Gavin Hunt happy with draw against title chasing Mamelodi Sundowns but believes Stellenbosch 'could have won it in the end'

The Maroons found themselves trailing for a significant portion of the contest and appeared to be heading toward a narrow defeat against the heavyweights from Pretoria.

However, the introduction of Orlando Pirates loanee Tshegofatso Mabasa proved to be the turning point as he stepped up from the penalty spot to level the scores and secure a vital point for the visitors.

The result holds major implications for the Betway Premiership title race, as Mamelodi Sundowns failed to reclaim the top spot in the standings.

Masandawana now trail leaders Orlando Pirates by a single point, though they do maintain a game in hand over their Soweto rivals in what is becoming a tense battle for domestic supremacy.

Speaking after the final whistle, Gavin Hunt was quick to praise his team's resilience but pointed out that they could have led the game much earlier.

“Magnificent, we could’ve been before they scored, we had two big chances and Omega had a chance after halftime and then we went 1-0 down,” Hunt told SuperSport TV as he analysed the flow of the match.

Despite conceding first, the former Kaizer Chiefs tactician remained confident that his tactical plan would eventually yield results against the dominant Sundowns side.

“I said to them we will stay in the game here for as long as we can we will get the chances at the end because they will come out and they did and we could’ve won it,” he added, highlighting his team's character.

Hunt elaborated on the tactical battle, suggested that Sundowns' patient build-up play allowed Stellenbosch to find gaps on the break.

“They can have the ball there; how many times have we turned the ball over? We just didn’t have the quality but we turned it over to make the final pass but we had the chances. Devin [Titus] should’ve scored in the first half, keeper just to beat but he dinked it over the keeper,” the coach explained.

He continued by praising his defensive organization while noting that the opposition's style played into their hands.

“And with Omega and other than that they didn’t have any chances so we have to play, they got very good players individually you know what I’m saying, they will turn you and they keep the ball well but the way they play suit us because it’s so slow and we can obviously just fund shuffle in and break out and we did that and it worked and I thought we should’ve won at the end was it offside? I don’t know we’ll see,” Hunt said.

Looking at the bigger picture, Hunt expressed immense pride in the progress being made at the club, emphasizing that every individual is contributing to their competitive form.

“Disappointing, but all in all the team we had, players we got everybody’s played their part from the top of the club to the bottom of the club we will only get better, once we get a few things we will only get better,” he remarked confidently.

With their ability to go toe-to-toe with the league's elite, Stellenbosch continue to cement their reputation as one of the most difficult sides to break down in the top flight.

Hunt will now look to build on this momentum as they aim to finish the season strongly and continue their push from relegation strugglers to Top Eight contenders.