Friday night lights in Stellies as Barker basks in Cape derby glory: 'We don't lose derbies'

Leaning against the walls flanked with crutches on either side in the corridor at Danie Craven Stadium as his left leg is on the mend, Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker was beaming with a wide smile.

His charges put in an electric performance in front of a supportive home crowd, which cheered them on until the final whistle as they clawed their way from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win against Cape Town City in a DStv Premiership Cape derby clash on Friday.

"Incredible result for us," he tells the media during the post-match press conference.

And indeed, the win could not have come at a better time for the relegation-threatened Stellies, as it was Barker's first three points since he inked a new four-year deal with the club in October last year.

Stellies have been huffing and puffing all season, and for a good reason, injuries to key players have forced Barker to utilize his younger players in the squad.

But under the Danie Craven floodlights on a cool evening, with their band banging the drums and the fans cheering as loud as they can, Barker's young guns pulled off an epic result in one of the club's all-time greatest matches to date.

"We went down early from a set piece, and for a team lying at the bottom of the table, our heads could have dropped, but I thought our performance in the was one of the best performances by a Stellenbosch team," said Barker.

Lorenzo Gordinho gave City an early lead before Darwin Gonzalez nailed in the second but Devin Titus pulled a goal back on the cusp of half-time for Stellies.

"The message in the changeroom at half-time, we’re going to win this game, no doubt in my mind. That was the message," Barker continued.

"The players deserve it. They worked hard. They have been written off and have