Gavin Hunt intends to debut former Kaizer Chiefs players in Stellenbosch's first home match

Coach Gavin Hunt plans to give a chance to two former Kaizer Chiefs players in Stellenbosch's first home match. The debut of former Kaizer Chiefs defender, Given Msimango, will take place against Marumo Gallants at Athlone Stadium on Friday.

For Stellenbosch FC, playing at home holds special significance. Over the past two years, due to unforeseen circumstances, the team has been forced to play its home matches in the Eastern Cape, Pretoria, and KwaZulu-Natal. Only last week, under Gavin Hunt's guidance, the players had to play their season opener against AmaZulu at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban, which is only 20 minutes from the opponents' base.

This disruption had a noticeable impact, as Stellenbosch was unable to strengthen its base of loyal fans in Winelands. Even the match on Friday against Marumo Gallants will be held at the reserve stadium Athlone Stadium (starting at 19:30), not at Danie Craven Stadium.

Nevertheless, due to a strong desire to play somewhere in the Western Cape, the Stellies players are happy to finally take the field in front of a small group of their own fans. Stellenbosch FC forward Chumani Butsaka stated: 'We are looking forward to tomorrow's match. It is our first home game, and we are happy to try and present exciting football for the fans.'

Butsaka added that the new players are an additional advantage for them: 'They are an extra player for us. When we are behind, they lift us up, so I think they will play a big role. And we are in Cape Town, so it is important for the opponents to feel that.'

Stellies managed to earn one point in an away match after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Polokwane City mid-week. Butsaka believes this will give the team confidence before facing his former club. He noted: 'Marumo Gallants is a good team, but we are ready for the challenge. We showed in the last game against Polokwane City that we can create many chances and score them. If we can continue doing that and avoid easy goals conceded, we will have a good chance to take all three points.'

He also emphasized: 'Scoring three goals away last time and finding goals to come back in the score twice in a match has become a big boost to our confidence and shows that we have the right character.'

Coach Hunt is likely to debut Given Msimango and Kgogelo Ramushu, who joined Stellenbosch during the off-season as former Kaizer Chiefs players. He hopes they will have the same impact as the new player Sincoxolo Qwayiba, a former Chippa United striker, who opened the scoring for Stellies against Rise and Shine.

Qwayiba also expects to increase his goal contribution against Gallants on Friday evening. He shared: 'I am also happy that I was able to score my first goal in the Stellies kit. As a striker, you want to score as many goals as possible, so I always just work hard to ensure that if I get a chance, I can take it.'

He thanked his teammates for their constant support and expressed confidence in the future: 'Also thank my teammates for their constant support, and I believe there is still a lot ahead. This is just the beginning of many other events.'

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iol.co.zaAugust 12, 09:30

Stellenbosch FC Coach Gavin Hunt Criticizes Team's Defense After 3-3 Draw with Polokwane City FC

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.

Gavin Hunt intends to debut former Kaizer Chiefs players in Stellenbosch's first home match

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Stellenbosch FC Coach Gavin Hunt Criticizes Team's Defense After 3-3 Draw with Polokwane City FC