SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt opened up about the difficult week he faced, dealing with the loss of his father while the team struggled for results.

SuperSport confirmed this week that Hunt’s father, Martin, passed away after a brief illness. The former Kaizer Chiefs coach shared the news with Sportswire after their victory over Royal AM at Harry Gwala Stadium.

A late goal from striker Bradley Grobler provided a much-needed lift for Hunt in this emotional period. Grobler, who came on as a substitute in the second half, received the ball with his back to goal and skillfully switched it from left to right foot before finding the net in the 86th minute. This secured SuperSport’s first league win of the year.

The win propelled the Pretoria side to fifth place on the table with 38 points after 26 matches.

“I’m all good,” Hunt admitted to Sportswire after the game when asked about his well-being.

Hunt, who impressively won three consecutive league titles in his first stint at the club, revealed another layer of personal hardship his family has endured this year.

“I’ve actually lost both my parents in the same year,” he shared. “It’s been incredibly difficult. The funeral is on Friday, which will be another tough day. This is something everyone faces, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it happens to you. It was a shock (when he passed away). My dad was my biggest supporter, and he had been sick for the past four weeks.”

Hunt, a veteran coach approaching 1,000 matches in the PSL top flight with a collection of trophies to his name, acknowledged the significant role his father, a former footballer himself, played in his coaching journey.

“He understood the game and wasn’t afraid to be critical,” Hunt said with a laugh. “He’d always point out my mistakes and jokingly ask when I’d ‘get the real job!'”

“He knew his football, and perhaps that’s why I made some changes against Royal AM. We hadn’t won since he fell ill, and he’d been offering advice for those four weeks. He was there for me through those losses.”