Galatasaray vs Ankaragucu match preview!

 

Ankaragucu find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Turkish Super Lig with 1 point from their opening 4 games but also have 2 games in hand as they have served their bye week, and last weeks game with Hatayspor was called off due to a Covid outbreak within the Hatay squad. 

A trip to Istanbul awaits the team this weekend against Galatasaray and under normal circumstances this would be a difficult game, but one in which Ankaragucu could cause an upset with a fully fit squad. Unfortunately the team has had their own Covid outbreak in the squad this week with 7 players testing positive and now having to self isolate. I know the names of the players who have tested positive but the club haven't released this information yet so i will keep it private. All i can say is that its a huge blow as 3 of the players in particular are key players within the squad. 

Alper Potuk will also miss the match through suspension after his red card against Rizespor in the last match. There could be an opportunity for youth players to make their debut for the club due to the lack of numbers in the squad.

Of the players who are available the likes of Assane Diouassi and Luka Adzic need to step up and prove their worth to the team. They have struggled with fitness and hopefully will have used the last 2 weeks to improve their sharpness.   

Jonathan Bolingi will also come back into the squad after missing the last 2 games through injury. Bolingi gives the team a big boost as his physical presence and work rate has been missed in the last couple of games. Torgen Borven opened his account against Rizespor and will be hoping his team mates can create opportunities for him at the weekend. 

Galatasaray sit in 3rd place with 10 points but despite the talent they have in the team the performances have been inconsistent. Defeats against Alanyaspor and Kasimpasa were followed up with a good 2-1 win at Erzerumspor last weekend. They were also knocked out of the Europa League by the worlds most successful club Rangers.

The Istanbul giants have quality players such as Falcao, Babel, Feghouli, Taylan, Emre Akbaba, Emre Kilinc but inconsistency has been a problem with a few of them who have come under criticism for the big salaries they are picking up. Younes Belhanda misses out due to testing positive for Covid, while Muslera is out injured. 

The lack of pace in the Galatasaray team is where Ankaragucu can look to exploit. The likes of Saba and Adzic if they play can take advantage of that but need to have the final ball and decision making to make it count. Marcao and Luyindula are both very strong in the air but the right back and left back position is a weakness of Galatasaray. Also stopping Taylan from dictating the game is key for Ankaragucu and hopefully Fuat Capa has a plan in place. 

Ankaragucu won 1-0 the last time the two sides played last season thanks to an Oscar Scarione penalty, while the away game in Istanbul finished 2-2 thanks to late goals from Kitsiou and Ilhan despite being down to ten men when Orgill was sent off. Ankaragucu would settle for any of those outcomes this weekend considering the circumstances. 

Fuat Capa is under a bit of pressure to start delivering results. The team will need to be at its best and avoid any lapses in concentration or decision making which we have saw in the first 4 games of the season. 

Ankaragucu will take on Kocaelispor on Tuesday before hosting Fatih Karagumruk next Sunday so 3 big games coming up in the space of 8 days. Lets hope for some positive outcomes. 

GENCLERBIRLIGI – STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

As we all know, it isn’t easy to travel to Malatya and return with all 3 points and that was a bridge too far for Gencler yesterday.

 

Gencler has two excellent forwards in Stancu and Candeias, but both were out of luck yesterday with Gencler mustering only ONE shot on target in the whole match  !      Their approach play was pretty to watch at times, but when they entered the final 3^rd they seem to have a mental block or a death wish to concede possession.

 

Malatya on the other hand was threatening throughout and always looked like the team who would take all 3 points.

 

Yeni Malatyaspor           2                  GENCLERBIRLIGI         1

 

Team – Nordfeldt, Diego, Toure, Arda, Berat, Polomat, Piris, Johansson, Murat, Candeias and Stancu

 

Substitutes – Soner, Ayite, Yilmaz, Furman and Pehlivan

 

Malatya was straight into attack from the off and scored after only 45 seconds, however, it was rightly chalked off for offside.

 

10 minutes later and Gencler was ahead against the run of play.   It was great play by Stancu on the left wing when he cut in, looked up, and crossed to the far post where Candeias was lurking.   He controlled the ball and sent a perfect cut-back to Murat who stroked the ball in for a well constructed goal.

