adminBidvest Wits players praised the contribution of coach Gavin Hunt and he‚ in turn‚ hailed them after the club won its first trophy in six years in an emphatic 3-0 thumping of Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday night.
Hunt said players like Daine Klate‚ who scored twice at the Mbombela Stadium‚ and Dominguez (Elias Pelembe) had delivered man of the match performances and proved why they were previous winners of the domestic Footballer of the Year award.
The coach also hailed the role of captain Thulani Hlathswayo‚ whom he hand-picked to lead the team.
“Senior players like Klate and Pelembe have added huge value to the team and we need to keep them pushing. They still have hunger and desire‚” said Hunt after winning his first trophy since moving to Wits after a successful spell at SuperSport United. Klate‚ in turn‚ said the victory was as a result of Hunt’s tactical acumen. “If we listen to what he says‚ then we win. The coach pulled me aside last Friday and said ‘let’s practice shooting’. We hit 10 extra shots after training every day. What we practised is exactly what happened in the game‚” said the PE-born midfielder‚ who clinched his 13th career cup.
Klate slammed home a cracker from the edge of the penalty area inside the opening 35 seconds to give Wits a dream start and lay the foundation for their first top eight success since 1995.
“I thought we were very good overall‚” added Hunt. “We got the ball out clean and three or four really good chances in the first half. When Sundowns went to three at the back in the second half‚ they pushed us back but‚ to be fair‚ we never looked threatened. We will now be challenged more and it is how we deal with that challenge that will be important.”
Online Reporter
dyton mupawaenda