Journeyman In Europe

  Besides loving to travel, football has always been a big part of my being. After playing amateur football for the GD Peniche, in Portugal,  I stopped to start the trips I always wanted to make. I was 22 when I started traveling around Europe. Eight years passed after I grabbed the tent and started this journey without a destination.

  At the beginning of my 30s, I met someone who made the flame of love of football come back, by inviting me to play in a tournament. So many years have passed when I didn't touch the ball.
  I was in Slovakia and the tournament went really well. It's not like I won the tournament. Far from it. But thanks to this tournament I met someone else who helped me get back into the world of football. This time by helping me take a coaching course and getting me a team to coach.

  Two years passed when I shared my time training the Podkonice youngsters and studying to take the course. It's been a fabulous two years in which I learned a lot from these little Slovaks and that I was able to get the national A license.

  After doing a great job for Podkonice's little ones, a senior team from the Slovak second division called for me. Dukla Banská Bystrica, after missing last season's climb, decided to refresh the "hot chair" to attack the climb.

  We see ourselves for the sixth year in a row in the second division. In the last two years we've come in second. This year can't fail. Our strongest adversaries are Sport Podrezova and FC Kosice.

 As honours we have two Slovnaft Cup and one 2.Liga
  Even so, the board only wants one seat in the first half of the table.

  I have to say to me that we must fight for the title, but I can't say it out loud. The boys don't have that much confidence and would be angry if you put pressure on them that way. That's why we're going game by game.

  This is the main tactics I intend to use. Defensively solid, with a left winger trying to drill and a right back always waiting to appear in front.

  We were able to move well with the market and reinforce positions that did not have players at the height of the challenge to which I propose. Spotlight for David Depetris (transfer already made before I arrived the team) as striker. Despite the advanced age, it seems to me a good acquisition. Janef Juarez as a central midfielder will be in the starting line- up. 

  From loan title comes Kontantinos Oikonomou for the coverage part of the defense. And Brian Pena, comes to be Robert Polievka's replacement, our starter at left winger. Brian Pena came to Slovakia from the youth layers of Barcelona.
 

  The friendlies I decided to make all of them at home to get some money for the team. It was not the best results, but with the amount of games worked for warming the legs to all players and promote good cohesion between them.

Let the championship come.

Love it - I will share mine soon!

  This is the initial 11 chosen and what more rotation will have for at least the first part of the championship. Vincente Regeling was Summer's last signing, as we lent our other 19-year-old central to the lower divisions and Regeling give us more certainties.

The start of the season was not bad, and at home playing against Slavoj Trebisov we put the test to our tatics and our team togetherness. Almost at the end of the first half came the first goal of the season by David Depetris, showing hunger for goal even in his 32 years. At half-time I only showed the team that I was happy with the way they were playing, but not to take the game for granted. Back on the pitch the team continued to play well but a free-kick from the area brought the equaliser in the 73rd minute. I encouraged the team to keep attacking until the last minute and it was really the last minute that brought us the first 3 points of the season. In a move between Robert Polievka and David Depetris, the latter gave us the winning goal and the second goal in the team's first game.

1 365 / 5 000  

August arrived and even playing well against Slovan Bratislava's B team and satisfactorily, we lost the first points. We started the game winning and dominating, but the second half was theirs and the 89th minute came with the equalizer. In the game against Partizan Bardejov both central midfielders were injured in the first half before the half hour of play. Alen Mustafic at 15 minutes and Jafet Juarez at 26 minutes, fortunately nothing serious. The positive of these injuries were the entries of Matus Begala and Lubomir Wilweber that gave us the goals that ended up deciding the game. Against MSK Zilina's B team we didn't play well but the result appeared. All due to two goals from Konstantinos Oikonomu, our central defender who is a monster appearing at the near post in the corners. Playing at home to Sport Podrezova, one of the strongest teams in the division and destined to be champions, we managed to hold the tie until the end, but we barely left our midfield. The game against HFC Humenne was already easier, we dominated, but we scored late. Once again Konstantinos Oikonomou appeared in a corner finishing as only he knows, and already in the final minutes our old man David Depetris did his job. September opens with a game at FC Kosice, who have dominated every game since the start of the season. September also brings us the first round of the Slovnaft Cup.

  As predicted, the two strongest opponents are above, and together with us we are the only ones without defeats in 6 games. Now it's about trying to beat FC Kosice on the next round to try to get closer.

  September opened with one of the most difficult games of the season, away from home against FC Kosice, who still hadn't lost any points and had 20 goals in 6 games. But we entered with determination, and in a play on the left, in a tiki-taka between Matus Begala and Lukas Migala, the latter center low to the center of the area where David Depetris appears to score. Moments later, a free-kick at the entrance of the area and Robert Polievka did not forgive. It was 2-0. Until the end of the match we dominated but already in added time and with the team practically in the locker room, FC Kosice scored, 4 minutes had elapsed after 90 minutes, despite only 2 minutes having been given. At Matador Puchov's stadium, in the 55th minute, we were winning by two balls, but the opponent tied the game in the only two shots that made the goal, in the 63rd and 85th minutes respectively. Fortunately Brian Pena played a great game in the 20 minutes he was on the field and scored a beautiful goal outside the area at 90+6, which made the 23 fans that showed up maddening. Back at home and knowing that the day before FC Kosice had been defeated at home 3-0 by Sport Podbrezova, we only had one thing in mind. Win the game and move up one more place in the table. We completely dominated the game against Rohoznik, but only 1 shot of the 10 shots hit the goal, and by penalty. