Stellies hope to again be toast of Winelands with cup double

OBAKENG MELETSE

The wine will surely flow should Stellenbosch beat SuperSport United to progress to the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup this weekend ... luckily the Winelands-based club need not go far to look for the grape.

South Africa’s premier cup competition continues this weekend with the quarter-finals and the Premiership high-flyers are desperate to secure their second trophy of the season after their Carling Knockout success.

Steve Barker’s Stellies lost 4-3 on penalties in last year’s semi-final against Sekhukhune United after a goalless 120 minutes, denying Barker his second cup final after he had previously lost with First Division side University of Pretoria against Moroka Swallows in 2009.

Stellies have been improving in leaps and bounds, and there is no doubt that a lot has changed since that defeat to Babina Noko. They will go into the encounter against United on the back of winning the Carling KO against TS Galaxy and have, for an extended period, been the best side behind Mamelodi Sundowns in the league.

Should things finish as they are, Stellies will qualify for the CAF Champions League ahead of the much-fancied Orlando Pirates, and their opponents on Saturday, SuperSport.

The Nedbank Cup also offers winners an opportunity to be part of continental football courtesy of participation in the CAF Confederation Cup. Supersport have won the Nedbank Cup five times and they are a typical Gavin Hunt side who know how to deliver just when it matters most.

Matsatsantsa are currently having a relatively quiet season and the Nedbank Cup could be their last chance to finish the season strongly. To achieve that, though, they will need a performance that is anything but quiet against an in-form Stellies.

“We’ve been very competitive in cup competitions of late and obviously having won a cup competition this season gives the players extra motivation and desire to get ourselves to the next round,” said Barker.

Iqraam Rayners and Devin Titus have scored 19 goals between them this season for Stellies, with Rayners also on the scoresheet in national colours when Bafana Bafana played to a 3-3 draw against Algeria.

“I think between the front players and attacking players everyone has been contributing. Obviously, Iqraam continues to score goals for us but goals from the other players from other positions helps because it’s also difficult to rely on one person for goals.

“There is a lot of cohesion and sharing the load and that works well for us. If we are able to defend well also, that adds to the recipe to continue having the success we’re having,” Barker concluded.