The spirit in the Stellenbosch FC camp is at an all-time high.
Not only are they looking forward to a first MTN8 Cup final against Orlando Pirates – having progressed to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup – but they are also once again the kings of the Cape after their iKapa Derby victory over local rivals Cape Town City on Wednesday night.
The mood certainly is a joyful one, which even allowed coach Steve Barker to joke that he was glad that star defender Fawaaz Basadien’s wonder goal in the derby had come after the close of the transfer window last week.
Basadien and midfielder Jayden Adams’ future at the Cape Winelands club has arguably been Barker’s biggest headache of late.
After already seeing former club captain Deano van Rooyen move to Pirates and star striker Iqraam Rayners to Mamelodi Sundowns, Barker could ill-afford to lose two further stalwarts.
“We’ve been under a lot of pressure with him (Basadien) and Jayden. We shouldn’t have been in a position to lose more than what we had in terms of Deano and Iqraam, two big players leaving the club,” Barker said after the 3-0 demolition of City.
Hear from the coach after last night's resounding Cape Derby win ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/e8Su3knMGR
“We’ve done well in keeping Fawaaz and Jayden, and they showed the reason why we’ve been wanting not to let them go.
“We believe we can be as competitive as any team in the league, so it was important for us to hold on to them.
“Had it (Basadien’s goal) been before, it would’ve been tougher – but well done to a well-taken goal.”
Barker, however, was loath to get carried away with his team’s derby performance, and stressed that the result could have been different had City converted their early chances.
“Obviously a 3-0 result is a really good, convincing sort of performance from us,” said Barker, whose team have now won seven of the last eight derbies against Eric Tinkler’s team.
“However, I do believe that the first 30 to 40 minutes, up to close to half-time, it was a very tight game.
“I thought both teams came out to play, a lot of chances were created.
“I believe that it was good for the fans and everybody to have seen both teams looking to play, looking to create chances. I felt it was very competitive.
“Obviously, we had one or two balls across the box which were close. They’ve had a really big chance which hit (Stellenbosch goalkeeper) Sage (Stephens) in the face – otherwise we would have been 1-0 down.”
While Basadien may have delivered a wonder goal from 60m out, Barker believes the real game-changer was Andre de Jong’s opener on the stroke of half-time.
“I think getting the goal just before half-time obviously changed the game. I think it deflated them a bit, gave us a bit of a lift going into the changeroom,” he said.
“And then when Fawaaz scored the goal from the halfway line, that just put us firmly in the front seat. I thought thereafter we dominated the game.
“Looked real quality, and it was good to see the team finish with almost everybody below the age of 24 on the field.
Andre de Jong walks away with tonight's Man of the Match award ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/pTuDG1QKGU
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) September 25, 2024
“There was good energy, good quality, good technicians on the field of play.
“I thought we saw out the game really well and didn’t give them too many opportunities in the last 15 to 20 minutes.
“We put in a mature performance, and to see out the game and keep a clean sheet I think is a credit to the team. I think it shows that they are growing in their mentality.”
Stellenbosch will be hoping to maintain their winning momentum when they travel to Limpopo to face Polokwane City on Sunday (5.30pm kick-off).