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Hunt praises understated Stelis hero after Chiefs win
Photo: Gavin Hunt
Stellenbosch FC head coach Gavin Hunt says Chumani Busaka played a huge role in Tuesday’s Betway Premier League win over Kaizer Chiefs.
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Cape Winelands came from behind to win 2-1 at FNB Stadium with goals from Langelil Fili and Devon Titus, with Flavio da Silva scoring for the home side.
Stelis climbed to 11th in the table with 19 points from 17 league games, five points clear of the relegation zone.
While Fili has continued his hot form in front of goal, Hunt, to his delight, believes there are areas where Fili can still improve – and the experienced tactician reserved particular praise for Busaca.
“I think he still has a lot to do on both sides of the ball – with and without the ball, so it’s an ongoing thing. He’s a top shooter, which is great from his standpoint, but for me, I think he can be better. It’s an ongoing thing working with him every day,” he said.
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“I think the player who changed the game tonight was Chumani Busaka, I thought he was the key to the game, in the second half for both teams. There’s another, very good player who can do more for us. Yeah, but the main thing is [Phili]he has to make progress in certain areas and he will do that and we will work with him.
The former SuperSport United mentor, who knocked out Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup earlier this month, dismissed suggestions that the latest league win will give them confidence as they battle the decline.
“I don’t believe in confidence in football players, I mean you should have confidence every day, win or lose. I think what it does is points, confidence doesn’t mean anything, you can play well like we played so well on Saturday – we had so much confidence and we lost,” Hunt added.
“So, we need points. Obviously, it gives you a feel for the players, but points are crucial for us now and we play again on Friday. IMHO, Kaizer Chiefs play on Saturday and we’ve played two games, three games, four games, so they are definitely ahead of us but we know that.
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“But I can’t use that as an excuse but Saturday was definitely disappointing. [Nedbank Cup exit to Golden Arrows]I can see it. I’ve never seen a team fall apart like that and you saw what happened.
