Steve Barker insists his Stellenbosch FC will continue fighting to improve recent form after suffering a 2-0 Betway Premiership defeat at the hands of Siwelele FC.

Having recorded three consecutive home wins over Kaizer Chiefs, 15 de Agosto de Akonibe, and Golden Arrows last month, Stellies were unable to replicate those results on Wednesday after goals from Tebogo Potsane and Siviwe Magidigidi consigned the team to a 2-0 defeat to Siwelele at Athlone Stadium.

The outcome saw Stellies slip to 15th position in the Betway Premiership standings after 12 games played, with the Club having endured an uncharacteristically challenging start to the 2025-26 domestic campaign.

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“I am disappointed, especially in the way we’ve been conceding goals and our timing in conceding goals,” Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker said during the post-match press conference.

“A lot of preparations had gone into putting in a big performance at home and trying to keep the momentum of winning games at Athlone, but once you go down 1-0 so early, you’re obviously chasing the game.

“But, I felt that because we conceded early, there was enough time to get ourselves back into it and hopefully get an equaliser, and then set ourselves to try to get a winning goal later.

“There were some good moments, not clear-cut chances, but an accumulation of enough half-chances, and with a bit of luck we could have found that equaliser before half time.

“The message to the players at the break was that, ‘We’ve got to keep believing and stay positive.’ We had shown enough in the first half to get ourselves back into it, but the key was not to concede again.

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“Chasing a two-goal deficit is a lot harder than one, and unfortunately, we conceded early in the second half, which then made it really difficult.

“We tried hard enough and created enough chances, and tried to be as brave as we could in terms of player personnel on the pitch in the last 20-30 minutes. But, it just doesn’t seem to be falling for us in front goal.

“…It’s difficult to take another loss again, especially considering that I don’t think we were outplayed or that the game was reflective of a 2-0 loss, but at the same time, there is a lot of reflection and work that needs to be put in.

“We just cannot be conceding the goals we have been, it’s unacceptable and not good enough from the team that we are and that we strive to be.

“The [FIFA international] break probably comes at a good time. This was our sixth game in 18 days, with a lot of traveling in between, so it has been a challenging period.

“It will continue to be challenging with our CAF campaign, so we can’t look for any excuses. It’s about finding solutions to our league form, which has to change with immediate effect.”

“…This will be a period of reflection and refreshment, and with two league games left for the year, we have to come back and fight for points in those two matches.”

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He added, “There is a saying that you can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. “Right now, we have to find ways to do things differently, whether it’s our approach off the field, coaching sessions, selection of the team, or formations, we have to freshen things up.

“That’s why I said this break will be good for us, because I think it’s really needed. We then go into our CAF games next, and sometimes, people look at CAF and say it’s a reason clubs struggle in the league, but I want to try to use it to get us going again. I want to use that as a catalyst to jumpstart our league form.

“I’ve been around long enough, and I know deep in my heart that this team does not belong where we are, but we have to accept it, first of all.

That’s our responsibility to take because we’ve got ourselves into this situation. Therefore, it’s our responsibility, starting with me, and then everyone through the Club, the team, the players, to find ways to be the Stellenbosch we are known to be.

“We are fighters and we will continue to fight, and hopefully before the turn of the year we will have had some positive results, and then we can reassess where we are and what we need to do after the long break in January.”