Ankaragücü - Gölcükspor Match Report

Team - Ishan Kirveli, Metin Aydin, Aytac Oden, Gurkan Alver, Mehmet Tasci, Orhan Evci, Harun Aydin, Mehmet Erdem, Levent Kale, Umut Nayir, Muhammed Gonulacar

Subs - Gokhan Akkan, Ramazan Adiguzel, Metin Ilhan, Ali Sinan Gayla, Gokhan Erdogan, Emir Ozbey, Teoman Erkan

This kanka was all alone for the 2nd round cup match against 3rd league side Gölcükspor, and not just within the Kanka group. The turnout was very poor in general, probably linked to the continuing differences between the fans and the management, the chilly weather and the Wednesday evening kick-off. Sol Kapalı had about 20 fans at most, Gecekondu was not a third full, Maraton had very few fans, and I didn't spot a single fan in the Gölcükspor end the entire match!

On the other hand, the Bekar Evi boys in Saatli had all turned out, and a mid-week after-work game is certainly the only time you'll see Ankaragücü fans in smart suits...

The game was, to put it mildly, a breath of fresh air after seeing Gücü's first two games at home. Knowing that they were the better side, the team didn't make so many mistakes under pressure, and so the football flowed, with a man always there to receive the ball and some pretty nifty passes and runs.

Photo (from Ankaragucu.org.tr): Metin Aydın takes a throw-in with a spacious but still loud Gecekondu behind

The team was dominant in possession and tactics throughout the first half, but at first it looked like the result might not reflect the play, as Ankaragücü's strikers lost their composure inside the box while Gölcük made a couple of sudden one-man counterattacking runs that sent the defence sprinting back but came to nothing.

The 17th minute saw a Gücü freekick just outside the Gölcük box, which was masterfully curled past the defensive wall but anticipated by the keeper. While Ankaragücü's midfield kept sending good balls upfield, there was else nothing worthy of being called a chance until the 35th minute, when Mehmet Taşcı sent a well-aligned cross over to Levent a few metres from the goal, only for the shot to just clear the bar. From then until half time, Ankaragücü played pinball in and near the box, bouncing the ball off defenders and looking dangerous but not getting anything in.

At the start of the second half there was a lull: not due to the efforts of the midfield, who were keeping balls coming through, but because the Gölcük team had gone all out to defend, and Ankaragücü seemed comfortable taking things at their own pace. A piece of inspiration struck the Yenidoğan drummer in Maraton at around the 60th minute, and almost all the fans in Marathon moved over to the fence, while most of the Gecekondu fans came and joined them. Whilst the fence got shaken so hard it looked on the brink of collapsing, the combined noise the two tribunes made spurred Ankaragücü on, and two players broke free in the 68th minute, beating the defender and goalkeeper with a classic last-second cross and Erdem's brilliant placement.

From then on, the team had several good chances, not least from set pieces as Gölcük became increasingly desperate in their defending. The win was confirmed in the 89th minute by Umut, who managed to get in several shots on goal this game. It looked as though he would be denied again when the goalkeeper stopped the shot, but he was there for the rebound and put it away.

Altogether, the small crowd gave Gecekondu a chance to try out new songs, all three main groups of fans applauded one another giving Mehmet Yiğiner a hard time, and Ankaragücü got a chance to take a breath and start playing some more convincing football than what we've seen up until now this season.