Departures no longer a valid excuse for Barker

THE wheels appear to be slowly coming off for Steve Barker.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

And instead of rescuing the situation, the Stellenbosch coach is starting to sound like a broken record.

Former Stellenbosch reserve league defender Tylon Smith made the finalists' list for the CAF Young Player of the Year after winning Player of the Tournament en route to Amajita's maiden Youth Championship title, and reaching the knockout stages at the recent U20 World Cup in Chile.

While Barker lauded the 20-yearold's achievements - which include signing for English Championship side Queens Park Rangers after his exploits with Amajita in Morocco - during an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma, he went on to say: "But there's always a little tinge of, 'Maybe it would be nice to have him for a year or two."

You see, it's not the first time Barker has used that subtle reasoning for their shortcomings this season. When they lost the MTN8 final to Orlando Pirates in Mbombela, he said seeing players such as Sihle Nduli doing well for their rivals was a double-edged sword.

While he was pleased with their growth and seamless adaptation at Pirates, he couldn't help but feel that Stellenbosch's fortunes might be slightly different if he had kept him - and others - for a season or two.