Five target First League title
Friday, March 5, 2004
Article summary
The football season resumes in F.Y.R. Macedonia on Sunday, with five teams hopeful of taking the title.
Article body
Top five
After 17 matches, only six points divide the top five. Leading the pack with 33 points are FK Pobeda, one point clear of FK Sloga Jugomagnat and two ahead of FK Sileks. The reigning champions, FK Vardar, are in fourth position with 29 points, followed by FK Rabotnicki, who have 27 points.
Busy time
For Skopje rivals Vardar and Rabotnicki in particular, the winter break proved a busy time with both clubs using the transfer window to strengthen their squads. Macedonian Under-21 international Danco Masev was the most significant arrival at Vardar, joining from FK Belasica GC.
New recruits
The champions also re-signed former Macedonian international midfield player Zarko Serafimosvki from PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv, while Riste Naumov and Serbo-Montenegrin Velimir Zdravkovic are other new recruits. Rabotnicki, meanwhile, have signed Goce Toleski from FK Napredok and Serbo-Montenegrin midfield player Bojan Mihajlovic from Belasica.
New coach
It will be interesting to see how leaders Pobeda will fare under the leadership of new coach Nikola Ilievski, who replaced Dragan Kanatlarovski following the latter's decision to concentrate on his role coaching the national team. Pobeda, who have also advanced to the Macedonian Cup semi-finals, are chasing the first title in their history.
Young team
As for third-placed Sileks, they did well to reach the winter break in third place after several difficult years. However, given they have one of the First League's youngest teams, a runners-up place, which would bring UEFA Cup football, could prove a more realistic target than the title.
Immediate return
The only club in the top five not to buy any reinforcements were Sloga, yet they remain the favourites to win the league. At the other end, FK Bregalnica Delcevo look certain to return to the second division after just a season back in the top flight. They took just four points from a possible 51 before Christmas.
Exodus of players
FK Tikves are second-bottom with 14 points but have more hope of survival. It remains to be seen how fourth-bottom Belasica will respond to the exodus of players from the club during the break. Beside the departures of Mihajlovic and Masev, Zoran Baldovaliev (NK Publikum), Goran Popov (AEK Athens FC), Risto Doriev and Toni Eftimov (both PFC Pirin Blagoevgrada) all left for clubs abroad.