Former Kaizer Chiefs tactician Gavin Hunt reveals his surprising Premier Soccer League Coach of the Season choice: 'But no, he won't get it, you know, for whatever reason'

Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt has picked Stellenbosch FC tactician Steve Barker as his choice for the Premier Soccer League Coach of the Season award.

Although Hunt believes Barker deserves it, he is afraid he will not win because of the people who will eventually make the judgement.

"Coach of the Season for me? Steve Barker. Yep. I guarantee, but no, he won't get it, you know, for whatever reason, you know, whoever does the judgment," Hunt said, as quoted by KickOff.

"I think [when judging] you've got to look at the situation, you know. I hate saying this, but you've got to look at what is being spent and what is being made. What resources, and I think they have had a great season again," he added.

"To get what they got in the Caf and to be in the cup finals, and you know what happened in the [MTN8] cup final, they should have won that, and to really be up there in the last year or two, I think."

Barker guided Stellies to the semifinal of the Caf Confederation Cup only for them to be eliminated by Tanzanian heavyweights Simba SC.

Fadlu Davids' Simba progressed to the final courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate win over the PSL side, showing how tight the two-legged encounter was.

Barker's side, who managed 13 wins and just six defeats from 28 matches, finished the season second behind Orlando Pirates and champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

However, Sundowns' Miguel Cardoso remains the prime candidate to win the prestigious season-end award after winning the PSL race in his debut season.

The PSL award ceremony was postponed to give Masandawana time to focus on the Champions League and the Fifa Club World Cup tournament that starts in mid-June.

All his focus now is on the pre-season programme after the 2024-25 campaign ended.

When the new season begins later this year, the Maroons' performance will be closely monitored to see whether they are ready to challenge in PSL and how far they will go in Africa again.