Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker says their remarkable 2-1 victory, where they scored two late goals against Orbit College FC, will go a long way in their quest to move away from the dreaded relegation axe.
Stellies’ last-gasp goals were scored by Athenkosi Mcaba and Thato Khiba. This is after Mbulelo Wagaba had opened the scoring for Orbit College just after the halftime break.
What made Wednesday’s victory sweeter was that the Capetonians achieved the feat with 10 men on the pitch after Thabo Moloisane received a red card. It was also Stellies’ first away win in the 2025/2026 season.
Much-needed victory
Barker is still smiling from ear to ear after they were able to steal a much-needed 2-1 victory. They were coming from behind and deep in the referee’s optional time. Stellies are now sitting on number 14 on the Betway Premiership log standings. They may be performing well in the CAF Confederation Cup but they are finding the going very difficult in the domestic league.
Said an excited Barker post-match: “It was massively important for us to get the win in the context of the league. And it was great for us to get our first away win of the season. Traditionally, we’ve been a good away team, but it’s been eluding us a bit this season. So hopefully this can be the start of many more away victories.
“And then obviously the manner in which it was done, being down a man and a goal at that time of the match, to firstly get the equaliser — which was an incredible goal by Thato Khiba — and then to follow that up with the winner from Athenkosi Mcaba with his first goal, was just really special,” he added.
Barker also praised his charges for not giving up when all was lost.
“Once again, the team showed a never-say-die attitude and great resilience. They just kept plugging away. And I knew that if we could get one goal, then we could possibly get the second. But we did leave it late as we did in our last match.
“Hopefully, that can give us confidence that we’re never out of the game. And that if we keep pushing hard and never giving up, anything is possible. The hope is that these two wins can give us the trust and belief in what we are doing. And that we can just continue improving going forward,” he explained further.
