CALL OUT FOR KLATE MAGIC FROM COACH
Coach Hunt wants more out of Wits attack
TRIPLE Absa Premiership-winning coach Gavin Hunt played down the possibility of his Bidvest Wits attacking quartet being sharp enough to take them to the title this season.
Wits sit comfortably on top of the table, three points ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, the team Hunt has credited with having the best attack in the land.
But the Clever Boys themselves also boast a polished front four in Daine Klate and Elias Pelembe on the wings plus Sibusiso Vilakazi and starlet Phakamani Mahlambi,
They are fleet footed and they destroyed then-league leaders Platinum Stars 4-0 last week before putting Jomo Cosmos to the sword last Sunday on their way to claiming top spot.
Still, Hunt does not see his frontline combination as the best, even as he watched Klate curl a delicious free kick, Mahlambi finishing so clinically for a teenager, and Vilakazi rifling in a goal against Ezenkosi at the weekend.
“Being top of the log doesn’t mean anything after 10 games,” Hunt said. “If you can get 23 points during the next 10 and the 10 after that, then you’ll make it.
“We have been consistent and that’s important but now there are no games because of the recess. Everybody is a contender because there are still 20 games to go,” Hunt said.
“If you win things, if you win games, then you can say you have the best attacking quartet in the league. We needed to win the MTN8 and the Telkom Knockout and we didn’t.
“Sundowns, for me, have got the best attack in the league.
“There’s no doubt about it.
“We’ve got the best defence in the league and there is no doubt about that. We lost 4-2 to them because they’ve got very good attacking players and an array of front players who can score at any minute.”
Wits have scored one goal more than Sundowns (16) in this 10-match season and conceded one goal fewer (six).
Therefore, the log suggests that they have the most balanced team in the league.
Jabulani Shongwe and Papy Faty deserve credit, too, for the stability they provide in midfield, while Thulani Hlatshwayo and Nazeer Allie provide solidity at the back. Hunt would also love to see Klate up his scoring rate. The winger was part of all three championship-winning campaigns under Hunt at SuperSport United before joining Orlando Pirates and winning a further two back-to-back titles.
He could again be a key man if Wits are to secure an inaugural league title.
“The first goal against Cosmos was a great one by Daine and that’s what I expect from him,” Hunt said.
“I’ve been telling him every week that he is not scoring enough goals.
“When he was with me [at SuperSport United], he used to score eight to 10 goals a season and we need to get back to that.”