SuperSport coach Hunt left disappointed after Cup exit
"We had more than enough chances and we should have won the game," says Hunt.
Gavin Hunt, head coach of SuperSport United reacts during 2023 MTN8 quarterfinal match against Stellenbosch FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday. (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
A grumpy Gavin Hunt was left to rue missed chances as they were dumped out of the MTN8 by Stellenbosch FC on Sunday.
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Both sides couldn’t be separated in 90 minutes and the game went to extra time, where New Zealand attacker Andre de Jong scored the winner for Stellies.
Matsatsantsa a Pitori dominated ball possession but failed to make good use of it. Hunt was understandably disappointed after the game played at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
“I would like to think so but I’m not in control,” Hunt answered when asked if the traveling from Tshwane to Polokwane is starting to take its toll on his players.
“We can’t train by playing here (Peter Mokaba Stadium). How do we train? We played three away games in 7 days so we can’t train.”
However, the coach is taking positives from the defeat ahead of their next game, a DStv Premiership encounter against Cape Town City who were knocked out of the top eight competition by Kaizer Chiefs.
“We never had any targets, we are just trying to play games but we’re obviously disappointed because it was a cup game but we just played three games and we will move on from this,” Hunt said.
“I’m happy with the team, they played very well. We had more than enough chances and we should have won the game. We showed good fighting spirit and everything was there.
“It’s just that the final ball wasn’t good enough at times but it was a good performance from us. They rode their luck but that’s football at times. We were totally dominant. If you don’t score you’re not going to win football matches,” added Hunt.
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Meanwhile, Stellies coach Steve Barker is pleased with the response from his team who lost to Polokwane City heading into the game against United.
“The result makes the trip worthwhile, had we not got the result, it would have been tough,” he said.
“Project Polokwane would have been a disaster but I’m very pleased and credit must go to the players for the effort they put in and their tactical awareness.”
Stellenbosch will play Orlando Pirates in a two-legged semi-final, while Mamelodi Sundowns were drawn against Kaizer Chiefs.
