Not-so-clever play by Wits
Premiership leaders Bidvest Wits had no business dropping two valuable points against Mamelodi Sundowns at home in Milpark on Saturday night‚ asserts frustrated coach Gavin Hunt.
Hunt’s irritation is understandable as his charges failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage over a handicapped Sundowns side that played close to 60 minutes with 10 men after defender Wayne Arendse was shown the red card towards the end of the first half.
Sundowns‚ who dropped to third place but still have two matches in hand over Wits and second-placed Orlando Pirates‚ opened the scoring in the seventh minute through Phakamani Mahlambi.
But the home side levelled matters on the half-hour mark through Gift Motupa.
Hunt‚ who is gunning for a second league title with Wits in three seasons‚ felt that his team had enough opportunities before the sending off to secure the result that could have taken them four points clear of the Brazilians.
“We just didn’t have the final touch and the final pass [to finish off the game]‚” said Hunt.
“Our final pass wasn’t good enough but we still should have won the game.
“We had more than enough chances even when they still had 11 men in the first half.
“We had chances there and we didn’t score.”
Motupa‚ Fragrie Lakay and Keegan Ritchie were the main culprits and they contrived to miss several gilt-edged opportunities that could have won the Clever Boys this tough encounter.
Hunt wasn’t surprised that his charges did not drop their heads after a slick Sundowns got an early goal via Wits’ former striker Mahlambi‚ who blasted home after goalkeeper Darren Keet failed to deal with a Lebohang Maboe thunderbolt effectively.
“I thought we were always going to get going‚ that’s in our DNA.
“That’s the way we are‚ we will keep going‚” he said.
“And then we had two, three or four chances after that‚ we hit the post and Keegan should have scored.
“Gift Motupa missed a sitter – an absolute sitter.
“I can’t believe anybody can miss a goal from there‚ he knows that.
“I mean that’s an absolute sitter to miss there ... the header in a six-yard box and no goalkeeper. But he did well with the goal and he worked hard,” Hunt added.
While Wits remain at the summit after sharing the spoils with the Premiership holders‚ the result was no consolation for Hunt.
“It doesn’t make it any easier‚ it makes it harder for us because of our situation‚” he said.
“But stranger things have happened in this game of football. We look forward the whole season and we’ve been there the whole season – we just keep going.”
Next in line to face Hunt’s team, is Benni McCarthy’s Cape Town City‚ who should come to the Bidvest Stadium bruised and battered after meeting Sundowns in Pretoria on Wednesday.
“There’s not much we can say‚ we just have to prepare and go for it again‚” said Hunt of their meeting against Cape Town City.