Gavin Hunt lauds advanced Stellenbosch set-up after succeeding Steve Barker

Hunt was left without a club after parting ways with Durban City in December and is busy preparing his side to face an in-form Sekhukhune United on Tuesday.

Barker has, meanwhile, joined Tanzanian giants Simba SC and led his new team to a 1-1 draw with Mtibwa Sugar on Sunday afternoon.

Hunt, who won the South African top-flight three times with SuperSport United and once with Bidvest wits, has suffered with instability in his career over the past few years and is hoping to settle into the job at Stellies, having turned down their initial advancements.

The former Kaizer Chiefs head coach explained in the Sowetan: "I believe football is always about timing, so Barker's resignation was unexpected. With Steve leaving, they started interviewing coaches. Rob [Benadie, CEO] phoned me and asked, ‘Would you be interested in the job?' I said no.

"It went from there, and the process started. Rob said he'll get back to me, and that was it. The timing perspective was important because what happened there was very sudden; it happened so quickly. Sometimes a job is a timing thing, and you can't really plan these things."

"If you look specifically at a club like Stellenbosch, you can see how advanced it is in terms of what surrounds the game," Hunt added. The technology, the data analysis, and the way players are scouted and evaluated have been a real eye-opener for me.

"The game is moving very fast, even though the basics of football never change. Stellenbosch are very advanced in those areas, which is important for the future, as long as you don't lose sight of hard work, determination, and organisation."

Hunt explained that he is also looking at strengthening his team, having expressed concerns about the squad's current depth.

"It's evident in our situation that we need to bring players in because we are somewhat short," Hunt continued.

“There's a lot of negotiations going on right now. There are a lot of players we have spoken to, and there are a lot of players we've lost out to as well.”