Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has expressed a positive outlook on the recent departures of key players Iqraam Rayners and Deano van Rooyen.
Rayners has joined Mamelodi Sundowns while Van Rooyen has moved to Orlando Pirates, both fellow Betway Premiership rivals.
Despite the loss of these influential players, Barker sees this as an opportunity for the club’s younger talent to step up and make their mark.
He believes that their departure is a “blessing in disguise,” opening the door for emerging players to showcase their abilities and contribute to the team’s future success.
“One of our key success factors as a football club (Stellenbosch FC) is our resilience and resilience means knowing the ability to bounce back after a setback,” Barker said.
“So, losing key players like Iqraam (Rayners) and Deano van Rooyen is not easy but at the same time, it provides an opportunity for others.
“We’ve got a good group of young talented footballers that just want to enjoy and play football and be successful.
“So, we got a great response from our players, life goes on and we’ve got to find different ways now without the players (Rayners and Van Rooyen) to still win football matches.”
Stellenbosch played their first-ever inter-continental competition match against Nsingizini Hotspurs from Eswatini where they won by 3-0 in the first leg of the CAF Confederations Cup at Moses Mabhida on Saturday.
