‘Anything can happen next week’: SuperSport coach Hunt on Champions League qualification shoot-out with Pirates

SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt says it will be shattering for the players if they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. 

The DStv Premiership goes into the last round of matches on Saturday with SuperSport and Orlando Pirates in a direct shoot-out to earn a place in the tournament as they are tied on 51 points. 

SuperSport will be out to get all three points against Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane while hoping Pirates stumble in their match against AmaZulu in Durban. 

To make this race for second spot even more interesting, Pirates and third–placed SuperSport are only separated by a goal difference of two which is in favour of the second-placed Buccaneers. 

“Anything can happen next week,” said Hunt after their 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Saturday. 

“Personally and for the players, it will be a huge disappointment (if we don’t qualify for the Champions League) because they know we stuffed this thing up. Next week, myself, Grant Johnson (goalkeeper coach) and Andre Arendse (assistant coach) could have played and not worry about the consequences if we didn’t stuff it up. 

“We will give it our best shot against Pirates, but we will be short of players because there are one of two suspensions. On to next week and let’s try to finish and see where we go from there. 

“For me the Champions League is a good space to be in and we can use this young crop of Diski players a few times to build them. 

“We can make better players, better human beings and make then tougher, I don’t know if we are the club to be there but let’s go in that space. I enjoy that space, I really do.” 

Looking back at the match, Hunt said they created good opportunities. 

“I thought in the first half we were really good but we didn’t get the second goal that could have given us a little bit of cushion. We dropped off 10 metres, which is natural and then we invited them a little. 

“But the first half we had good opportunities and we should have had better balls across. If you would have said to me with one game to go I would be lying third spot with the team that we put together, I would have taken it.  

“We know what’s happening with the club, it is not a secret that when I came I knew what I was coming to. I knew that we had to duck and dive, make a plan and get a player on a free and get guys on loans to make the squad stronger. 

“We did that and I if you look back, we had four draws in recent games and we missed penalties, we could have been well clear. We would never have caught Sundowns. 

“But we would certainly have been in the Champions League which is something that I don’t think anybody envisaged when we started. You have to commend the players, they have been good, they have stuck in it. We have players but we don’t have players who can fill in. The guys who have come like Tyson. 

“If you ask any coach, anywhere in the world, with one game to go to, he will tell you we should have done better in this game. We were lucky here and we weren’t lucky there. 

“We have missed I think three penalties this year, which is an extra six points, because you should hit the target. There were games where we were fortunate but I think we have gotten better and it is important to stabilise and keep certain players if we can.” 

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