on Tuesday evening after claiming a 1-0 away win over Gallants in Bloemfontein, courtesy of a second-half strike from Devin Titus.

“We’re obviously delighted to get maximum points against Gallants,” Stellies head coach Steve Barker said after the match. “It’s a difficult place to come to against a good team that has been playing well lately.

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“The players showed a great deal of commitment—a lot of effort was put into the game and I thought we showed a lot of professionalism in getting the job done.

“The first half was a tight affair with both teams having chances to go ahead, and I would have wanted to go into half-time with a lead, but fortunately we were able to come out in the second half, get the goal, and see out the game.”

Stellenbosch FC will be in action again on Saturday when the team travels to Gqeberha to take on Kaizer Chiefs in the quarter-final of the Nedbank Cup.