ANKARAGUCU – NOT FOR FOLDING !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

In one of Ankaragucu’s best performances of the season last night they made a statement of intent to the teams in the bottom half of the league that they are ready and willing to fight off the threat of relegation.

 

True enough, they are not out of the woods yet, but they can surely be encouraged that they took the scalp of a strong Basaksehir team who are still in the hunt for qualifying for a European Competition next season.

 

With 8 matches left it is still all to play for, and the hope is that Ankaragucu can deliver consistent performances similar to last night’s.   

 

The fight is still very much .........on   !!!

 

ANKARAGUCU              2                       Basaksehir           1

 

Team – Bahadir, Kitsiou, Atakan, Mujakic, Alper, Tolga, Pedrinho, Bassogog, Morutan, Tasos and Ali Sowe

 

Substitutes – Ali Kaan, Arda, Kazimcan, Renaldo and Macheda

 

The first half was fairly even with the match swinging from end to end, but with only 2 clear cut chances.

 

Ali Sowe almost scored when he hit the post with a header with the goalkeeper beaten.

 

At the other end, Bahadir made a great save from a shot just outside the box which was heading in.

 

7 minutes into the 2^nd and Tasos should have done better when well placed, but he sent his shot well over the bar.

 

However, 4 minutes later and the breakthrough arrived when Ali Sowe was brought down in the box.    No argument .........penalty   !         Captain Tolga stepped up to the mark and sent a fierce shot inside the left post.      A perfect penalty   !

 

Basak searched for the equaliser, but Bahadir was equal to the efforts which came his way.

 

Then came The Goal of the Match.      A long clearance was made to Ali Sowe who avoided 3 attempted tackles as he surged into the box before sending his shot inside the left post.

 

Game over    ?          Not quite.

 

Renaldo was put through on the left but the goalkeeper narrowed the angle of his shot to prevent the 3^rd goal.

 

10 minutes to go and Basak pulled a goal back which resulted in a comedy of errors and a slice of luck   !      A cross was sent in from the right to the back post which wasn’t dealt with by Bahadir and the defence.    With the ball bobbing around, Bahadir in the sitting position, Figueiredo was allowed to prod the ball over the line for a soft and sloppy goal.

 

Ankaragucu quelled Basak’s search for the equaliser and calmly ran the clock down   !

 

There is now a 2 weeks break in league action for International matches next weekend and a General Election in Turkey the following weekend.

 

Ankaragucu will be in action again on 2^nd or 3^rd of April when they travel to play Antalyaspor who are sitting in the top half of the league and no doubt still looking to move further up the league to qualify for European football next season.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI MAINTAIN MOMENTUM IN PLAY-OFF RACE !

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

As the season enters the final furlong with only 7 matches left to play, Gencler recorded their 3^rd back-to-back win of the season last night to keep their play-off hopes on track.

 

Despite Kocaeli having the lion’s share of play, Gencler has a striker. Melih Bostan, who has gradually developed into a skilful predatory front-man over the past month or so.    In the event that Gencler don’t make it back into the Super League, I have no doubt that he will be poached by a Super League club next season.

 

This Gencler team seem to be gelling together at the right time and they have a strong bench to see them through the run-in.

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI             2                 Kocaelispor          0

 

Team – Ertugrul, Ozuzhan, Nzaba, Babacan, Yasin, Elias Durmaz, Amilton, Akabueze, James Siliki, Ensar and Melih Bostan

 

Substitutes – Yigit, Ozgur, Gaetan and Oltan

 

Gencler was back in the Eryaman Stadium after playing a few recent matches at The Aktepe Stadium, but I have to say that the surface still looks poor, especially around the goalmouth area.

 

It was a fast and furious 1^st half with both teams intent on attack, but Gencler was well worth their half time lead with 2 clinical finishes.

 

The first came after only 4 minutes when a cross came into the 6 yard box from the right and Melih ghosted in between 3 defenders to prod the ball in.

 

Kocaeli threatened Ertugrul only once when a goal bound header in the centre was saved at the left post.

 

The 2^nd goal arrived in time added on in the 1^st half from a sweeping move down the right.   The ball was played inside to James, but before he could take his shot, Melih nipped in ahead of him to shoot inside the left post.     A true predator   !!

 

Unsurprisingly, the pace of the match noticeably slowed in the 2^nd half with Ertugrul coping easily with only 2 goal bound efforts from Kocaeli.

 

There is now a 2 weeks break in league action for International matches next weekend and the General Election in Turkey the following weekend.

 

Gencler will be in action again on Tuesday 2 April when they travel to play mid-table Bolu who also have play-off aspirations   !

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI – BACK IN THE FRAME !

