AS a season that has certainly aged him much quicker than the previous ones draws to a close, Gavin Hunt appears much more relaxed and less grumpy than he has been for most of the campaign.
It could well have to do with the fact his SuperSport United outfit no longer have to endure the gruelling travelling that was brought about by their involvement in continental competition.
Or “Huntie” finally managed to play a round of golf, his favourite pastime, as Matsatsantsa a Pitori enjoyed a rare midweek without a fixture.
But then again, the multiple championship-winning coach could well have imbibed at his favourite bar the previous day.
Whatever the reason, Hunt was pleasantly amiable as he addressed the media at the Premier Soccer League (PSL) offices yesterday ahead of the weekend’s Nedbank Cup quarter-finals, in which his team have a fairly testing trip away to in-form side Stellenbosch FC on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
He initially seemed in combative mode as he rebuffed the conference host’s questions with terse, dismissive responses such as: ‘Is it a question?’ or ‘What must I say?’”
He then said: “My thoughts? We get on the plane, we go play, come back.”
“My approach? The whistle blows and we kick off,” he added.
But as the gathered media chuckled at these, Hunt took the event more seriously, and spoke in earnest about the match he admits will not be easy.
“It’s going to be a tough game. They haven’t lost in 19 games or so; they’ve got a good run, so we are under no illusions. It’s going to be a tough game away from home. We are going against the grain.”
SuperSport, on the other hand, have had somewhat of a wretched time lately as they struggled to get wins. But Hunt is not overly bothered by current form.
“These five draws and a loss that we have had could easily have been turned the other way, and we would be smiling now. But there’s no use in crying – we must just try and get our best 11 out there.”
He is more worried about the conditions than he is about the opposition, given the recent inclement weather in the Western Cape that saw heavy winds blowing at the weekend, and even forcing the PSL to not allow a crowd for Sunday’s match between AmaZulu and Cape Town City.
First #DStvPrem Start ⚽️✅
— SuperSport United FC (@SuperSportFC) April 9, 2024
First senior goal ⚽️✅
Siviwe Magidigidi scored his very first senior goal for Matsatsantsa against Golden Arrows 👏🔵
We just love to see it! 🤩#MatsatsantsaUnified pic.twitter.com/ZzhD3wCb6J
“The conditions will play a big part (in the outcome of the match). Hopefully it will be a calmer day than it has been in the last couple of days. The tactical approach will change according to the conditions. We will see.
“It is a rugby pitch (at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch), so it is always difficult to play (on).
“But we will have a couple of ways of trying to do things before we get there.”
Having said he would love to have SuperSport playing continental football yet again next season despite his repeated complaints about the travelling they did during the Confederation Cup this campaign, Hunt knows that success in the Nedbank Cup will be an easier route back to Africa.
And beating Stellies on Saturday will take him a step closer to annexing the trophy that Matsatsantsa love to win.
You can bet victory at the weekend will reduced the wrinkles on Hunt’s forehead and get him even much more bubbly than he was at the media conference, a far cry from the grumpy old man we encountered in Polokwane during the Confederation Cup campaign.