Gavin Hunt just happy Kaizer Chiefs ‘got some reward’

Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt has given an assessment of his side’s 1-1 draw away to Maritzburg United on Wednesday night.

In his post-match interview, Hunt believes Chiefs gave the ball away cheaply in the first-half, especially on the left-hand side of the pitch, and urged his charges to do better in the next game.

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A first-half goal by Thabiso Kutumela meant Chiefs had to chase the game, and but even then, he feels it’s a goal they should never have conceded.  

“The first-half I think we gave the ball away simply, especially on our left-hand side, you don’t expect it at this level so we have got to be better,” Hunt told SuperSport TV.

“And then the turnover comes and they are at you. We were playing opposite the ball. In terms of the ball coming forward and we were going at it.”

“It gets behind you and then it’s a chase, they got the goal, they got the lifeline. I thought we played well the first 10 minutes, we played OK,” he said.  

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“We played through the lines a little better. We have to try and play football. Our team can’t play if it doesn’t go direct with the team that we have,” added Hunt.

Hunt was impressed with the team’s second-half performance after he changed things around with three players coming on to try and unsettle Maritzburg United.

Hunt singled out former player Nazeer Allie for his goal-saving clearance against Chiefs, saying he’s never seen anyone keep his body on the line like that for their team.

Overall, the 56-year-old mentor was just pleased Chiefs were rewarded with a goal for their efforts – the goal which was scored by Lebogang Manyama in the dying minutes of the game.

“In the second-half, we changed it and we were a different side,” continued Hunt.

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“They hit the bar but what Allie did, he did it for me for three years (at Bidvest Wits).”

“I’ve never seen a guy clear the ball off the line like that. I am happy we got some reward for the effort we put in,” concluded Hunt.