Stellenbosch FC winger Devin Titus insists they have a target on their back coming into the Carling Knockout Cup as defending champions.

The Maroons will look to successfully defend their Knockout Cup title when they take on AmaZulu in the opening round at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium in Durban.

Stellies lifted the trophy last season when they defeated 5-4 win on penalties against TS Galaxy in the final.

Titus says his side has to own their status as champions and is confident that his side can successfully defend their title.

“As defending champions we have a target on our back and every team will be coming out full throttle against us, so we just have to do what we do best and hopefully we can reclaim our title at the end of the tournament,” Titus told his club’s official website.

“Being first-time champions was incredibly special, but now we have a responsibility as champions to own that status. It’s not enough to just show up, we have to be at our best in all four games.”

Titus played a key role for Stellies in the competition last season, having scored two goals in four games to walk away with the Player of the Tournament award following his efforts for the club.

“It was a tournament where I just hit the mark, but a lot of it was down to my teammates and the technical staff who believed in me,” he added.

“I’ve always said that if they give me the ball I will score, and if I can’t score I will find the pass to help someone else score, so me winning Player of the Tournament last season was a collective effort.”