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Gencler finally recorded their first win in 8 attempts yesterday, and after such a vital victory are back in the race to join the play-off hopefuls.     Still a long way to go, but it’s a step in the right direction.

 

Altay            0                     GENCLERBIRLIGI             4

 

Team – Ertugrul, Oguzhan, Arda, Babacan, Nzaba, Amilton, Ensar, R. B. Cagiran, James Siliki, Bostan and Gaetan

 

Substitutes – Halit, Jimmy Durmaz, Baran, M. Cagiran and Akabueze

 

 

The first real action of the match occurred in the 20^th minute when Gencler opened the scoring.   A slack tackle by an Altay player allowed Bostan to collect the ball and with a deft back-heel overhead flick he deceived a defender, drove into the box and sent a well placed shot inside the left post.

 

10 minutes later and it was almost two when a James corner was only parried by the goalkeeper, but cleared by a defender.

 

Altay only managed one shot which was a long range effort which hit the post and cleared.

 

Almost on the half time whistle and Bostan was needlessly brought down almost on the goal line to the left of the post.      Penalty, said the referee, and despite pleas from the Altay players, he refused to check VAR.      Ensar sent his well taken penalty inside the left post.

 

All credit to Gencler to restrict Altay to only one serious attempt on goal and Gencler good value for taking their chances.

 

I was unable to watch the 2^nd half, but 2 goals by R. B. Cagiran shortly after the 2^nd half resumed was enough to claim 3 valuable points.

 

So, as I said, Gencler is now back in contention for a play-off place, and if they can reproduce the form they displayed yesterday, will have to be taken seriously.

 

Next up for Gencler is a home match against 3rd top Kocaelispor next Friday night.    Kocaeli is in the chase to catch Goztepe in 2^nd place, so a close encounter is anticipated.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – RELEGATION THREAT NOW A REALITY !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Ankaragucu disappointed in Samsun last night when they failed the ‘acid test’ and therefore find themselves deep in the relegation struggle, and on last night’s performance there is little scope for optimism.     However, having said that, there are 9 matches left for Ankaragucu to conjure up an escape plan   !!!

 

They failed to ‘put a glove’ on Samsun in the entire match, which the players knew they needed to win to claw their way back to mid-table safety.

 

All credit to Samsun who looked the likelier of the two teams to take all 3 points, and that they left it so late in the match was the surprising thing.

 

Samsunspor              2                         ANKARAGUCU                1

 

Team – Bahadir, Mujakic, Mert, Radakovic, Kitsiou, Pedrinho, Tolga, Tasos, Riccardo, Bassogog and Macheda

 

Substitutes – Ali Kaan, Kazimcan, Morutan, Renaldo and Bajic

 

Samsun almost opened the scoring after 10 minutes when the Ankaragucu defence was caught out and the Samsun attacker should have punished them but dragged his shot wide.

 

However, one minute later the goal did come and it must go into the ‘lucky’ category.   A cross came in from the right and it fell kindly for Holse just outside the box in the centre.    He sent in a powerful shot which Bahadir looked to have covered, but the ball took a cruel deflection off an Ankaragucu defender and the ball sailed into the top right.

 

3 minutes later and Ankaragucu were level after another defected gifted a goal.    A free kick on the left was sent into a crowded box and an attempted headed clearance by a Samsun defender hit the unsuspecting Ozturk on the head to wrong-foot the goalkeeper and sneak in for a lucky goal.

 

It was all Samsun from that point till the half time whistle.       They missed 3 genuine chances with efforts going over the bar and just past the post.

 

Going in all square at half time was surely a bonus !!

 

Into the 2^nd half and Samsun continued where they left off searching for the winner.    5 minutes in and Ankaragucu had the post to thank when a shot hit the post on the inside and the ball looked to be heading over the line, but thankfully a defender was within reach to hack the ball away to safety.

 

10 minutes later and another Samsun effort went whizzing past the post.

 

10 minutes to go to the final whistle and at this stage I would happily have settled for one point   !!!

 

However, Samsun finally made the break-through which I suppose came as no surprise   !   Samsun made a fast break on the left, the cross came in, the shot was made and Bahadir could only parry it.     But .........straight to Ntcham who fired into the top centre.

 

There can be no complaints about the result which was a fair reflection of play.     Now, all eyes turn to next Saturday when Ankaragucu will be at home against Basaksehir who are sitting comfortably in 6^th position in the league.        No need to mention how crucial this match is   !!!

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI – PROMOTION HOPES STALLED !

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Gencler lost a golden opportunity yesterday to move into a more challenging position when they could only draw with relegation threatened Sanliurfa (their 10^th draw this season   !!).    So, they remain stuck in 9^th position and are sorely in need of a win to reignite their challenge of securing a play-off position.

