New Chippa United coach Gavin Hunt couldn’t care a less about pretty soccer, it’s points he’s after.
The Chilli Boys were ugly at times on Saturday but Hunt wasn’t too perturbed as he watched his hastily assembled squad beat newcomers Sekhukhune United 1-0 in their opening DStv Premiership match at the Makhulong Stadium in Thembisa on Saturday.
“The way I want them to play is not the way we played today,” Hunt said, after his first competitive match in charge.
“But I mean, what’s it about? Is it the way you want to play or the way you want points?
“So, it’s about getting points. People don’t care about how you play.
“You can play beautiful football but you need points to stay in the league. This is not a social game. It’s a professional game.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty but I don’t care about that, let’s try to get as many as we can.”
Defender Veluyeke Zulu was the unlikely hero for the Chilli Boys, who are looking to head into a brighter future under new coach Hunt.
The first shot of the game came from Chippa’s Sizwe Mdlinzo on seven minutes, but his effort was pulled across the face of the goal and didn’t trouble Sekhukhune goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini.
That chance was a sign of things to come for the Chilli Boys, who took advantage of some slack defensive play from Sekhukhune in the 15th minute and had former Richards Bay man Zulu free at a corner kick to hook home a left-footed shot and put them ahead.
From there, Chippa managed to hang on for the full three points despite being short on options from the bench due to injuries and fitness.
“I thought it was going to be simply a difficult game because of our situation, not having players available,” the former Wits and Kaizer Chiefs mentor said.
“Certainly about seven or eight from the starting line-up were not there.
“We couldn’t make any changes really in the front area. But I knew we can obviously organise, which was good and everybody stuck to the plan.
“But there going to be bigger tasks ahead of us, that’s for sure, in the coming weeks.
“But to to start with three points, especially where we are and where we have been, we need to try to build from that. It won’t be easy on Tuesday, that’s for sure.”
Hunt was referring to his team’s date with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
He will be hoping to limp through that encounter relatively unscathed if everybody pulls together, he says.
“It was a good team effort, everyone did well. Defensively, we were good. We only had a very short time working with these players.
“But we need to get players back because that will make a difference.
“We will try to get through it and see what we can do before the window closes.”
Sekhukhune’s next game will see them visit Maritzburg United on Wednesday. — Additional reporting by SuperSport.com
Gavin Hunt wants points at Chippa, not beauty
Chilli Boys edge Sekhukhune United in league opener
Sports editor
Image: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
New Chippa United coach Gavin Hunt couldn’t care a less about pretty soccer, it’s points he’s after.
The Chilli Boys were ugly at times on Saturday but Hunt wasn’t too perturbed as he watched his hastily assembled squad beat newcomers Sekhukhune United 1-0 in their opening DStv Premiership match at the Makhulong Stadium in Thembisa on Saturday.
“The way I want them to play is not the way we played today,” Hunt said, after his first competitive match in charge.
“But I mean, what’s it about? Is it the way you want to play or the way you want points?
“So, it’s about getting points. People don’t care about how you play.
“You can play beautiful football but you need points to stay in the league. This is not a social game. It’s a professional game.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty but I don’t care about that, let’s try to get as many as we can.”
Defender Veluyeke Zulu was the unlikely hero for the Chilli Boys, who are looking to head into a brighter future under new coach Hunt.
The first shot of the game came from Chippa’s Sizwe Mdlinzo on seven minutes, but his effort was pulled across the face of the goal and didn’t trouble Sekhukhune goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini.
That chance was a sign of things to come for the Chilli Boys, who took advantage of some slack defensive play from Sekhukhune in the 15th minute and had former Richards Bay man Zulu free at a corner kick to hook home a left-footed shot and put them ahead.
From there, Chippa managed to hang on for the full three points despite being short on options from the bench due to injuries and fitness.
“I thought it was going to be simply a difficult game because of our situation, not having players available,” the former Wits and Kaizer Chiefs mentor said.
“Certainly about seven or eight from the starting line-up were not there.
“We couldn’t make any changes really in the front area. But I knew we can obviously organise, which was good and everybody stuck to the plan.
“But there going to be bigger tasks ahead of us, that’s for sure, in the coming weeks.
“But to to start with three points, especially where we are and where we have been, we need to try to build from that. It won’t be easy on Tuesday, that’s for sure.”
Hunt was referring to his team’s date with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
He will be hoping to limp through that encounter relatively unscathed if everybody pulls together, he says.
“It was a good team effort, everyone did well. Defensively, we were good. We only had a very short time working with these players.
“But we need to get players back because that will make a difference.
“We will try to get through it and see what we can do before the window closes.”
Sekhukhune’s next game will see them visit Maritzburg United on Wednesday. — Additional reporting by SuperSport.com
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
Sport
Soccer
Sport
Rugby
Cricket