Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt has offered a sobering assessment of his team, declaring they need a lot of work after their 2-1 defeat by National First Division (NFD) side Richards Bay.
Richards Bay scored a late goal to dump Chiefs out of the Nedbank Cup, meaning Amakhosi will have to win the league to break their near six-year trophy drought.
Hunt‚ who admitted this defeat has embarrassed him and is the biggest of his largely successful 27 years as a coach‚ said his toughest job now is to pick up the players.
“We need more fight‚ we need a better attitude when we go out there and that is something that is very difficult to change. This is the biggest defeat I have faced in 27 years — we need a lot of work.
“We conceded right at the death, which is obviously disappointing. I am disappointed‚ actually I am embarrassed‚ but we can’t change the results and congratulations to them.”
Hunt said he accepts responsibility for the defeat.
“We have to try to use the squad that we have and there have been a few players that got a big chance today. The result didn’t go our way but there was a lot more from the senior players who came in and had to do better and they didn’t do better. All round, I have to look‚ I select the team and take responsibility.
“There were one or two players that we brought on but didn’t live up to what we expected. We changed the shape, and when you change the shape you want to push a little bit more, and we did. In the second half there were so many opportunities in and around the box and the final pass of the ball let us down.”
Richards Bay coach Simo Dladla has explained how he masterminded the stunning result.
Dladla said he demanded his players to stick to their usual league routines and not to be star-struck.
“I told the players to play as a team because we are not used to live games in the GladAfrica Championship‚ not to be carried away, and not to play for themselves but for the club.
“I also told them that Chiefs players are the same as them and they must not be star-struck because it’s just a bigger stage. I think my guys carried out the instructions very well even though in some parts they didn’t do it that well. But I am happy that we won the match,” said Dladla.
. “We approached the game like a normal league game. You know in the GladAfrica Championship we have an under-23 rule‚ so I always had two under-23 players on the park even when we made changes to resemble the league. We wanted the real strength for our team and, going forward, we might make changes and not bring the same team.
“For me it was to give the players this Chiefs game as a reward because they have been doing very well in the league‚” he said, adding that their main focus this season remains fighting for promotion to the PSL.
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