All Stars head coach Sinethemba Badela says he cannot fault his players' effort after the defeat to Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup.
Stars competed with Pirates pound for pound in the first stanza, as they limited their opportunities in front of goal but cracked just after the hour-mark after Monnapule Saleng broke the deadlock before Thembinkosi Lorch sealed the win.
Badela sent a message to his charges that they should not drop their heads because they did well and he still loves them.
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"Look, I thought we did well the first 60 minutes, we stuck to the plan and we had a few chances on transition but we made a few mistakes," Badela told SuperSport TV.
"And then the second half we turn over the ball in our half, the rest defence is not good, then they go and score. And once a team like Pirates scores first it becomes a problem because now it's a cup game you have to send more numbers and they've got Lorch on the pitch, they've got Vincent Pule, they've got Saleng, they've got speed, so it suits them to play a little more on the counter.
"But I cannot fault my players, I thought they gave their best. I just want to tell them that we still love them, they gave their best," he said.
Badela was asked if he thought they have what it takes, judging from their performance, to compete in the top flight, as they have ambitions of gaining promotion, currently lying sixth in the Motsepe Foundation Championship table.
"I think we can compete, you could see we can compete, there were times where we were playing but I thought we could have been a little bit more brave on the ball, some individual mistakes but that's why we'll go home and look at the game," he said.
"And what we've learned in today's game is if you make mistakes against top teams they are going to punish you, which is something we have not been doing when they make mistakes.
"So we have to learn from that and we'll get better."
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