Despite claiming Telkom Knockout honours, the defending Absa Premiership champions have endured a difficult 2017/18 season, getting knocked out of the Nedbank Cup at the first hurdle while fighting their way to their current 10th place in the league following a disastrous start.
Domestic matters take a back seat this week however as The Students prepare for their second leg CAF Confederation Cup play-off against Nigerian outfit Enyimba, having played out a 1-1 draw with their rivals in the first leg at Bidvest Stadium.
Yet beset by a number of injuries, and heading into the encounter after two successive league losses, Hunt feels he does not have the squad to give every competition his side participates in a full go.
“Our squad is not big enough or strong enough to play on all fronts, I believe,” he said. “There’s only one team that can do that in South Africa, and it’s not us. We have to look at our situation, and maybe take 12 or 13 players to Nigeria, and see what we do there. But that’s how football is.”
Asked if his thinking is already on next season and ways to revamp his squad, Hunt insists he cannot look too far ahead as the present may come back to bite him.
“In football, the future is now, isn’t it?” he said. “If you start thinking about the future, I think you’ve got a problem in football. The future has got to be now because you’ll find yourself in the wrong areas of the table. We all talk about the future, this, that, but it changes, doesn’t it? Very quickly! The future is now.”
Wits face a tough challenge in Nigeria, knowing they have to score, and are expected to come up against a partisan crowd after Enyimba chairman Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu announced that entrance for all fans who come to the UJ Esuene Stadium will be free of charge, as he hopes for his side’s progression to the group stages of the tournament.
“We want them to come out and enjoy a great game with us, to share in our moment of victory,” he said.
“As they have always accepted us as their own, we invite the beautiful people of Calabar to come out and cheer on the team as we march into the Confederation Cup group stage.”
Kick-off in Nigeria on Wednesday is set for 17h00 South African time.