Cancelled game against Pirates came as a big blow to Wits: Hunt

29 September 2016 - 19:18 By Marc Strydom

A game against Orlando Pirates this past weekend would have come at exactly the right time for Bidvest Wits ahead of their MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday‚ said Clever Boys coach Gavin Hunt. Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference for the hugely anticipated final between this season’s heavyweight teams‚ Wits and Downs‚ at Mbombela Stadium‚ Hunt said last Saturday’s abandoned game against Pirates would have come exactly as Wits were hitting a rhythm. The Premier Soccer League fixture at Bidvest Stadium was called off amidst security concerns because of a warning allegedly sent by the Wits SRC threatening a “Fees Must Fall” protest that might have derailed the game. “I was very disappointed not to play Pirates. I thought it was the right time for us‚” Hunt said. “We were chomping at the bit there for that game. And obviously the Wednesday game was called off‚ which was understandable. “But Saturday’s game‚ certainly for me‚ left a bitter taste. “But listen‚ we’re playing for a huge prize here so we can’t be looking at making excuses like that. “Otherwise our preparations have pretty much been the same this week. “It’s been a long week. Because we’ve got used to the last two or three weeks playing Tuesday‚ Saturday or Wednesday‚ Saturday. But no problems here.” Wits will go into the MTN8 final having not played for 11 days since their 2-0 league win against Baroka FC in Polokwane. Their game against Pirates was abandoned‚ and both the Clever Boys and Downs had their midweek fixtures ahead of the final postponed (Wits against Ajax Cape Town‚ and Sundowns against Bloemfontein Celtic). This can either work to Hunt’s team’s advantage in terms of freshness‚ or against them by disrupting the rhythm of the only team still unbeaten in league and cup action in 2016-17‚ with four wins and two draws from six matches. “The MTN8 is always a difficult competition‚ because it’s early and at the beginning of the season. And you never really know‚" Hunt said. “I mean we’ve played three league games. And there’s not much rhythm in the play or in the team. And I think once we get this out the way you’ll see a bit more rhythm‚ even though we’ve got a long break after the final. “We were only supposed to play Sundowns again in our next league game on October 15‚ and that game’s off as well [for Downs to play in the Caf Champions League final against Zamalek]. So we’ve got a longer break which is a bit frustrating as well. “But for us it’s about trying to find the team‚ trying to get continuity‚ and trying to get small steps on our way through. “Everyone knows we’ve signed a few players‚ and so far so good. But we will get tested on Saturday‚ there’s no doubt about it. “We’re playing against a team whose record speaks for itself. So we’re under no illusions about what’s expected. “We will get tested and it’s a good gauge for me to see where we are. We came second [in the PSL] last year by a long way‚ and let’s see if we’ve improved and can get closer to them.” Sundowns‚ in contrast to Wits‚ have come through a punishing past six weeks of fixtures where they competed in the league and progressed past the Champions League and MTN8 semifinals simultaneously. - TMG Sport..

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