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Gavin Hunt laments how Bidvest Wits lost the PSL

Coach Gavin Hunt.
Coach Gavin Hunt.
Image: GALLO IMAGES

Delighted with a four-match unbeaten run that has yielded 10 points out of 12‚ Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt‚ however‚ has still blamed their poor results in the second half of the season as the reason they failed to win their second Absa Premiership title in three seasons.

Wits beat Baroka FC 3-1 at Bidvest Stadium on Saturday to ensure they will at least have a big chance of finishing third and compete in CAF’s Confederation Cup next season.

But Hunt said they have only themselves to fault for their failure to win the PSL.

“Halfway we were clear – we had 30 points and I said to the players if we make another 30 in the second round we will win the league‚” said Hunt. “I was proved right again because 60 points or 59 points would have won the league this year.

“We had Kaizer Chiefs‚ Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns all here [at Bidvest Stadium] and we never beat any of them. “We beat them all in the first round away and the second we lost‚ drew and lost to some of them‚ including the own goal against Pirates. It was disappointing.”

The title now can only be won by either Pirates or Sundowns in the last round of league matches on Saturday and the Brazilians have an advantage of a game in hand having seen Bucs draw 2-2 with Cape Town City at the weekend.

Sundowns will go two points clear of Bucs with 56 points if they beat Lamontville Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night and will win their ninth league title if they also bag three points away to relegation-threatened Free State Stars in Goble Park on Saturday.

Pirates can only win their first league title since 2012 if they beat Polokwane City in Orlando on Saturday and the results of Sundowns matches go their way.

Wits have no way of overtaking Bucs and Sundowns as the Clever Boys are occupying third spot with 51 points and can only finish with a maximum 54 if they beat Arrows in Durban on Saturday.

A point against Arrows will ensure that no one touches the Wits in third spot.

“We can only get 54 and Pirates will have to lose their last game and we’ve got to win ours [for Wits to even possibly finish second if goal difference is in their favour]‚” said Hunt.

“It is an exciting finish but we are the less excitable ones. We’ve got no chance [for the title] but we will keep playing.

“Our last match is like a big cup final because I think Cape Town City are still three points behind us and the goal difference is the same‚ so it’s gonna be tough for the third place still.”

Hunt maintains Wits lost their league chances at home.

“We were 2-0 up here [Milpark] against Cape Town City and we threw that away and we lost 3-2.

“We were 2-0 up against Arrows but we drew 2-2. There were so many games but we threw them away here.

“They were bad‚ bad games and those points would have seen us through.” 

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