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI            1                    Sanliurfa               1

 

Team – Ertugrul, Nzaba, Babacan, Yigit, Ozgur, James Siliki, Ensar, R. B. Cagiran, Gaetan, Bostan and Amilton

 

Substitutes – Otan, Akabueze, Kayoteand Elias Durmaz

 

I missed the first 30 minutes of the match so can’t comment on the opening goal scored by Fernando after 10 minutes.

 

The match was played at The Aktepe Stadium (home of Keciorengucu) again and probably due to the playing surface problem at The Eryaman Stadium, but I am unsure if this is a temporary arrangement or permanent.       Any thoughts on this from our Gencler readers   ?

 

Gencler found the equaliser on the half hour mark which had some good fortune attached to it.    A free kick on the left was lofted to the back post and headed into the centre for R . B. Cagiran.    He sent his shot to the centre which the goalkeeper appeared to have covered, but the ball took a cruel deflection off a defender and ended up in the top right    !!

 

The tempo of the match slowed in the 2^nd half and with 10 minutes to go it looked like both sets of players were happy with a point each, but it is more than likely that 1 point will suit Urfa in their relegation struggle rather than Gencler with an eye on the play-offs   !!

 

Gencler did have a good chance to find the winning goal almost on the full time whistle, but a goalmouth scramble was eventually cleared by the Urfa defence.

 

On this showing, Urfa has much work to do in their remaining fixtures if the are to avoid relegation.     There is no doubting Gencler’s endeavours over the past few weeks, and yesterday, but they are gradually losing touch with the play-off pack in the top half of the league.

 

Gencler has yet another opportunity to get the show back on the road next Sunday 10 March when they travel to 2^nd bottom Altay.       Bottom club Giresun have been cut adrift, but Altay can still rescue their season, so it will be another close encounter with both teams desperate for all 3 points    !

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – MOST DEFINATELY ......’A BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE’ !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

After their Dr Jekyll performance last week against Fenerbahce, Ankaragucu returned to play the part of Mr Hyde today against the bottom club in the league.

 

Poor finishing by Ankaragucu, horror defending to concede a goal, some resolute defending by Istanbulspor in the 1^st half, not to mention the RED card for Ertac, and Ankaragucu faced a mountain to claw themselves back into the match in the 2^nd half.

 

Ankaragucu hardly put a glove on Istanbulspor in the 1^st half and could easily have considered themselves fortunate to go in only 1-0 down.

 

That Ankaragucu was able to equalise in the 2^nd half is to be congratulated, but it would have been a travesty if Istanbulspor had lost all 3 points after their ability to contain Ankaragucu, and also their own poor finishing in the 2^nd half should be borne in mind.

 

ANKARAGUCU             1                     Istanbulspor           1

 

Team – Ertac, Kitsiou, Mert, Mujakic, Kazimcan, Tolga, Ali Kaan, Bassogog, Pedrinho, Tasos and Ali Sowe

 

Substitutes – Bahadir, Atakan, Alexis, Rodrigues and Macheda

 

The match was only 15 minutes old when poor defending almost cost Ankaragucu to concede the opener.    However, Ertac was well positioned to save a close range header,

 

5 minutes before half time and Ertac was called into action again when he was forced to run out of the penalty area to intercept the ball before an attacker.   Unfortunately he took him out bodily and the both crashed to the ground.     The referee immediately produced the RED card for Ertac, and both teams medical staff were called on to attend to them.     The result being that both players were stretchered off.       Pedrinho was sacrificed as Bahadir replaced Ertac.

 

Approaching the half time whistle at 45 plus 7 and another shambles in the Ankaragucu defence when they needlessly gave the ball away.    Florin latched onto the ball just outside the box and sent a screamer high inside the left post.

 

Sighs of relief all round when Ankaragucu grabbed the equaliser 7 minutes into the 2^nd half.    An astute pass by Tolga in his own half of the field  to Bassogog on the left.     He took off, and just inside the box sent his shot inside the right post.

 

Would the gallant 10 men have an historic fight back to secure all 3 points   ?         Hmmmmm, NO, but .......almost   !!

 

Bassogog almost found the 2^nd goal 5 minutes later when a defender sent his attempted clearance straight to him.     Unfortunately, he couldn’t control the ball and the goalkeeper was able to smother the ball.

 

10 minutes from the end and Atakan had a goal bound header well saved.

 

This result leaves Ankaragucu looking over their shoulder as the 7 clubs below them take closer order with the ultimate aim of sucking Ankaragucu into the danger zone.

 

Therefore, next Sunday’s match in Samsun falls into the crucial category if Ankaragucu is to avoid the relegation dog-fight towards the end of the season   !

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim