Stellenbosch FC captain Sage Stephens has stressed the importance of regaining a winning mentality ahead of Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup encounter against Singida Black Stars.

As the CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage reaches its conclusion, neither Stellenbosch nor Singida Black Stars can advance to the next round of the competition, leaving only pride at stake when the two sides meet on Sunday.

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For Stellies’ skipper, the Club’s exit from the competition has come as a disappointment, but one that he and his teammates must bounce back from quickly ahead of a congested fixture schedule in the weeks to come.

“We’re here to do a job tomorrow,” Stephens said. “We’re very disappointed that we weren’t able to get to the next stage, and we as the players had a part to play in that, especially in our last game, where I don’t think we as a squad showed up on the day.

“Unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way either, so we are very disappointed. We need to be better in the games coming up, and tomorrow is the best opportunity to do that and to start putting up our hands for squad selection.

He added, “…With the games coming in the next two months, it’s not going to get easier, so we can’t be living in the past. The quicker we turn things around, the better, because we need to get that winning mentality back at the club.

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“It will be a tough game against Singida. Neither of us can get anything out of it, but they are going to come out looking to show themselves on the pitch, and we need to do the same thing. We expect a solid performance to start getting Stellenbosch back to where it should be.”