 

Malatya equalised 10 minutes later and Mert Bey will not be pleased with the marking by his defenders at corners.   A corner on the left was swung over, and with Gencler defenders around him, Semih was allowed to attack it and send in an angled header to the top right.

 

There was one more scare before the half time whistle, but Nordfeldt saved well from a goal bound shot at the right post.

 

The 2^nd half was only 7 minutes old when Malatya went deservedly into the lead from another corner.   The ball was sent in on the right to the impressive Kubilay who was unmarked on the 6 yard line, and he bulleted in a header between Nordfeldt and Polomat.

 

10 minutes to go and Malatya scored another offside goal but again it was rightly chalked off.

 

Into time added on and Ankaragucu ‘old boy’ Umut Bulut was introduced, but of course, that was purely a time wasting tactic and he didn’t have time to show us if he had lost any of his predatory powers.

 

The final action was Nordfeldt pulling off another good save when a Malatya forward tried a cheeky chip over him.

 

So, Gencler are now keeping Ankaragucu company at the bottom of the league  !!

 

Next Saturday Gencler will be at home against Gaziantep for what will surely be another difficult match and one which Gencler must take something from.

 

I will be in Izmir this weekend and will put up a mini-report early next week at some stage.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI REVERT TO TYPE !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

After last wseek’s heroics in Istan....spit....bul, Gencler reverted to type with one of their ‘Mr Hyde’ performances  !

 

As pre-match favourites, they were a shadow of the team who beat Beshiktrash, and Denizli fully deserved their first win of the season.

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI           1                 Denizlispor             2

 

Team – Nordfeldt, Johansson, Toure, Diego, Polomat, Berat, Ozdemir, Candeias, Furman, Yilmaz and Stancu

 

Substitutes – Murat, Ayite, Ilker and Altinparlak

 

It took 20 minutes for the match to come to life with the first serious attempt on target and it was Denizli who opened the scoring.    A perfect corner was sent in from the right to the danger area and Sobotic was first to attack the ball and send in a powerful header with Nordfeldt well beaten.

 

The 2^nd shot on target came on the half time whistle and it was another excellent goal for Denizli.   The ball was passed along the line from the left wing to Rodallega lurking about 25 yards outside the box, and he sent in a great shot to the top right with Nordfeldt again well beaten.

 

The first half action was mostly in midfield with passes along the line and back to defenders and goalkeepers and the two Denizli goals were the only serious shots on target.

 

Gencler started the 2^nd half in more determined fashion but the Denizli defence looked solid and dealt with any danger (as they did throughout the match  !).

 

Then half way through the 2^nd half came a glimmer of hope for Gencler when they were awarded a penalty.    Ayite was chasing the ball to the right touch line when a Denizli defender needlessly jumped on top of him and brought him down.     

 

Stancu stepped up to take it and sent the ball to the centre but it hit the bar and rebounded back into play.     His follow up shot was sent in, but the linesman and referee adjudged that another Gencler player was offside when the rebound was despatched.     Probably under the law of ............. seeking to gain an advantage  ?!

 

Denizli continued to look dangerous with their spirited attacks and should have gone 3 up on 3 different occasions.    

 

Firstly, a flowing attack down the right and the ball was sent into Sadal who’s goal bound shot was well saved for  a corner.

 

With 10 minutes to go, Rodallega had his goal bound shot well saved for a corner.    4 minutes later Sadal set up Rodallega again but his shot hit the bar and was cleared.

 

Gencler finally had a shot on target in the 89^th minute and it was an excellent well taken goal by Candeias when he volleyed in a cross from the left.

 

So, with Gencler having 64% possession and only ONE shot on target, their weakness is obvious.     This will surely be addressed by Mert Bey in the coming week in training before they travel to Malatya next Sunday for yet another difficult match.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU SEE RED AND THEN LOSE THE PLOT !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

It was a great start by Ankaragucu racing into a 2 goal lead before the calamity kicked-in.

