Hunt confident his juggling will bring success

GAVIN Hunt made his way to the post-match interview on Saturday night feeling smug.

“We don’t take CAF seriously,” he said, with an obvious tone of sarcasm.

Bidvest Wits had just booked a date with Al-Ahly, the continent’s most successful football club, in the next round of the CAF Champions League next month, where the winner over two legs will go into the group stages of the competition in it’s new format.

It was a nervy finish as Wits beat Saint-Louisienne of Reunion 3-1 on the night, but a narrow 4-3 on aggregate. Hunt knew he would have been criticised no end had his side failed to beat an amateur team and suffer a third successive elimination from a CAF tournament. Perhaps it would be more forgiveable to go down against eight-times champions Al-Ahly than a club from a country known more for it’s unique beaches than playing football.

But the Clever Boys’ passage to the next phase does mean an even tougher test, which will also stretch their manageable – but strong – squad.

“I think when we get to Egypt we will worry about it,” said Hunt. “Right now we have so many (domestic) games before that and it will be important how we use our squad. It’s a nice stage for us and it’s a big stage for us. I have been there before while coaching Super-Sport United, so I know what to expect and I know what it’s about.”

The coach is right. He now has to juggle between three competitions in the Champions League, the Premiership and the Nedbank Cup, which starts early next month with Wits away to Cape Town All Stars.

Hunt has assembled a team believed to be one of the strongest in the league this season, but it hasn’t quite been stretched to test it’s capacity when games are piling up – and they are all important to win.

“Last year we had to play four or five academy boys. This time we played one (Reeve Frosler) and I thought he was excellent,” the coach said. “I won’t think of the next games too much because I always try and win the one we are playing first.

“The way it was going (against St Louisienne), I thought I was going to have to bring on the players from our last game on Wednesday against Orlando Pirates. I honestly didn’t want to because we have to share the workload a little bit. We haven’t got that big a squad if you look at it. It’s better than previous years in terms of quality, but not big in numbers. We have to be careful because of that, but we also have to try and win the games without having to plan too far ahead. It’s a difficult juggling act, and the Champions League is a long process and because of that you have to gamble here and there.”