Barker hails players’ resilience

DAR ES SALAAM: SIMBA SC head coach Steve Barker praised his players’ determination after they secured a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Singida Black Stars in a Mainland Premier League match at Airtel Stadium on Wednesday.

The Msimbazi giants edged the hosts in a closely contested encounter, with Barker attributing the result to his team’s persistence and refusal to give up.

“Sometimes you just have to keep working, keep pushing and keep believing,” Barker said after the match. “The players showed tremendous character and commitment to keep going until the end, and it was great for us to get the winning goal late.”

The South African tactician admitted that facing Singida away is never straightforward, praising the hosts for their physical and organised approach.

“It was a very difficult match against a very good and physical team,” he said.

“You could see their desire to win. There are no easy games in this league and coming away to Singida is always a tough fixture.” Despite the resistance, Barker believed Simba’s attacking intent over the 90 minutes justified the victory. “I do believe that over the 90 minutes we deserved the three points,” he added.

“We looked like the team really pushing to get the goal.” On the opposite bench, Singida Black Stars head coach David Ouma maintained that his side delivered a strong performance despite the defeat, arguing that the better team on the day did not necessarily win.

“Today the better team lost. We created big chances in this match,” said Ouma.

The Kenyan tactician noted that his team continues to improve with each game as the players become more familiar with his tactical approach.

“Singida Black Stars are improving every day,” he said.

Ouma also urged observers to assess his work beyond results alone, saying he has helped give the team a clear structure and identity.

He explained that while a coach can organise tactics, manage players and correct mistakes during a match, some moments in football remain beyond a manager’s control.

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“You know in football a team can lose even 6–0. There are certain things that as a coach I cannot influence in a match,” he said. “I can influence how we handle the opponent and correct my players when they make mistakes, but sometimes you must give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”

Ouma nevertheless praised his players’ mentality and cohesion, saying their tactical discipline and attacking confidence are steadily improving.

“We are learning and the mental cohesion of the team is becoming stronger. If you look at the match today, we were a very strong side because of our tactics,” he explained.

“The tactics we have been using are now well understood by the players and they are applying them. That is why the fans have not grown tired, because they know what they are seeing.” He also highlighted the team’s growing attacking threat, particularly when advancing into the penalty area.

“My players are gaining confidence. Individual brilliance in getting into the box is increasing, though I think the referee could have done better,” he observed.

“Reality is that we believe we played well on the flanks and across the length of the pitch.” The victory keeps Simba firmly in the hunt in the Mainland Premier League title race as the campaign gathers momentum.

The Msimbazi giants have now collected 27 points from 12 matches to sit fourth in the standings, while arch-rivals Yanga lead the table with 32 points from the same number of games.