 

Club captain Alper must shoulder most of the blame after a needless yellow card when he pulled back an attacker in full flight.    Then just before half time he was adjudged to have put his hand into the face of a Rize player when they were challenging for the ball.    Sheer stupidity on his part and in the process he left his team facing the 2^nd half with 10 men   !

 

To concede 2 penalties was also unforgivable and Rize proceeded to take charge of the match and punished Ankaragucu’s profligacy  !

  Rizespor        5                       ANKARAGUCU       3

 

Team – Ricardo, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Erdi, Pinto, Voca, Saba, Sahverdi, Alper, Paintsil and Borven

 

Substitutes – Endri, Emre and Adzic

 

The match was only 5 minutes old when Ankaragucu broke on the right and Kitsiou crossed to Paintsil at the near post who shot into the right hand corner of the goal with the goalkeeper static.

 

10 minutes later it was 2-0 after a comedy of errors in the Rize defence.   Ankaragucu was awarded a free kick in their own half which was quickly taken and the break was on.    A shot on goal was made but saved by the goalkeeper who played it out quickly to a defender.    But, the ball had a ricochet off the defender and over the goalkeeper’s head.    Paintsil was quickest to react and he chased the ball and headed into the empty goal with the goalkeeper stranded.

 

It only took Rize a further 3 minutes to haul themselves back into the match and it was an excellent goal.   Santos received the ball on the left inside the box.    He weaved past 2 challenges and sent in an unstoppable shot to the top right.

 

The equaliser almost came after 27 minutes when Ricardo gave us another ‘scary moment’.   He received a back pass from Pazdan and pushed the ball too far forward with his foot.    The inrushing Rize attacker almost had a easy goal but Ricardo recovered just in time to smother the ball.

 

2 minutes later it was a let-off when Rize scored an ‘offside goal’ from a free kick, but the linesman correctly had his flag up for offside.

 

Paintsil almost made it three 10 minutes before the break but his goal bound shot was deflected out for a corner.

 

However, the third goal did come 6 minutes later when there was a fast break down the left by Pinto.   His cross was inch perfect for Borven to glance in a header inside the right post.

 

Then right on the 45 minute mark Rize scored their 2^nd goal and I have to say that I’m disappointed that Ricardo didn’t save it.    The free kick was about 30 yards out on the right side of the box.    He had set up his wall but Boldrin’s free kick bypassed the wall and went in just inside the right post.    I think Ricardo may have managed to get a touch on the ball but, as I said, disappointed he didn’t reach it in time.

 

3-2 up and the whistle about to blow for half time and Alper was shown a 2^nd yellow and RED.    He jumped for the ball alongside a Rize player and the referee had no hesitation in showing the cards.    The replay showed that Alper’s hand went into the Rize player’s face, but it certainly didn’t look intentional.    However, the referee obviously thought otherwise and off went Alper  !

 

There was only 4 minutes played in the 2^nd half when the match started to drift away from Ankaragucu.    A cross came in from the right and Kitsiou attempted to head the ball for a corner with a Rize attacker in close attendance.    However, he misjudged the flight of the ball which struck his arm on the way out.    Frantic calls from the Rize players for a penalty which the referee finally agreed to check VAR after consultation on his mouthpiece.  

 

The new rule on hand-ball doesn’t give the referee any room for using his initiative, so a penalty it was which Remy despatched with a cheeky chip to the centre with Ricardo diving to the right.    However, the referee had further instructions on his earpiece and signalled the penalty to be re-taken due to Rize players encroaching before the kick had been taken.

 

Remy again took the kick and sent it into the left just out of Ricardo’s reach.

 

5 minutes later and another catastrophe   !!     Sahverdi had a kick at a Rize player and brought him down in the box.     Up stepped Remy again and he sent his kick into the same left corner with Ricardo diving to the right.

 

Ankaragucu had 2 chances to claw their way back into the match, but Voca sent a tame shot past the right post when put through, and then Emre shot past the left post.

 

15 minutes to go and Rize put the match beyond Ankaragucu with that man Remy doing the damage again.      A Rize breakaway on the right and the cross was sent into Remy who held off two challenges before firing in a great shot to his favourite place just inside the left post.

