FROM THE SIDELINES (19/09/21)
After a long summer of cricket, it has been wonderful to return to Ukraine last week and especially to come back to watch the Kyiv Oblast Championship as both Premier and First Leagues reach what is going to be an exciting conclusion to the 2021 season.
I have followed all the results from England and there have been some interesting developments across both divisions, with respective leaders Nyva Buzova and SC Hatne being put under some real pressure at the top of the table, and this has made things interesting as we enter the home stretch.
On Saturday I took a short trip to SKK Sofiyivskiy to watch one of the main challengers in the Premier League title race, Juniors Shpitky, take on a Sofia side who have slipped into a bit of relegation trouble over recent rounds. Of course, my main expectation was to see a comfortable victory for Juniors and, to my mind, it was going to be about how much they could improve their goal difference in the race to overtake Nyva Buzova.
Juniors had got themselves in with a shot at the title after putting together a winning run of seven games in a row, including a 12-0 mauling of Yunior Makariv the previous week, but surprisingly this run came to an end in front of my eyes. A fantastic defensive display by Sofia kept the score at 0-0 despite facing wave after wave of attack from the designated ‘home’ team. Actually, if they had taken their chances on the counter-attack in the closing stages, Sofia could have won.
The man in the middle for this game was Serhiy Zadyran, ably helped by assistants Dokuchay and Andreyev and it was a steady afternoon for the referee, although the game finished at high pace and frantic attacking from both sides meant a lot of minor fouls that disrupted play.
The result was obviously disappointing for Juniors, even more so after Nyva’s 2-0 win over Kudrivka Irpin which gives the reds a crucial four-point cushion going into the final matches. Dengoff Denihivka also managed to make ground on Shpitky with a thumping 6-1 win over Sokil Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka. Two goals from magic striker Serhiy Tretyak now puts him top of the goalscoring charts with 19 goals so far this season.
At the bottom of the league, Mezhigirya Novi Petrivtsy are in big trouble after previous basement boys Dynamo Fastiv went above them thanks to a 1-0 win over Yunior Makariv. It will be a tense few weeks to come for the teams in the relegation dogfight.
After a goalless start, on Sunday I was invited to visit Kodra to watch the big match of the round in the Kyiv Oblast First League between Partizan and second placed Avanhard Bziv. This was a game that the home side needed to win to keep any hopes alive of promotion, and Avanhard wanted to maintain their momentum in the battle for first place with SC Hatne.
Despite the beautiful grass playing surface, and the very smart surroundings, the weather I think prevented a lot more people from coming along to Partizan Arena for what was the game of the day. But those who did come and stand in the rain were rewarded with some of the highest quality entertainment on offer all season.
Partizan are coached by Ukrainian football legend and former Dynamo and Dnipro midfielder Serhiy Konovalov, and you can see that the way the team is organised is of an elite standard. At 49 years old, the former Ukraine international is clearly enjoying his time passing on his knowledge and, in my opinion, when people come from the very highest level of football to share this wealth of experience with young players, this is good news. After all, not everyone with that prestigious background is willing to do it.
But you have to be an excellent team to defeat Avanhard Bziv. They are a fantastic side who I love watching. The visitors came into this clash on a five-game winning streak, a string of results that included a stunning 3-0 victory over leaders SC Hatne.
The game start at full speed, with Partizan having the better of the opening exchanges. It was breathless stuff but really good quality football and, after 27 minutes, it was Kodra who grabbed the lead with a goal from Vladyslav Nykonenko. However, the advantage lasted only two minutes when Avanhard dangerman Artem Kylypenko slipped home the equaliser.
Incredibly, on 32 minutes, Nykonenko scored his second of the afternoon diverting home a great cross to score. But, just as the spectators were still discussing the goal, Avanhard equalised again, Kylypenko making it 2-2. What incredible stuff to set the heart racing.
The engine was now running at full throttle until referee Pidpaly blew the half-time whistle. During the interval the rain finally stopped and the skies became a bit brighter ready for the second period.
Again, the teams flew out of the blocks with both sides striving for the go-ahead goal. And we did not have to wait long when, on 54 minutes, Nykonenko completed a brilliant hattrick with a cracking shot into the back of the net.
Unbelievably, Avanhard came back for a third time and showed the kind of fight, heart and character that explains why they are so hard to beat. Only four minutes after going behind, Kylypenko scored his third goal and the scores were level at 3-3.
With the intensity of the game so high, one team had to break and, on 74 minutes, Avanhard conceded a penalty for a foul in the area. Disappointed with the decision, the Bziv players surrounded both referee Pidpaly and assistant referee Velychko to protest. It looked like a penalty to me, but I am not an expert! Yevhen Kuznetsov lashed home the spot kick and put Partizan into a lead that, this time, they would not relinquish.
Thank you to both sides for a superb game and it was a wonderful advert for Ukrainian amateur football. The welcome you get and the hospitality you are afforded in Kodra really is outstanding.
So, Partizan are still alive in the division, and Avanhard are now five points behind SC Hatne at the top. Behind the yellows are Viktoriya Zabirya and Zorya Myronivshchyny with Partizan right on their shoulders. Next weekend should be another fascinating round with the main game of the Premier League being the bottom place battle between Mezhigirya and Horodok-1998, followed by a super-match in Vyshneve between SC Hatne and Viktoriya. My advice – come along!
