Hunt hails SuperSport academy graduates after win against Pirates

SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt has heaped praise on the club’s youth development system after his team pulled off an upset against Orlando Pirates with four academy graduates in the starting XI.

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Ime Okon, Bilal Baloyi, Gape Moralo and Shandre Campbell starred in 3-1 win over the Buccaneers in a DStv Premiership match played at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. 

The 18-year-old Campbell bagged a brace in Polokwane and continues to be one of the shining lights for Matsatsantsa a Pitori this season.

“Let’s talk about the team because that’s more important. I played two young centre-backs,” Hunt said after the match.

“These young players have been magnificent. As I’ve said, we’ve given 11 debutants from the Diski team. I mean, that’s crazy because it’s 17 new players. I mean we can’t win the league but we continue to punch, we keep going and try do the best we can. 

“We have lost all our centre-backs and the two kids were magnificent and long may it continue. We’re not going to lose playing in the Caf Confederation Cup but we’re only going to learn. 

“We might not do well in Caf but we can’t. We played on Wednesday and then Pirates on Saturday, if we had played our full team on Wednesday, some of the guys would never last.”

Hunt who is still reeling from losing Thapelo Maseko to Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns at the beginning of the season also reserved special praise for Campbell. The young prospect produced a man of the match performance with two goals and an assist.

“He (Campbell) has great attributes in him, he’s got a goal and he was our top goal scorer in the Diski Challenge last season,” he said.

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“We lost Thapelo Maseko which was the biggest blow to me. I’m still crying about it but we have young Campbell coming up now and that’s our club. It’s built on honesty and hard working players. We might not have the best players but we have to build every year.

“Look at the last couple of years and players we have lost. The Teboho Mokoena’s and Ronwen Williams, I mean its been a conveyer belt and you can only commend the youth development. The good scouting system and good structure in terms of the way we want to play the game which is very important.”