 

4 minutes to go and Rize was stroking the ball around and keeping possession (they had 68%) but they almost added to their goal tally but Erdi cleared a goal bound shot off the line.    Then, in the 94^th minute Ricardo pulled of a great save to deny Rize.

 

Ankaragucu stay bottom of the league with only one point, but all is not lost yet.   They have a great opportunity to record their first win of the season at home next Saturday to league newcomers Hatay.

 

Bring it on and let’s put today’s match onto the back burner and into the ‘let’s forget category’  !!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Rizespor vs Ankaragucu match preview!

 

Ankaragucu face fellow strugglers Rizespor this Saturday afternoon in what is another must win match both for the team, and manager Fuat Capa. Two defeats and a draw in their opening 3 games see Ankaragucu at the bottom of the table with last seasons champions Basaksehir.

Before we look ahead to the weekends match, a big congratulations to Yusuf Eren Goktas from the clubs youth academy who was this week called up to the Turkish U17 National team. Eren who is only 16 has been training with the first team and is one for the future. 

Saba Lobjanidze, Endr Cekici, Idris Voca, Assane Diousse, Atacan Cankaya were all away on International Duty and will come back into the squad after missing last weeks TSYD Cup match against Sivasspor. 

The Sivasspor match was disappointing in more ways that just the result. Fuat Capa changed formation to 3-5-2 and it looked like the team had never played this system before. The defence was all over the place and the team in general created very few chances. 

The most disappointing aspect of the performance was the fitness of some of the players. Daniel Lukasic and Assane in particular looked slow and sluggish in the middle of the park and offered no protection for the defence, and nothing in attack. With Voca, Cekici and Atakan all back both players could now find their place in the team under threat. 

Sahverdi Cetin and Berke Gurbuz both came on in the second half last week and provided the team with energy and a creative spark that has been missing. Both players look to have big futures ahead of them and will be hoping to see more minutes in the first team. 

Torgeir Borven can be an important player for the club, but he needs more support from the midfield and wide areas and hopefully Fuat Capa reverts to the 4-2-3-1 formation which allows the wide players and number 10 to get close to Broven and provide support in attack. 

Early team news is that its likely to early for Bolingi to return to the team but he should be available for next week which will be a much needed boost. Ankaragucu have looked better when he is in the team. 

With Sarlija back fit it should see him go back into the starting line up alongside Pazdan with Erdi dropping to the bench. Erdi has potential to be a good player in the Super Lig but still has a lot to learn. 

The home side Rizespor have started the season with 2 draws and 2 defeats and will be looking to get their first win of the season. The last two games have been draws against Erzerumspor and Alanyaspor who have both started the season well, so this wont be an easy match despite their poor form. 

Like Anakragucu and most other Turkish clubs, Rizespor saw a huge turnover in staff over the summer and have brought in players such as Loic Remy and Godfrey Donsah to the team while Key players Boldrin and Samudio are still with the team. Former Ankaragucu player Konrad Mikhalak is also part of the squad. 

Ankaragucu won 2-1 at home last season, while Rizespor won their home match 2-0 when both sides met. It looks like it will be another close game on Saturday. 

Rizespor have went with a 4-1-4-1 formation in their last two games which have saw decent results against high flying Alanyaspor and Erzerumspor. They will likely line up that way on Saturday. Now lets take a look how Ankaragucu could line up.

Goalkeeper - Ricardo Friedrich - Made a big mistake in the defeat against Sivasspor last week in the TSYD Cup. But its very rare that Ricardo makes mistakes and he should keep his place in goal. Hopefully that is the last of his mistakes and he brings some consistency in goal. Also one of the leaders on the pitch.

Right Back - Stelios Kitsiou - Most consistent player in the team, Stelios will be key again to how Ankaragucu play. His attacking runs from the back while solid defensive work make him indespensible to the team.

Centre Back - Michal Pazdan - Another consistent performer at the back. Pazdan is an agressive no nonsense type defender who leads by example.

Centre Back - Zvonimir Sarlija - Just returned from injury and likely to take the place of Erdi. Sarlija now needs to keep his place in the team and stay fit. He can play with the ball at his feet and has been ok defensively too. 

