Nomadic Stellenbosch geared up for on-fire Arrows at Athlone Stadium

Stellenbosch FC have become nomads again, relocating their home matches to Cape Town, starting with their Wednesday Betway Premiership encounter against Lamontville Golden Arrows.

Playing home games away isn’t uncharted territory for Stellenbosch. During their debut season in the 2019/20 top flight, they played all their matches away from home due to the absence of suitable venues in Stellenbosch. Last season was similar, with their home games hosted at Athlone and venues in Durban.

The Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch is being renovated in preparation for the 2026 FISU World University Championship Rugby Sevens next September.

After returning from Saturday’s CAF clash with Equatorial Guinea’s 15 de Agosto de Akonibe, Stellenbosch shift their focus back to domestic action, eager to secure three crucial points against Golden Arrows.

This match will be the 13th time these two teams have crossed paths across all competitions. In their last encounter in May, Stellenbosch triumphed with a solid 3-0 victory, propelled by goals from Devin Titus, Lesiba Nku and Thabo Moloisane.

Historically, Stellenbosch has had the upper hand in this rivalry, with a record of five wins and five draws from their previous 12 meetings, with only two defeats. Stellenbosch sit in a challenging spot, 15th in the Betway Premiership standings, tied on points with last-placed Chippa United on six points from nine matches.

While they have remained unbeaten in their last four outings — including a noteworthy run in the Carling Knockout, where they reached the quarter-finals by overcoming Kaizer Chiefs on penalties — they’ve struggled in the league with only one win and a mere nine goals scored over 14 matches.

Coach Steve Barker is keenly aware of the need for improvement.

“It’s always important that you don’t concede. Keeping clean sheets is key to winning football matches, but we need to continue working on converting more of the opportunities we are creating. In the final third, execution and decision-making,” Barker remarked, stressing the critical work needed in their attacking play.

On the other side, Golden Arrows come into the match riding a wave of confidence, having won their last two games following a tough three-match losing streak. Their recent 3-0 victory against Orbit College and a narrow 1-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns have placed them ninth in the standings, accumulating 13 points with four wins, one draw and four losses.

Like Stellenbosch, Arrows have also advanced to the Carling Knockout quarter-finals after a convincing 3-1 win over Sekhukhune United.

Stellenbosch will return to Athlone Stadium for a pivotal second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary tie against the Equatorial Guinea club on Sunday. The outcomes of these upcoming fixtures could have considerable implications for their season as they strive to regain form in a competitive landscape.