Hunt on Wits' tough programme: 'Nobody’s played like this. Not even when Sundowns won the Champions League'

07 April 2017 - 18:20 By Marc Strydom
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Coach Gavin Hunt of Wits during the CAF Champions League qualifying match between Bidvest Wits and Saint-Louisienne at Bidvest Stadium on February 18, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Coach Gavin Hunt of Wits during the CAF Champions League qualifying match between Bidvest Wits and Saint-Louisienne at Bidvest Stadium on February 18, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

Nobody has had to endure a frantic programme like Bidvest Wits do right now‚ pronounced Gavin Hunt this week‚ not even Mamelodi Sundowns winning the Caf Champions League last year.

Downs coach Pitso Mosimane might have been forgiven for choking on his breakfast muffin had he read that statement in his morning newspapers.

Hunt‚ following his side’s 5-4 penalties Nedbank Cup last-16 defeat against Jomo Cosmos in Tsakane on the East Rand on Tuesday‚ said no team has had to go through a programme as tough as Wits are currently.

The Clever Boys now have one less competition to contend with‚ though turn their attention to the Caf Confederation Cup against Egyptian club Smouha at Bidvest Stadium on Saturday in a jam-packed March where Hunt’s team have eight fixtures to stagger through.

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“When you play football every three days you just have to let it go by you‚ and something has to give‚” Hunt said after the defeat against First Division Cosmos.

“Nobody’s played football like this. Not last year when they (Sundowns) won the Champions League. Nobody plays like this‚ what we’re doing.

“So we’ve got a tough one. Now we’re out of the Nedbank‚ so we’ll have one day off.

“If we get through (in the Confed) we’ll see.”

The irony of Hunt’s statement will not be lost on Mosimane.

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Last season Sundowns laboured through some exhausting Caf Champions League fixtures to reach the group stages and still managed to hold off Wits to win the Absa Premiership title.

The Brazilians went on to win the Champions League too‚ beating Zamalek in the final in October.

Wits were perceived as having fielded second-string outfits to concentrate on the 2015-16 PSL season‚ though still finished as runners-up.

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Wits were relegated to this year's lesser Confed Cup having given their all but ended 1-0 aggregate losers against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the first round of the 2017 Champions League.

They need to beat Smouha over two legs to reach the Confed group stage.

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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