Sage Stephens admits complacency in Stellenbosch FC season

Stellies go into their final CAF Confederation Cup group stage clash against Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars this evening with nothing to play for, having already been eliminated and sitting bottom of Group C.  

A stark difference from last season’s heroics where they reached the semi-finals stage, and Stephens says they just haven’t been up to the required standard. 

"We just were not good enough, and I think because of that success last season, maybe we thought it would just roll over or happen again," said Stephens.

"I don't think we applied ourselves as much as we should have, especially on these long trips – there's a lot that we can and should improve, and just not get complacent.

"I mean, it's a big competition, we're playing against big teams, so I think sometimes we forget that we're privileged to be doing this."

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Stephens also identified what could have gone wrong in terms of their approach to specific games, noting defining moments that have been the difference in their outcomes. 

"I think if you look at last season, how we did in the competition, I think we chose the right games to know the opponents that we had a big chance of beating," he added.

"And I think we did that well, I think that's let us down a bit this season – the last-minute penalty away in Tanzania, that's a small margin that actually had a huge effect in us not qualifying [for the knockout stage]."