Steve Barker addressed the media ahead of Stellenbosch FC’s MTN8 semi-final first leg encounter against Sekhukhune United.

Stellenbosch FC host Sekhukhune United at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday in the first leg of the 2025 MTN8 semi-finals. Here’s what head coach Steve Barker had to say ahead of the encounter.

On Saturday’s semi-final against Sekhukhune United

“If you look at the last few seasons in the MTN8, we lost in the quarter-finals on penalties to Kaizer Chiefs, the following year we lost on away goals to Orlando Pirates on away goals, and then last year we lost in the final. If the trajectory continues, then hopefully the trophy will be ours this season,” Barker quipped.

“Being in another semi-final is a credit to the club and the players. We’ve managed to be a team that has got into the back end of all competitions over the last few seasons. We were runners-up last year, so there is a massive desire among the team, the staff, and the club to take it a step further.

“First things first, we’ve got tough opposition to overcome in a two-legged tie, so our focus is on that… We’re looking forward to it. There is a lot of enthusiasm and energy in the squad, and it’s always exciting being in semi-finals, especially getting to play in front of our fans at our home ground.”

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On playing three matches in a week, and a tough fixture list

“To be honest, we’ve not had too much time. We played in Polokwane on Wednesday and arrived back on Thursday, so it was only really Friday that was available to prepare,” Barker explained. “But a lot of the groundwork had been done in the pre-season and leading up to these games.

“It’s about keeping players fresh and tweaking one or two things, but, overall, from a principal point of view, we know what we want to achieve and how we want to play. There will always be one or two changes when you play this many matches just to keep the squad fresh and able to compete on all fronts.”

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He added, “It’s a challenging start for us. To play those types of teams [Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns], as well as Sekhukhune United twice, is never going to be easy. At the end of the day, we have a good squad of players. There is good talent and competition in every single position.

“It’s important that we take it game by game, but at the same time, you do have other objectives in your mind. However, if you do think too far ahead, you forget what you need to do so it’s just about coming through Saturday’s match and putting out the squad that we believe is best to start the game and get the result.

“Once we finish the match, then our focus will be directed to the Pirates game, and then after that, once again to the next semi-final. It’s not easy, but it does allow a lot of players to get opportunities early on in the season, and for me to figure out our best combinations, while still having to to get results.

“It’s challenging, but at the same time it’s an exciting challenge. If we weren’t in the semi-final, it would have been nice not to have to play this weekend, but we are here, and we have to be happy that we are playing as regularly as we are.

“Last season, we played 51 games, and the most any team can play in South African football is 58 if you get to the final of every competition, so we want to try to emulate and improve on those 51 matches. The more we play, the happier we will be.”

Lesiba Nku and Thato Khiba both opened their accounts for the club in our last meeting against Sekhukhune United 🔙#HeartoftheCape #MoreThanFootball #StellenboschFC 🍇 pic.twitter.com/7LWYOZihxV

— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) August 16, 2025

Home ground advantage and representing the Western Cape

“It’s massive for us to play at home. I’ve said in the past, the Western Cape is the Western Cape, and it’s our home, so we’re here representing the whole province, but when you travel to Cape Town, be it to Athlone Stadium or DHL Stadium, it is close to an hour’s travel.

“It’s not ideal for us to have to travel into town to play games, but at the same time, it is an opportunity for us to reach out and play in front of some of our fans who might not normally be able to come out and watch in Stellenbosch.

“But it is important, and we are happy to be back at Danie Craven Stadium. It was the place last season where we got most of our points and wins, and it’s not an easy ground for opposition teams to come and play, similar to what we experienced on Wednesday against Magesi FC, so we’re happy to be back.”

Strategy for playing a two-legged tie against Babina Noko

“We fortunately got comfortable playing home and away games last season, playing Sundowns in the same stage of this tournament, and in our CAF Confederations Cup qualifiers, quarter-finals, and semi-finals.

“We’ve been exposed to these kinds of ties, and it does change the way you approach games. You sort of have four different halves, so you have to reassess where you are at half-time and again after 90 minutes, and then take it from there.

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“The message is always that the game’s not over in the first leg. The important thing is to stay in the tie. You don’t want to be chasing a big score after the first leg, so you have to make sure that you are at least in the tie, or, ideally, comfortably in the lead.

“But we do know that Sekhukhune United are a very good team, so it’s going to be a tight game over the two legs, so it’s going to be about moments in the game, or one half out of the four where you can maybe get the advantage over the opposition.

“It’s about managing the situation, which the players have become accustomed to, so we’re looking forward to it. We won most of our home-and-away ties last season, so hopefully we can continue on that run of form.”

Favourable record against counterpart Eric Tinkler

“I think we have to stick with what we know. He [Tinkler] is with a different team now, and we haven’t had many games where we’ve got the better of Sekhukhune; it was more when he was at Cape Town City.

“He has a different type of team with a different way of playing, so I don’t pay much attention to that. It’s more important to focus on what we want to achieve, but if he’s having sleepless nights, then rather him than me.

“But we have to be honest, Sekhukhune are a strong squad and he’s turned them into a really solid team. They’ve got seasoned professionals, and they’ve signed well, and they’re an ambitious club similar to us.

“Since their promotion, they’ve been really competitive and have been in finals themselves, so they’re a proper football team and well-coached, so it’s going to be an exciting challenge.”