Durban City coach Gavin Hunt set for fiery reunion with Kaizer Chiefs in Premiership clash

There should be no love lost between Durban City coach Gavin Hunt and his former employers, Kaizer Chiefs, when they meet in a Betway Premiership clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night (7.30pm kick-off).

When Hunt took over the reins at Chiefs in 2019, it must have felt like a career-defining moment. Except his three-year stint didn’t even last a full season, as he was sacked in the lead-up to the CAF Champions League final, which his successor, Stuart Baxter, only took charge of it in the fianl which he went on to fumble and lose to Al Ahly.

Hunt, whose illustrious career includes four league titles - with the now-defunct sides SuperSport United (three) and Bidvest Wits (one) - has admitted that being sacked by Chiefs remains one of the most painful moments of his career.

Hunt felt he had done impressively well under the circumstances. He had inherited a squad from his predecessor Ernst Middendorp while the club was serving a Fifa transfer ban. That’s why he found it so disappointing to be dismissed despite the challenges everyone at the club was facing.

Still, Hunt has often ensured that his teams double their efforts against Chiefs. He has gotten his revenge more than once since then, including during his last stint with SuperSport United, when his side beat Amakhosi.

While Hunt and his men are tipped to bring Chiefs back down to earth after reaching the CAF Confederation Cup group stage last weekend - and to extend Chiefs’ three-game winless run in the league - Hunt knows it would be dangerous to underestimate them.

“I think when you play Kaizer Chiefs, they are never in a bad moment. They always have the support behind them,” said Hunt during a meet and greet session with their fans in KwaMashu on Wednesday. “The fans drag them across the line and help them win games they sometimes shouldn’t.

“They are the biggest club in South Africa in terms of numbers. They usually come here and get more supporters. We are under no illusions; we obviously need to grow, but we can only grow while the team competes.

“Like I said, when you face a team like Kaizer Chiefs, they are never out of form. One moment for them can turn the match around. So it’s going to be tough for both us and them. We are a competitive team and want to put our stamp on the game.”

Hunt and his troops are still finding their feet in the top flight after their recent promotion. But despite pointing out the two key areas they need to improve to stay competitive this season, Durban City have been impressive on the eye.

They are fourth on the log with 15 points, just one behind the third-placed Chiefs, who have a game in hand.

“I sometimes think people fantasize about football and live in a dream reality,” Hunt said. “If we had defended better in the last two games, we could have been third and still in the cup.

“There are fine margins in football. We’ll grow as a team, and we have to learn sometimes by not only by winning. We’ve learned a lot in the last two games. We needed game mentality and intelligence, and that’s what cost us.”

Hunt has stressed that it’s important for the players to take responsibility on the pitch, as they - not the coaches or fans - ultimately play the game.

“I think the players feel it at the end of the day because they want to do things right,” Hunt said. “The game is about the players, not me. As long as we have players who want to do things for the club and for themselves, you’ll be amazed at what we can achieve together.

“I’ve been there before. With players who were average, we still achieved a lot of things many years ago. We’ve just got to be better in the last few games.”