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Gavin Hunt bemoans Bidvest Wits growing injury list

Hunt lamented the amount of injuries his team are sitting with at the moment, with James Keene (hamstring), Daine Klate (thigh), Xola Mlambo (hamstring), Grandwald Scott (thigh), Nazier Allie (broken toe) all out.

Thabang Monare is now the latest to join the medical room after picking up a hamstring strain in the first half of their 3-0 win over Golden Arrows on Tuesday, and is expected to be out for the next two games.

"We've got nobody back, have we... I mean the squad in the stands is getting bigger and bigger. It's frustrating but I know this time of the season, I've been in this for many, many years," he told reporters after the match.

"You've got to manage what you do and how you do it. In a game like [last night], once you've got [a good lead] you've got to be more economical in your play and save it.

"That's what we did, I thought we shifted the ball well in the last 20 minutes, we were good – that's important."

Asked how he explains the wholesale changes he made in their lakclustre 0-0 draw against Egyptian side Smouha, in their CAF Confederation Cup play-off first leg at home on Saturday, Hunt alluded to other teams struggling to compete on all fronts with a consistent line-up.

"We cannot expect to play the same teams week-in and week-out. Look how teams are struggling playing the same players, we have to use our squad, we have used our squad and we will use our squad," he emphasised.

"We're running dry with players. I've got to pick a team now to go [to Egypt]. How many are we going to take? I think SuperSport [United] took 14 last weekend, didn't they?

"I think we might take 16. I don't know how many we've got, we've got nothing left. So we'll go there, go around the world on three flights and a camel ride, and we'll play."

Asked what the reason has been for so many of his players falling injured at this crucial stage of the season for a second year running, Hunt responded: "I don't know!

"I mean, when I played football, we had squads of 16 [players] and played leagues of 20 [teams] – we played double headers every weekend with the same 11-12 players through the season.

"I don't know. You tell me? We don't train. Maybe we should train."

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