Stellenbosch coach punts Rayners for award

Stellenbosch striker Iqraam Rayners has not only put him top of the DStv Premiership goalscoring chats with his five-goal haul on Saturday by coach Steve Barker reckons he is. Now also a strong candidate for the Player of the Season award.

Rayners got all five goals in the thrashing of Polokwane City on Saturday that saw Stellenbosch consolidate second place in the standings.

“What can one say?” asked Barker. “I thought it was five special goals. You know, sometimes it's when you score five goals, maybe one or two are quality, but I thought everyone was well thought out, well struck, composed, quality finishes. He's moved to the top goal scorer in the league, and for me is definitely playing himself into contention for Player of the Season. He has shown his qualities as a goal scorer.

“I think it was definitely a special evening for us as a club. I thought we dominated the majority of the game,” added the Stellenbosch coach, whose team have now gone 24 games without losing.

“First off, I thought we were in total control but in the second half, they came out and the first 10-15 minutes we were a little bit under pressure. You know, when somebody scores five goals, the focus is just on Ikie (Iqraam Rayners), but I thought the double save from Sage Stephens to keep it at 1-0 was really a pivotal point in the game, because from there we went on and scored the second,” he explained.

“I think that took the wind out of their sails a bit. And then, obviously, the last 25-30 minutes was some really special moments and special play. The team is just continuing to play with a lot of maturity, a lot of quality, and it's almost like they playing as if they believe where they are where they should be. So yeah, I'm really, really proud of the performance,” Barker added.