Gavin keeps his cool as Wits stay in the hunt
by Marc Strydom
2016-03-18 05:00:00.0
THE gap in the Premiership title race might be only four points, but Wits coach Gavin Hunt clearly wants to play down his team’s chances of catching leaders Mamelodi Sundowns as much as he can.
Wits’ title chances were revived when Sundowns suffered a shock 3-1 home defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night, at the same time that the Clever Boys were impressively edging Orlando Pirates 1-0 at Bidvest Stadium.
Hunt said the Wits target remained to claim an average of two points a game in their last seven matches, which would take them to 62 points. Sixty points is the benchmark teams usually aim for to challenge for the championship.
"I can’t concern myself with the title race and points gap. Our next game is Azam away, so we’ll worry about that," Hunt said.
"You can’t get ahead of yourself now. You’ve got a thin, thin squad, and you’ve got to use it cleverly.
"We’ve got great determination and we used that against Pirates. And that’s what we’re about.
"There’s a big break coming which everybody will be affected by. But at the end of the day, it’s about how I manage the squad."
With the emphasis on managing his squad and avoiding more injuries to key players, Hunt said there was no chance he would take his frontline players to Dar es Salaam for Sunday’s second leg of their Caf Confederation Cup first-round tie against Tanzanian club Azam.
Wits effectively conceded the tie by fielding fringe players in a 3-0 home defeat on Saturday.
"I’ll take a second-string team. This (Wits’ starting line-up against Pirates) is all I’ve got. I can’t take them to play on an astroturf in 40-degrees heat — it’ll kill them.
"We’ll go there and be competitive and be organised. And we’ll use players accordingly. Bongani Khumalo, Onismor Bhasera and Siyabonga Nhlapo need games. They’re top players and they’ll all play.
"In football, you’ve got to do what you have to do. We’d rather put our money into academies than going on these adventure parties.
"We want to build our youth. It’s my job to produce players for the future for the national team.
"I’ve been instructed by the management to do that, and that’s what I’m going to do," he said.
Wits outclassed Pirates organisationally. Hunt’s emphasis is on spacing between players and shape, and Bucs were unable to cope with Wits’ defensive structure or pressurising play in attack.
James Keene scored the Clever Boys’ 29th-minute winner at rain-swept Bidvest Stadium.
"You have to be disciplined," Hunt said. "In the second half I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to drop right back. We’re not going to go into their half’. And Pirates had one chance.
"In difficult conditions there was always going to be one goal in it. But we played against a good side. They’re technically much better than us, so we’ve got to be collectively better," said Hunt.
"And that’s what we work at on the training ground — distances between one another, keeping the shape and balance. And we try and play off what we can get."
Wits will use the international break that follows this weekend’s Confed fixture to attend to niggling injuries, such as bruising to the shin of left-wing Daine Klate.
Gavin Hunt. Picture: GALLO IMAGES
THE gap in the Premiership title race might be only four points, but Wits coach Gavin Hunt clearly wants to play down his team’s chances of catching leaders Mamelodi Sundowns as much as he can.
Wits’ title chances were revived when Sundowns suffered a shock 3-1 home defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night, at the same time that the Clever Boys were impressively edging Orlando Pirates 1-0 at Bidvest Stadium.
Hunt said the Wits target remained to claim an average of two points a game in their last seven matches, which would take them to 62 points. Sixty points is the benchmark teams usually aim for to challenge for the championship.
"I can’t concern myself with the title race and points gap. Our next game is Azam away, so we’ll worry about that," Hunt said.
"You can’t get ahead of yourself now. You’ve got a thin, thin squad, and you’ve got to use it cleverly.
"We’ve got great determination and we used that against Pirates. And that’s what we’re about.
"There’s a big break coming which everybody will be affected by. But at the end of the day, it’s about how I manage the squad."
With the emphasis on managing his squad and avoiding more injuries to key players, Hunt said there was no chance he would take his frontline players to Dar es Salaam for Sunday’s second leg of their Caf Confederation Cup first-round tie against Tanzanian club Azam.
Wits effectively conceded the tie by fielding fringe players in a 3-0 home defeat on Saturday.
"I’ll take a second-string team. This (Wits’ starting line-up against Pirates) is all I’ve got. I can’t take them to play on an astroturf in 40-degrees heat — it’ll kill them.
"We’ll go there and be competitive and be organised. And we’ll use players accordingly. Bongani Khumalo, Onismor Bhasera and Siyabonga Nhlapo need games. They’re top players and they’ll all play.
"In football, you’ve got to do what you have to do. We’d rather put our money into academies than going on these adventure parties.
"We want to build our youth. It’s my job to produce players for the future for the national team.
"I’ve been instructed by the management to do that, and that’s what I’m going to do," he said.
Wits outclassed Pirates organisationally. Hunt’s emphasis is on spacing between players and shape, and Bucs were unable to cope with Wits’ defensive structure or pressurising play in attack.
James Keene scored the Clever Boys’ 29th-minute winner at rain-swept Bidvest Stadium.
"You have to be disciplined," Hunt said. "In the second half I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to drop right back. We’re not going to go into their half’. And Pirates had one chance.
"In difficult conditions there was always going to be one goal in it. But we played against a good side. They’re technically much better than us, so we’ve got to be collectively better," said Hunt.
"And that’s what we work at on the training ground — distances between one another, keeping the shape and balance. And we try and play off what we can get."
Wits will use the international break that follows this weekend’s Confed fixture to attend to niggling injuries, such as bruising to the shin of left-wing Daine Klate.
