Gavin Hunt eyes bounce back but warns of Sekhukhune United threat

Babina Noko head into the encounter under new leadership after parting ways with Eric Tinkler earlier this week, with Paulus Masehe stepping in to guide the Limpopo-based side for the remainder of the campaign.

Hunt’s charges, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Richards Bay FC in their previous outing, a result that left the experienced coach disappointed despite what he felt was a decent performance.

“We didn’t have a good result in our last game away to Richards Bay, although it wasn’t a bad performance, but we didn’t get any points, and that was frustrating. We need to bounce back from that, especially as we’re at our home away from home at Athlone Stadium,” Hunt was quoted on the club’s website.

“You always think you can bounce back. We were away from home and had a good few chances, and a bad decision against us that affected the game, but that’s part and parcel of football, and we’ve got to move on. Hopefully, it will even itself out over the course of the season.”

The Stellenbosch mentor is also wary of the so-called “new manager bounce,” with Sekhukhune set to play their first match since Tinkler’s departure.

“Sekhukhune United have just changed their coach, and that’s always dangerous. When you play against a team that has just changed their coach, what’s their reaction and the reactions of the players going to be like? We’re going to have to be up for it,” he added.

“They are a very experienced side and have a lot of options, so it certainly won’t be easy. They’re obviously looking at their own course, and we’ll be looking at what we’re trying to do.

“It changes things for them, because they will most probably have people who haven’t played and were unhappy, who will now be happy, and people who were playing who will now be unhappy. There will always be a reaction, though.”

Heading into the clash, Sekhukhune sit fifth on the table with 38 points from 24 matches, while Stellenbosch occupy ninth place with 28 points from 23 games.