“You Need To Play Ugly”: Hunt Opens Up On Stellenbosch’s Gritty Climb Out Of The Relegation Zone

Stellenbosch coach Gavin Hunt has credited “survival mode” pragmatism and front-office backing for the club’s escape from the relegation zone.

Hunt took charge in January, replacing Steve Barker, who left to join Tanzanian giants Simba SC.

The 61-year-old inherited a side in the relegation zone and was tasked with steering them into the top eight of the Betway Premiership.

Since then, there has been clear progress. Stellenbosch now sit ninth on the table with 32 points from 25 matches, just outside the top-eight spots.

“There are numerous factors,” said Hunt, whose side played to a 1–1 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.

“I think the CEO, Rob Benadie, backed me from the beginning—that’s very important. The staff also supported me and bought into what I felt we needed to do. Sometimes you have to play ugly to get results, and at other times we’ve been able to express ourselves, which we’ve done.

“At the end of the day, we all romanticise football, but it’s about points. It doesn’t matter how well Sundowns played—they didn’t get three points. The game is about collecting points, especially when you’re in a situation like ours, where we’re in survival mode.

“There has been a bit of change, with a few new players coming in. The guys from Sundowns, like Mosa Lebusa and Asekho Tiwani, have been very good for us,” Hunt added.

Meanwhile, Stellenbosch will look to continue their push for a top-eight finish when they face Polokwane City at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.