Left Back - Thiago Pinto  - Important player for Ankaragucu in an attacking sense. Puts good crosses into the box and creates chances. Just looking for him to be a bit stronger and tougher on the pitch at times. 

Defensive Midfielder - Idriz Voca - Good passer of the ball and one of the key signings the club made over the summer. Lukasic and Assane have failed to impress so far, so a chance for Voca to come into the fold.

Midfielder - Sahverdi Cetin - Im a big believer in if you are good enough, you are old enough. Sahverdi showed in the short space of time last week that he can be an important player for the club and i would start him with Voca who both have energy to allow Alper to play further forward. 

Attacking Midfielder - Alper Potuk - With Voca and Sahverdi in the middle of the park it will allow Alper to do his work further forward and help support Borven. He has a lot of ability but needs to show it in the right areas of the pitch.

Wide Attacker - Endri Cekici - Can play as a number ten, or out on the left. With Alper taking up that number 10 position, i would play Cekici in the wide left position to start with. He can come inside and give Ankaragucu an extra player in the middle of the park and allow Tiago to get forward. 

Wide Attacker - Joseph Paintsil - Hasnt shown his best yet, but i believe he has a lot of ability and just needs to make the right decisions. His pace is also a big concern for defenders and he could be the gamechanger if he performs to the level which he can.

Striker - Torgeir Borven - Again hasnt shown his best yet, but he needs more support and if you get the likes of Potuk, Cekici, Paintsil around him in support with Tiago and Kitsiou also providing he should score goals. 

A tough game no doubt, but one which we must win, otherwise Fuat Capa will be in big trouble as will Ankaragucu. 

ANKARAGUCU SCORN THE OPPORTUNITY OF SILVERWARE !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

The last time Ankaragucu won a major trophy I was otherwise engaged in more ‘serious matters’ and so missed it.   However, the great man, Kenan Evren, redeemed himself in my eyes and promoted Ankaragucu to the top league after winning the Turkish Cup  !!

 

I had to wait until the beginning of the Gokcek Era to see Ankaragucu lift silverware for the 1^st time when they won The TRT Cup in Saray  !!

 

Back to the present, and all credit to Sivas yesterday who fully deserved their moment of glory in winning the Capital Cup, also know as the TSYD (Sportswriters Cup).

 

The fact that both of their goals came from Ankaragucu ‘schoolboy errors’ doesn’t hide the fact that they always looked the likelier team to score and were always ahead of Ankaragucu in most aspects of the game, ie, passing, speed, possession, winning 50/50 balls and having that cutting edge.

 

ANKARAGUCU         0           Sivasspor       2

 

Team – Ricardo, Cebrail, Erdi, Pazdan, Pinto, Sarlija, Diousse, Lukasik, Alper, Borven and Emre

 

Substitutes – Kulusic, Berke, Kitsiou, Korcan, Can and Atila

 

Sivas was straight into the attack from the whistle and it took and saving clearance from Pazdan to save Ankaragucu going behind in the opening minute.    Not long after that came a scary moment when Ricardo came rushing out of the penalty box to intercept a through ball, and in doing so, collided with a Sivas attacker.    In my opinion, he was lucky that the referee gave a free kick in his favour  !

 

10 minutes in and Ankaragucu finally ventured into the final 3^rd when Alper floated in a free kick on the left but there was an infringement in the box and the chance was lost.

 

8 minutes later the lively and skilful Erdogan crossed the ball from the right but Ricardo spotted the danger and cut it out to make a crucial save.

 

4 minutes later and another scary moment when a pass-back was made to Ricardo, but his attempted clearance ricocheted off a Sivas attacker and fortunately went out for a corner and not into the unprotected goal  !

 

3 minutes later and from yet another dangerous Sivas attack it was Pazdan again to clear the danger.

