Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker revealed his desire for their maiden PSL season – a top-eight finish.
To do that boss Barker wants his manne to get back to winning ways after two losses in a row, following disappointments at Black Leopards in the league and against Maritzburg in the Nedbank Cup.
Their first assignment is SuperSport United at Cape Town Stadium this Valentine’s weekend.
The two teams are separated by 10 points, with the hosts down in 11th place and the capital city side up in fourth.
Recently-promoted Stellies are, however, on 24 points, just two points outside the PSL top half. And should they go on a good run, they can qualify for the lucrative MTN8 next season.
While the Bolanders are still only seven points off the bottom of the table, Barker gets misty-eyed dreaming.
He says: “Finishing in the top eight has always been a desire of ours but we’ll take it game by game. SuperSport are challenging at the top end of the table.
“I felt that in the first round we played really well and I thought we were a bit unlucky not to beat them, so going into this one I think we could put in a really solid performance.”
Having felt Lady Luck desert his team last week in their penalty-shootout Cup, Barker reckons their aim must be as keen as Cupid’s as they focus on bouncing back.
He says: “So now we turn our attention back to the league and refocus.”