Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker admits his side may have had one eye on the upcoming MTN8 final as they drew 1-1 with Polokwane City in the league on Sunday.
Barker’s side face Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday to compete for their second trophy in two years after scooping last season’s Carling Knockout Cup.
They have also been successful in CAF Confederation Cup qualifiers this term, but started their Betway Premiership campaign with a shock 2-0 loss to Golden Arrows. They bounced back with a 3-0 win over Cape Town City, ahead of being held by Polokwane.
Lehlohonolo Mojela had opened the scoring at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on 26 minutes ahead of a 45th minute Thabang Matuludi leveller.
Reflecting on the tie, Barker explained he was disappointed to only secure a point against Rise and Shine, that left Stellies eighth in the standings
He said in the Sowetan: “I think our mentality was to see the game before us and play the match on a different occasion going into the nicest stadium with a full crowd final.
“I’m sure our level of motivation will be high to perform better than we did against Polokwane, but it’s uncomfortable to come here on a Sunday evening and play against this team in these conditions.
“I can’t falter the commitment and I can’t think the players had one eye on [Pirates’ match], I think we tried to win the game by pushing numbers forward and we also exposed ourselves at the back.
“We don’t want to come here and play for a point, we want to win as many games as we can.”
Barker also praised Mojela for his five goals for the club already this season since signing from TS Galaxy in July.
“Bradley [Mojela] has been really good for us. He is getting on the score sheet scoring good goals. It is nice that he is scoring and playing with a lot of confidence. You know he is a handful for any team,” added the Stellies head coach.
