A first PSL game at Cape Town Stadium will give Stellenbosch FC an extra boost in their second meeting with Orlando Pirates in a week.
Following last Saturday’s 1-0 Telkom Knockout exit at Orlando Stadium, this Saturday’s 3pm kickoff is Steve Barker’s top-flight newboys chance to get revenge.
Victory over Bucs will see Stellies leapfrog the Soweto giants in the league, with the 14th-placed Winelands side on seven points and Pirates on nine.
CONFIDENCE: Steve Barker. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix.
And Barker says: “To play in an iconic stadium like this is a dream come true for many of the players. It’s a big plus for the club and the players.
“And to compete against big clubs like Pirates is huge for us.
“I’m quietly confident that we can get a result from this match.”
Barker is all too aware that Pirates’ support will outnumber them, just as Cape Town City’s support was drowned out by Kaizer Chiefs’ last week at Cape Town Stadium.
And the former AmaTuks and AmaZulu boss hopes that that fires up his manne even more.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/StellMun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StellMunMayor Gesie v Deventer and @WesternCapeGov Premier @alanwinde each their own #stellenboschfc shirts! pic.twitter.com/U9oebHBCVA
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC)
He jokes: “Hopefully there is rain so it feels a bit more like home.”
He adds: “But ja, we have to travel for an hour [from Stellies], while they’ll be in a hotel 10 minutes away from the stadium. And they will have more support.
“But when you play the big clubs, you have to get used to it.
“Pirates and Chiefs will always have more support, so we have to use that to our advantage.
“When they have the crowd with them and buzzing, that has got to galvinise us.”