Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker says he called on his very own “bomb squad” to get them over the line in the final of the Carling Knockout Cup.
Stellies won their first major title in the South African top-flight after they defeated TS Galaxy 5-4 in a penalty shootout at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Barker brought on the likes of Mevin Boli, Andre De Jong and Antonio Van Wyk, who made a real impact to help the squad come from a goal down to secure the victory.
The Stellies mentor also reserved special praise for Darrel Matsheke, who scored the winning penalty to help Stellies lift the title.
“Darrel Matsheke was club-less, he was released from Kaizer Chiefs, he was training at Casric to earn himself a contract,” Barker told SuperSport TV after the game.
“I thought of late we’ve also got a similar thing to the Springbok, the bomb squad, so players have been coming on and changing games, bringing the energy.
“I thought we were lacking a bit of energy and spark, we needed something and I thought Andre Antonio, Mevin Boli that’s exactly what they gave us when they came on, especially Antonio, he was taking people on and getting behind.”
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