 

Then with only 8 minutes until half time Sivas made the break through, but what a calamity of a goal it was.     There was no danger when a back pass was played to Ricardo, who had all the time in the world to clear.    He looked up and passed the ball straight to an unmarked Sivas attacker who probably couldn’t believe his luck.   He slipped the ball to Hakan who had the easiest of tasks of driving the ball into the right corner.     Of course, goalkeepers are human and make mistakes, but .......... this is one which Ricardo will want to forget  !!

 

Ankaragucu to their credit didn’t throw in the towel, and Emre could easily have equalised on 2 occasions before the half time whistle.    Firstly, he made good contact with his head from a right wing cross which the goalkeeper saved for a corner.    The header was probably going just past the post but it was a good effort.

 

Then with just a minute left to play, and Ankaragucu was awarded a free kick on the right just outside the box.    Emre took it and curled in an exquisite shot which beat the goalkeeper and clipped the top of the crossbar and out.

 

Ankaragucu started the 2^nd half in determined fashion, but Sivas still looked like the team in control.    Berke had a great chance when his shot went just over the bar.   Can also had the best chance of the match when, with one on one with the goalkeeper, he was too slow to shoot and in doing so allowed a defender to catch him and dispossess him.     Near the end, Can did score, but it was rightly chalked off for handball when he controlled the ball.

 

In between, Sivas had a goalbound shot blocked by Sarlija before the killer blow was struck.

 

It was into time added on when two Ankaragucu players collided in a mix-up in the midfield area.    The ball broke to Yatabare who set off like a whippet and stroked the ball in to put the game to bed.

 

As I said, this was a well deserved win for Sivas who took their chances, unlike Ankaragucu who really need to score some goals soon to restore some confidence to the team.       However, as I said in my previous report recently, they need to go back to basics on the Training Pitch.

 

Their crosses from free kicks and corners must improve.   They must also practice one touch passing to keep breakaways flowing.    Too often yesterday the breakaways were slowed down which allowed the Sivas defence to re-group.      Breakaways are supposed to be fast flowing attacks to catch out defenders caught out of position and to bury the ball in the net either from crosses or cut-backs.

 

Those points must be addressed before next weekend’s match away to fellow strugglers Rize.   The stakes are high for this match.    The losing team will find itself cast adrift from the pack.  

 

Let’s bring all 3 points back to Ankara and get the show on the road   !!!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu complete Endri Cekici signing!

 

The Albanian playmaker finally completed his move to the club this afternoon and now completes the clubs transfer business. Cekici has been linked with a move to the club for the last 4-5 weeks but it looked like the move was dead until last week when rumours started to grow that the club see him as the final piece of the jigsaw. 

The 23 year old who can play on either wing or just behind the striker has a good scoring record in the Slovenian League with Ljubliana where he has signed for 200,000 Euros. The Super Lig will be a step up in quality but Ankaragucu will be hoping he can contribute straight away and help the attack which has been largely missing for the first 3 games. 

We welcome Endri to the club and hope he can be successful and earn his first cap in the Albanian National team.

GENCLERBIRLIGI NEVER FAIL TO AMAZE !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Genclerbirligi has flirted with relegation over the past few seasons and I usually call them the ‘Jekyll and Hyde team of Turkey’  !    Well, they certainly lived up to that reputation last night with a professional performance against Beshiktrash with a Jekyll display.    Few would disagree that BJK were pre-match favourites, but as we saw last night they are not the power they were a few seasons ago !

 

Notwithstanding, it is never easy to go to Istan....spit.....bul and return with all 3 points but Gencler showed great fighting spirit and skill last night to do just that !

 

Besiktas          0                   GENCLERBIRLIGI          1

 

Team – Nordfeld, Polomat, Toure, Johansson, Berat, Sefa, Diego, Yilmas, Furman, Candeias and Stancu

 

Substitutes – Ayite, Mustafa, Sio and Pehlivan

 

Gencler opened the scoring after only 7 minutes when a cross came in from the right.   Stancu reacted quicker than the BJK defenders and headed just inside the left post.   There was a shout for offside, but after consulting VAR the referee quite rightly awarded the goal.

 

BJK continued to dominate possession but became stuck in the final third which gave Gencler opportunities for counter attacking.     Sefa and Candeias both went close from such attacks as the match drifted towards half time.

