This was Gavin Hunt’s statement of intent – and it was loud and clear. The 2023 DStv Premiership season is not going to be the one-horse race many are expecting it to be.
Hunt’s men kicked off the new campaign with a 2-0 victory over Richards Bay at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday afternoon.
Granted Mamelodi Sundowns will once again be the team to beat, the Brazilians beginning the defence of their title with victory here against Sekhukhune United on Friday night.
A day to remember for players making debuts for their new sides in the #DStvPrem
🐦 Mabasa rescues a point for Swallows against Arrows.
🔵 Dzvukamanja and Ighodaro secure the three points for SuperSport. pic.twitter.com/aREs4sopcs
But less than 24 hours later, Hunt was leading SuperSport to a professional win that could so easily have been by a much wider margin had their strikers been much more efficient in the first half.
Most impressive was the fact that SuperSport’s goals came from the club’s new signings, Terrence Dzvukamanja who joined from Orlando Pirates opening the scoring shortly after the break before substitute Ettiosa Ighodaro made victory certain on 72 minutes.
The Nigerian Ighodaro, who was with Chippa United, had come on for the talismanic Bradley Grobler who suffered a nasty collision with a Richards Bay player in the first half and had to be taken off. It was an injury that would ordinarily have sown panic in the SuperSport ranks, such is Grobler’s importance to the club.
But with Dzuvkamanja, a player Hunt knows very well having worked with him during a championship-winning spell at the now defunct Bidvest Wits, in their ranks SupeSport can breathe easy and allow Grobler to recover from the injury.
New team, same Terrence Dzvukamanja.
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) August 5, 2023
He scores on his debut for SuperSport ⚽
📺 Stream the #DStvPrem live: https://t.co/TesYUfo62x pic.twitter.com/n26y1VzLPK
Add Ighadoro to the equation and there’s every reason to anticipate the multiple-championship winning coach to provide Rulani Mokwena with a stern challenge for this year’s league title,
Their scoring abilities aside, SuperSport also looked pretty organised defensively although it has to be said that Richards Bay did not really test them much.
Goalkeeper Ricardo Goss looked solid and dealt with long balls particularly well while in front of him captain Thulani Hlatswhayo hardly showed any signs he was getting on in years as he cajoled and marshalled the team in the confident way only he can.
Shandre Campbell put in an exciting shift on the wing, while Zimbabwean Ronald Phfumbidza had some moments that impressed.
Before his departure from the scene via the injury, Grobler had had numerous scoring opportunities, but fluffed them, one of those coming as early as the 10th minute when his shot from close range got deflected for a corner kick.
In the end the few missed chances in the initial stanza did not matter as SuperSport made their superiority count after half time to send a warning to the rest of the Premiership and Sundowns in particular that they are out to not only improve on last season’s third place finish but to win the league championship once again under Hunt.
* In yesterday’s other early fixture, Golden Arrows and Moroka Swallows played to a 1-1 draw.
@Tshiliboy