Stellenbosch will be brimming with confidence after holding champions Mamelodi Sundowns to a draw in midweek and are now looking to inflict pain on their, title rivals Orlando Pirates, said coach Gavin Hunt.
“We've still got to play Pirates down in Cape Town, so maybe it can be another one of these jobs,” said Hunt, after a late equaliser saw them deny Sundowns vital points in their midweek draw at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Hunt said the 1-1 draw was a massive boost for his ninth-placed team, who host Pirates at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on May 5.
“I think that you take a lot of confidence from taking a point away from that Sundowns game,” he added.
Hunt said he was happy with the way things were working out at Stellenbosch, having joined at the turn of the year after Durban City sacked him in early December.
“My first job is to get the team safe, you know? So, I'd like to think I've got two teams safe this year,” he quipped in a reference to his stint at Durban City in the first half of the season.
“We are safe now so we can start, you know, trying to look up a little bit. We were looking below, and next to us, so it was very difficult when I came in, but we've had some good results.”
Hunt said there had been several factors in his ability to take the club from the relegation zone up to the cusp of a top-eight place.
“First, the CEO (Rob Benadie) backed me. At the beginning, I think that's important. I think the staff have backed me. They’ve gone with what I've said, what I felt needed to [be done].
“We needed to play sometimes... what's the word... ugly, to get results. You play, and then sometimes we can expand a little bit here and there, which we've done.
“At the end of the day, we all romanticise about football, but football is about the points. The game is about getting points. We need points. We’re in survival mode.”
“So, what did I change? A few players came in and have helped us. The guys from Sundowns have helped us tremendously. Musa Lebusa and (Asekho) Tiwani. These guys have come in and been very good for us. And one or two others have helped too,” Hunt added as his side readied for a trip to Polokwane City in the Betway Premiership on Sunday.