‘The league is up for grabs’, claims Webber after SuperSport top the table

It was hi-fives and jubilation for SuperSport United after Jamie Webber and Bradley Grobler scored either side of the half time to beat Stellenbosch FC 2-0 at the Danie Craven Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The results saw United move past rivals and defending DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the summit of the log. However, the Brazilians have two games in hand and they begin to play catch-up on Wednesday night against Marumo Gallants.

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Not many would have put Matsatsantsa A Pitori’s name in the hat for title contenders at the start of the season, but Webber – who is already considered a senior player at United, even though he is just 24 years old – believes that Gavin Hunt seems to have found a winning formula after they struggled to get a win in the opening four league games.

The turning point, Webber reckons, was when they beat defending champions and Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns last month. The result against Downs has given the side some belief that they can stake a claim in this season’s title race.

“Maybe Sundowns made it look easy last season but in reality, our league is very difficult. You can be in the bottom half of the table and then one win can put you in the top four. The league is very tight and the fact that Sundowns did not start well this season, the league is open,” said Webber.  

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“They are a good team with good players but we beat them and if we can do it, I feel like any other team can do it and that will open up the league. They played a draw against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 and that shows that it is possible to get points out of Sundowns,” he added.

Webber revealed that Hunt has always told his players that he wants to compete for league and cup honours. Being the only coach to lead Matsatsantsa A Pitori to league glory – winning it three times on the spin between 2007 and 2010 – United’s dressing room has every reason to believe in the multiple league-winning mentor.

“If all goes well, I do believe that we can definitely make the dream becoming a reality and maybe we should not make it a future dream but focus on it now. But we need to take it one game at a time and we have to be consistent,” said Webber.

“It has always been our goal. When Gavin got here, he told us from the start that ‘I might not be the best coach but I can teach you how to win’. It shows that he wants to win things. Once it rubs off on us we will be a really good side,” said Webber.

The midfielder recalls how he started off this campaign, as he was expected to be the mainstay in the heart of midfield after the departure of Sipho Mbule and Teboho Mokoena, who both joined rivals Sundowns. However, the scene played out quite differently from the script.

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“Gavin is a very weird type of coach but he has very good player management skills. He would tell you why you are not playing and he would want you to work on that before you play again,” Webber explained.

“I started the first game of the season and I only played three games later. He told me that my attitude needed to change with regards to defending and that is what I have been working on. He is the type of coach who does not care about who you are. You just need to do well and you will work. And that is a good thing because it creates good competition in the team because if you slack, he will take you out.”