Steve Barker laments Stellenbosch FC's lack of experience in Caf inter-club football but presses no panic button after Berkane defeat - 'It didn't take Mamelodi Sundowns their first season to go far in this competition'

Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has acknowledged that his players are still inexperienced when it comes to the continental football scene after suffering a second consecutive loss in the Caf Confederation Cup group matches.

The Cape Winelands team dropped more points after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Morocco's RSB Berkane over the weekend at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Barker, whose team is consistently performing exceptionally well in the Premier Soccer League, has admitted that Stellenbosch still has much to learn about Caf inter-club football.

"I believe that we can still qualify for the knockout stages. We are not out of this competition, our next game is away to the Angolan side (against Lunda Sul), is a cup final for us," Barker told the media after the match. 

"We have to get points from them in our back-to-back games against them and the Malian team back at home, I believe that's our opportunity to get points. If we have to go away and get a point or three against this team, it is not impossible.

"When one gets into this level of playing these types of level teams, I think the important part is that we keep learning and growing," explained the former AmaZulu tactician.

"I didn't take Mamelodi Sundowns their first season to go far in this competition, they started by gaining experience and then were able to compete. We've got to consider this a great and challenging experience for us," he added. 

"I feel like we showed a lack of experience, maybe a little bit of dealing with a lot of situations in the final third, for me it is about judging how far we are from being at that level. There is a way that we have to grow and get there. A massive learning curve I thought we have done ourselves by showing character."

After two matches in the group stage, Stellenbosch found themselves still without points in the Group B standings - having also lost their first match to Malian team Stade Malien.

The next match will be extremely important and a must-win for the 2024 MTN8 finalists. If they do not manage to rectify things quickly, they may see their Caf Confederation Cup journey come to an end during the group stages.

This marks Stellenbosch's inaugural participation in the Caf inter-club competition following an impressive third-place finish in the 2023/24 PSL season.

Stellenbosch will aim to enhance their disappointing start to the Caf Confederation Cup group stage campaign and secure victories in their remaining four matches.

The Cape Winelands side will head to Angola to face off against Lunda Sul in their third game this coming Sunday, hoping to emerge triumphant in Luanda.