Hunt Believes Stellenbosch Can Reclaim The Carling Knockout Cup
Stellenbosch FC coach Gavin Hunt believes his side has a realistic chance of winning the Carling Knockout Cup after being drawn against Durban City in the Round of 16, highlighting the competition’s history of producing surprise winners.
The draw for the tournament was conducted on Wednesday, with the Round of 16 fixtures scheduled to kick off on 24 October.
Stellenbosch enter the competition still searching for consistency as they look to find their feet in the Betway Premiership.
The Cape Winelands side were crowned the inaugural Carling Knockout champions in 2023 after beating TS Galaxy 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Hunt believes his team has a chance of lifting the trophy, particularly given the competition’s history of underdogs overcoming the odds.
“In any cup competition, there is always a chance,” said Hunt, who won the trophy with Bidvest Wits in the 2017/18 season after beating the side now known as Bloemfontein Celtic.
“In this competition, it has quite a history of underdogs. There have been a few underdogs winning this trophy. The draw is always important because of where you play and who you play. For us, it is difficult because it’s an away game. Maybe home away from us; we are used to playing there. It is what it is.”
Hunt is familiar with Durban City, having coached the club during the previous off-season before being dismissed in December following a defeat to Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The Stellenbosch coach believes that familiarity with his opponents could prove useful ahead of the cup encounter.
“I know the Durban City side very well,” Hunt said.
“Most of those players were there when I was there last year. So I know them very well. Chatsworth is a nice little pitch to play in, so there is always a good atmosphere there.”
The 62-year-old also acknowledged that Stellenbosch are still going through a period of transition, with several players arriving and leaving the club.
“We are a little bit in a transition period; there are a lot of players who come and go with us. So for us it’s pretty much quick fixes at the moment. The minute we get a little bit of momentum, I know we will improve,” Hunt added.
