SuperSport United do not play to win‚' says an upset Wits coach Hunt

26 April 2017 - 15:26 By Marc Strydom
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Bidvest Wits head coach Gavin Hunt looks frustrated on the bench during the Absa Premiership match against SuperSport United at Bidvest Stadium on April 25, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. SuperSport won 1-0.
Bidvest Wits head coach Gavin Hunt looks frustrated on the bench during the Absa Premiership match against SuperSport United at Bidvest Stadium on April 25, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. SuperSport won 1-0.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

SuperSport United do not play to win‚ frustrated Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt complained after his side’s 1-0 Absa Premiership defeat at Bidvest Stadium on Tuesday night came as a blow to his side’s title chances.

Hunt said his side had pressed for a win‚ while SuperSport had tried not to lose.

A defensive blunder by Wits’ experienced centreback Buhle Mkhwanazi saw the ball given to Thabo Mnyamane‚ who squared for Thuso Phala to chip a 68th-minute winner over Moeneeb Josephs.

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The defeat ended a run of five unbeaten league games for the Clever Boys‚ who dropped from second to third on a night when their biggest title rivals‚ leaders Cape Town City and now-second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns‚ both won.

“I thought we did all the playing and the pressing‚ we tried to win the game‚ and unfortunately we were caught with a horrendous error‚” Hunt said.

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“We tried to play and win the game and ended up losing the game‚ so it’s disappointing from that perspective.

“There’s nothing we can do – we’ve just got to try and dust ourselves down and start again.

“Of course it hurts us.

  • Cape Town City beat Kaizer Chiefs to reclaim top spotJudas Moseamedi scrambled home a dramatic last gasp winner to keep Cape Town City top of the table as they handed Kaizer Chiefs’ hopes a hammer blow in a dramatic 3-2 triumph at the Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday night. 

"It’s two games that we’ve played SuperSport (and lost in the PSL in 2016-17) – we’re still five points above them‚ and we’re going to end up above them. But they don’t play to win.

“So it’s frustrating to lose a game like that by making an error like that.

“We tried to push the whole game. So we’re disappointed.

“The concern is we haven’t scored from open play for four or five games now.”

  • SuperSport United sink Bidvest WitsBidvest Wits still lack that finest of edges that gains a team a steely consistency and makes them league champions, by the evidence of their 1-0 Absa Premiership defeat against SuperSport United on Tuesday night. 

Wits have scored from open play – two goals by Mogakolodi Ngele in a 3-0 home PSL win against Golden Arrows – in one of their last five league and continental matches.

“It’s been a problem. We scored from a penalty last week.

  • Sundowns beat Ajax Cape Town to keep title hopes aliveFor some time it appeared as if Mamelodi Sundowns were going to drop two crucial home points with a pedestrian display but they dug deep to eventually overpower and beat Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in Pretoria on Tuesday night. 

"We didn’t score in Egypt (against Smouha on the Caf Confederation Cup)‚ we didn’t score in the Egypt game before that‚” Hunt said.

“So it’s just concerning. It’s just that players in the right place in the final third haven’t done the business.”

 - TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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