Barker wants swift response against Magesi

Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker has called on his team to bounce back immediately when they face Magesi at the Seshego Stadium in the Betway Premiership on 13 August.

Kick-off is at 7.30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

CURRENT FORM:

The Maroons kicked off their league campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs in Athlone on Sunday, having had to play the majority of the match with just 10 men following the 13th-minute dismissal of Siviwe Nkwali.

Barker's side had to dig deep to beat AmaZulu 3-2 after extra time in the MTN8 quarterfinals on August 3 as they reached the semifinals for the third year in a row.

Stellies also lost their opening league encounter in 2024-25 against Golden Arrows (2-0), although they gave a swift response by dispatching Cape Town City 3-0.

Barker admitted his players were a bit leggy in the second half against Amakhosi, whose numerical advantage began to take a toll on them, but insists they cannot afford to dwell on the result.

John Maduka began his Magesi tenure with a 0-0 draw against Limpopo rivals Polokwane City on Saturday, having been under the cosh in the first half but held out to claim a share of the spoils.

Dikwena tsa Meetse had to wait until their third game of last term to register their first win (1-0 against Golden Arrows), although they didn't manage another victory until the turn of the year.

Clinton Larsen resigned nine matches into the season and was subsequently replaced by Owen da Gama, who revived the club's fortunes as they clawed themselves away from the basement to finish in 13th place.

Maduka, meanwhile. endured a torrid time with Royal AM and found himself without a job after the PSL kicked Thwihli Thwahla out of the league in March for failing to complete their fixtures since December due to financial problems.

WHAT WAS SAID:

Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker

"I think had we just been more fortunate and got a goal before halftime, I think the game and the complexion may have been a bit different.

"The second half, I felt was a little bit difficult for us... we played so long with 10 men and you could see that our legs weren't as fresh as they should be.

"It always feels like a double blow when you get a red card and concede a penalty at the same time. It's not the first time against Chiefs that there's been a red card or an incident that led to them winning the game.

"We need to bounce back immediately... we can't dwell on this [defeat]. We need to stand up, be resilient and show our bounce-back ability for a big three points on offer on Wednesday."

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Magesi - All eyes will be on Mbali Tshabalala once more after he started in goal against Rise And Shine ahead of Elvis Chipezeze, who was one of the standout players for Dikwena tsa Meetse last season. Tshabalala went on to keep a clean sheet and made four saves, the pick of which saw him tip a curling free-kick from Mokibelo Ramabu over the crossbar just before halftime.

Stellenbosch - Devin Titus impressed against Chiefs and was unfortunate not to get his name on the scoresheet after striking the right post on 25 minutes and forcing Brandon Petersen into a superb save with a hooked shot just before halftime. The 25-year-old winger was the Maroons' most prolific player last season, contributing eight goals and five assists in 28 appearances.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: (Previous Betway Premiership Matches)

Matches - 2

Magesi wins - 1

Stellenbosch wins - 1

Draws - 0