The coach of football club Stellenbosch FC, Gavin Hunt, expressed dissatisfaction with his team allowing 'easy goals' in the 3-3 draw against Polokwane City. He strongly urged his team to improve their defensive skills in upcoming Betway Premier League matches.
The match, played at Seshego Stadium in Polokwane, was very tense. The home team initially took the lead thanks to a goal from Giovanni Philander. However, the 'Marunos' equalized with goals from Sinkosolo Kwaiiba and Devin Titus, putting the guests behind 2-1.
The situation changed again when Surprise Mantosi equalized. This goal, in particular, resulted from poor play on a corner kick, as the Stellies goalkeeper, Sage Stevens, could not handle the ball delivered into the penalty area. Fortunately for Hunt, his team managed to equalize with a goal from Ashley du Preez, who scored with his first touch, returning to his hometown club from Kaizer Chiefs.
'No one comes and scores three goals against Polokwane City just to end the game in a draw. You should have won the match,' stated Hunt. He added, 'I am disappointed with the draw. I thought we played very well in the first half, playing good football. We really kept them under pressure in the first half. They obviously came back. And then we conceded disappointing goals, really easy goals. But they are physically strong and work hard inside. But I repeat, no one comes here and scores three goals to end in a draw. We must win such a match.'
Although Hunt understands the value of gaining an away point early in the 2025/26 season, especially after a home loss last week, he still demanded that the players strengthen the defense if they want to be stable in their first full season with the 'Marunos.'
'Obviously, we lost 1-0 last week. You know, scoring three goals away is obviously good,' he noted. 'But the defense leaves much to be desired. And if you cannot defend in football, you have no chance. As I said when I came here last year, we were conceding goals at the rate of a dozen. You cannot score three goals away and expect not to win the match. So, I mean, even at home, if you score three, you must win the match. You must defend better. That is why I am disappointed from this perspective.'
Hunt has very little time to fix his 'leaky' defense line, as Stellies will be back on the field on Friday evening to host Marumo Gallants at Athlone Stadium.
