If this is how Wits play when they are not at their best, then what can we expect when they hit their straps? The Students defeated Cape Town City 3-0 in the first leg of the semi-finals of the MTN8 in Johannesburg on Saturday night, but coach Gavin Hunt was far from happy with his team’s performance.
Hunt must obviously set very high standards because Wits completely outplayed and out-thought City in a high class opening 45 minutes. They scored three goals - through Eleazar Rodgers, Elias Pelembe and Gabadinho Mhango - and then eased off in the second half.
City improved in the second 45 minutes, but their coach Eric Tinkler, will have to reflect on a first half of utter mediocrity when the Capetonians easily surrendered possession, looked jittery and disjointed and the team’s defensive shape was amateurish.
The second leg will be played on Saturday at the Cape Town Stadium (kick-off 8.15pm).
“I was disappointed,” said Hunt. “I thought the international break affected the players and they all looked a bit sluggish. We were a yard off the pace, we looked like we needed a gallop. We got three goals, but we dropped out in the second half - It wasn’t good, but we won and so we move on to the next game.”
For City and Tinkler, there was, at least, one bright moment to take from the heavy defeat, in that they were able to hand 17-year-old Hout Bay prospect, Duncan Adonis, his PSL debut. The City prodigy, from whom much is expected, came on in the second half and, hopefully, his first introduction to this level of the sport will galvanise the youngster to kick on.
“That first 45 minutes was dismal,” said Tinkler. “I thought we started poorly. We knew that we had to match Wits in terms of aggression, but we didn’t win a ball or a challenge. They won every first and second ball, we didn’t stop the crosses coming into the box and we looked disorganised in the first half. But it’s all part of the learning curve - Now we’ve got to start working hard, and focusing on the next game.”
Next up for City is another away trip, this time to Durban, to take on Golden Arrows in a PSL fixture on Wednesday.
Cape Times