Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker was full of praise for his side after they claimed a victory over AmaZulu and put their MTN8 disappointment behind them.

The Maroons returned to winning ways after claiming a 2-1 win over Usuthu in extra time at King Zwelithini Stadium in the Carling Knockout Cup on Friday evening.

Stellies have now secured their passage to the quarter-finals, where they will take on Marumo Gallants in the next round of the competition.

Barker was proud of his side’s performance to fight it out and claim a hard-fought victory over Usuthu in the round of 16.

“It is something that [hurts] but there are two reactions you can have; you can either decide to be bitter or you can decide to be better,” Barker said after the match.

“There’s only one letter difference and we’ve decided to be better and move on.

“You can’t change what happened, it’s history and it has passed, so the next important thing is the following match which was this one…

“When you have to endure difficult times, it grows you as a team and gives you unity, endurance, and grit which I believe we are showing.

“We are showing that we have the resilience to get over disappointments and look forward.”