Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has urged his side to continue to “raise the bar” and aim for greater heights.

The Maroons were forced to settle for a point against Richards Bay after playing out to a goalless draw at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium in Durban.

Stellies will be hoping to return to winning ways when they Marumo Gallants to the DHL Cape Town Stadium when the two sides meet in the Betway Premiership on Thursday evening.

Barkers’ charges currently occupy fifth place in the league standings with eight points from their first five games, having won two, drawn two and conceded one defeat.

“Every year, every day in fact, you want to be better,” Barker told his club’s official website.

“After five games this season, we probably have more points than we had at the same stage last season, and people forget that we’ve already played 14 games this season [across all competitions]. We’ve won nine of those, drawn three, and lost two…

“We’ve raised the bar and I think we are maintaining that level. If we want to be who we want to be, we’ve got to keep raising the bar and our expectations and demand excellence from everybody day in and day out.

“Hence, there is a little bit of disappointment in today’s performance. We weren’t good enough to have won the game and we need to find ways to ensure that in these types of situations, and on days like today, we find a way to win.”