Durban City FC head coach Gavin Hunt believes that a strong squad isn’t enough to compete in the Betway Premiership, revealing that the team is still actively looking to sign more players.
Formerly known as Maritzburg United, Durban City spent only one season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship before winning the 2024/25 season second-tier league title to secure their promotion back to the top-flight.
After their celebrations and following legal disputes with Cape Town Spurs, the club made significant changes to its technical team. Head coach Simo Dladla departed and was succeeded by Gavin Hunt, who was announced as the new gaffer in July.
Hunt was tasked with preparing a refurbished squad, which included new acquisitions and player departures. City recently announced the arrival of former Cape Town City midfielder Thabo Nodada, 21-year-old Kyle Jurgens from Stellenbosch, and veteran midfielder Hashim Domingo.
Hunt lamented that the late timing of these movements, among other changes, made it difficult to prepare the team adequately for their first game of the season against TS Galaxy.
HUNT ADMITS FIRST GAME UNCERTAINTY
“Every first game is always difficult, you know, you don’t know what you’re gonna get. You know if you also had players coming in and out in the last minute, going. I could say we need one or two in a few areas, but yeah. We will be looking forward to the game and we’ll take it from there,” said the former Kaizer Chiefs coach.
The three-time league champion further justified his need for a few more additions to his squad, alluding to the requirement for competition within the squad.
“Yeah, they had a very small squad last season, and they did exceptionally well, and we just want to try and build a little bit on that, also add a little bit for competition,” added Hunt.
GAVIN HUNT TALKS TS GALAXY CLASH
The newly promoted KZN team will look to assert their competitiveness this coming Sunday when they visit TS Galaxy in Mbombela in a league clash. Kickoff is set for 15:00.
The 61-year-old gaffer gave some insight into his team’s preparations for their first league clash, revealing that he has implemented some intense sessions to sharpen his boys for a fierce battle.
“Obviously, we pushed them quite extensively in the camp in terms of playing extra games. That was the whole idea, you know, to try and play them when they’re not fresh and are tired. And obviously, this week we’ll try to bring them down and then get them up for the weekend again,” revealed Hunt.
The former SuperSport United coach further touched on his expectations from his Sunday opponents. He mentioned Galaxy’s tactical fluidity, which might make for a tricky preparation at the City camp.
“Well, TS Galaxy is always a very innovative side in terms of changing a lot, you know, and they’ve kept the continuity with the coaching staff. People forget about that, you know, that some coaches have been at a club for a long time, and it’s much easier,” concluded Hunt.
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