Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker sees the loss of Deano Van Rooyen and Iqraam Rayners as an opportunity for other players to step up.
The Cape Winelands outfit lost two of their key players in this transfer window, with Iqraam Rayners moving to Mamelodi Sundowns and Van Rooyen joining Orlando Pirates, respectively.
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Despite that, Stellies have a chance of progressing past the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round stages after hammering eSwatini side Nsingizini Hotspur by 3-0 in the first leg.
Barker mentioned that it’s not easy to lose these two players, but equally provides an opportunity for the young and upcoming youngsters to put up their hands and be counterd.
“It has been really good, one of our key success factors as a football club is resilience, resilience means you know the ability to bounce back after setbacks,” Barker told the media.
“We know losing key players like Iqraam Rayners and Deano Van Rooyen is never easy but at the same time, it provides an opportunity for others.
“We’ve got a good group of young talented footballers who want to enjoy and play football and be successful, so great responses from the players. Life goes on. We’ve got to find different ways now without the players to still win football matches.
“We started with TS Galaxy, we got ourselves in the semi-final, and now we are one step closer to the next preliminary round so good response from the players.”
The veteran coach confirmed that they are not done signing players and added that they have targets that they want to get deals over the line before the Betway Premier League starts.
“The window is not closed, losing players like we have, we have to strengthen which we will.
“So, we do have targets that we are working on and hopefully we can get some of the over the line,” he concluded.