 

It took BJK until 5 minutes before half time to have their first attempt on goal but the header went past the post.     A 2^nd attempt was made shortly after but the shot by Gokhan was easily saved by Nordfeld.

 

Much the same in the 2^nd half with BJK dominating the possession but there was no cutting edge to their build up play.  

 

Gencler had 4 opportunities in the 2^nd half to put the match to bed.     First, some nice inter-passing footie on the right but the final shot by Sefa was cleared off the line by a defender with the goalkeeper beaten.     Secondly, from another break on the right, the ball was played in for the inrushing Sio but just too much on the pass for him to make contact.

 

The best chance came to Sio in time added on when he missed a sitter when one on one with the goalkeeper when he shot straight at the goalie.    He then picked up the rebound and shot over the crossbar.    Mustafa had the final chance but his shot was past the post.

 

BJK did give Gencler a scare in the 89^th minute when a shot hit the post and was fortunately cleared by a defender.

 

Gencler can be well satisfied with their first win of the season and if they continue to put in performances like this one on a regular basis they can avoid the usual flirtation with relegation this season.

 

It’s  International Football next weekend so the next match will be at home against Denizli on the weekend of 17/18 October.

 

Well done Gencler  !!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Lots of optimism pre-match (from me too) but again Ankaragucu came crashing back to earth and failed to deliver.   Even snatching one point looked beyond Ankaragucu as the match progressed.

 

Lots of work needed in the next 2 weeks on the Training Pitch in all areas to return to basics, eg, how to pass the ball to a colleague, how to cross a ball into the danger area from attacks and corners .........ooofyaaaa   !!!

 

This was not the performance we were looking for, and to be perfectly honest, it was a well deserved win for Kayseri  !

 

ANKARAGUCU       0                  Kayserispor        1

 

Team – Ricardo, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Pinto, Erdi, Alper, Adzic, Assance, Lukasic, Paintsil and Borven

 

Substitutes – Orkan, Saba, Voca and Emre

 

Ankaragucu started well enough and both Paintsil and Borven had efforts before Ankaragucu faded and Kayseri started to look dangerous.     Old Boy, Ilhan Parlak, had a shot halfway through the 1^st half but it was just past the post.

 

Then, just before the half time whistle he struck with a curled shot from the left to inside the right post with a well crafted and well taken goal.     I suppose we can forgive Ilhan for feeling smug after he was recently released by Ankaragucu   !!

 

Ankaragucu started the 2^nd half in  more determined fashion but Kayseri’s defence was solid and dealt easily with Ankaragucu’s ponderous attacks.

 

10 minutes into the 2^nd half and Kayseri had a fast breakaway which had a goal written all over it, but fortunately the Kayseri attacker was unable to control the ball and the danger was cleared.

At the halfway stage in the 2^nd half Ankaragucu was slowing the game down and playing into Kayseri’s hands who were well able to deal with Ankaragucu’s slow build ups..

 

Saba was introduced and was immediately involved in an Ankaragucu breakaway on the right, but he decided to shoot rather that cutting the ball back for Borven in the middle and his shot was saved at the near post.

 

Saba was again involved soon after when he set-up Kitsiou but his shot was saved.    Then, Pinto had a great run down the left and cut the ball back to Borven who blasted his shot well over the bar.

 

Into the closing minutes and Assane had 2 chances to score but blasted one over the bar and his other effort was feeble and easily saved.

 

Ricardo pulled off a great save in the dying minutes to save a fierce goal bound effort as Kayseri finished the stronger team.

 

So, yet another match which will not live long in the memory  !

 

Emre was introduced from the substitutes bench late-on in the match so I’m still unable to assess his value to the team.

 

On an optimistic note, it may well be that Borven and Bollinga (when he recovers from his injury) could form a successful partnership up front, but we must await Bollinga’s return to action to give it a chance to materialise.

 

So, after 3 matches played, Ankaragucu find themselves in familiar territory, ie, propping up the league with one point   !!

 

Next weekend there is an International Matches break which will give Fuat Bey some breathing space to work on the team’s fitness and tactics before they travel to Rize on the weekend of 17/18 October.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim