Gavin Hunt: ‘Stellenbosch FC not safe’

Stellenbosch FC coach Gavin Hunt says his side is not safe from the threat of relegation in the Betway Premiership of South Africa.

He, therefore, stressed the need for more focus on domestic league assignments following the team’s exit from the CAF Confederation Cup.

We make our return to the DC this week 🤩

🆚 @Magesi_FC
🏆 #BetwayPrem
🏟 Danie Craven Stadium
📅 Wednesday, 18 February 2026
🕕 19h30
🎟️ R40 from @webticketsSA
🛒 https://t.co/BaQRvv6lPJ#HeartoftheCape #MoreThanFootball #StellenboschFC 🍇 pic.twitter.com/wpOAKNSfhL

— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) February 16, 2026

Stellies face bottom-placed Magesi FC on Wednesday while lying fourth from the basement of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log table.

The men for Hunt are four points away from Magesi while boasting three games in hand over the rest of the teams at the foot of the standings, including Marumo Gallants and Orbit College FC.

Despite the three games in hand, the former Kaizer Chiefs mentor insists that what matters only are points in hand and not otherwise.

Stellenbosch’s approach to Premiership matches

“In our situation, the next game is the most important game,” he told Stellenbosch FC’s media. “We aren’t in a position to prioritize.

“The team could do it last year because they did so well and were high up in the league with Steve [Barker]. They could have a real go in the Confed Cup, which they did because they were well safe, but we’re not safe.”

The coach added: “Chippa United have won three in a row now and have gone from bottom of the log to above us. The problem is, people look at it as us having games in hand, but games in hand mean nothing. Points in hand are better for me, so Wednesday is a huge game for us.”

The former SuperSport United mentor presided over a goalless draw against Singida Black Stars on Sunday, to bow out of the continental cup campaign.

Hunt said he was disappointed to have settled for a point instead of three.

“I thought we were better than a draw. We had a lot of opportunities and didn’t take them, and then opened up a bit in the second half, but I thought we could have won the game, even with 10 men,” he said.

How Hunt viewed Confederation Cup assignments

Hunt explained that he used the Confederation Cup games to assess all his players, hence his squad rotation.

“Basically, what I’ve done in CAF is played everybody and had a look at everybody, and what I’ve got now is a picture of what we need and how we need to set the team up. I can’t necessarily do it the way I want to, so I’ve got to do it based on what is needed. I can’t say I want to play 4-4-2 or whatever, because we’ve got certain areas to work on,” he added.

“That aside, we need to just get through this period until May…We’ve [started with] four or five different teams, we haven’t picked the same team, purely to try and prepare ourselves for the next two or three months.”