Newly crowned champions Wits planning to ensure miserable end to the season for ailing Chiefs

23 May 2017 - 14:29 By Marc Strydom
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Bidvest Wits are the 2016/17 PSL champions after the Absa Premiership match against Polokwane City at Bidvest Stadium on May 17, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Bidvest Wits are the 2016/17 PSL champions after the Absa Premiership match against Polokwane City at Bidvest Stadium on May 17, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

If you thought Gavin Hunt would take it easier on his men at Bidvest Wits on the training ground now they have become Absa Premiership champions‚ you would have been mistaken.

True to Hunt’s ultra-competitive nature‚ on Monday it was business as usual at in Wits’ training session at Bidvest Stadium‚ the coach barking orders and pushing his players hard ahead of their now academic final fixture against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.

Chiefs are expected to give Wits a guard of honour at FNB Stadium on Saturday – returning the honour bestowed on champions Amakhosi by the Clever Boys at Bidvest at the end of the 2014-15 season – though this is yet to be confirmed by the Soweto giants.

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Hunt said Wits are determined to win the game where they will lift the PSL trophy in their first league title in a 96-year history.

“We would like to. We always want to finish well and play with a lot of pride‚ and owe the game of football‚” Hunt said‚ having overseen a characteristically intense Wits session this week.

“Football owes us nothing‚ we owe football. It’s given us life‚ it’s given us whatever. So we need to play properly and treat the game with respect.

"That’s the most important thing.”

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Asked why he had his players working so hard having already become champions‚ Hunt replied: “Well‚ they had to. They had two days off after winning the title‚ and they need to get sharp again.”

Wits wrapped up the championship with a 2-0 win at Bidvest against Polokwane City on Wednesday night‚ going to an unassailable 60 points to second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns’ 56.

Chiefs‚ on 47 points‚ are playing to improve on last season’s fifth place – their current position.

They can at best finish fourth if they can leapfrog above SuperSport United‚ currently on 48 points‚ who meet Platinum Stars at Lucas Moripe Stadium in their final game.

 - TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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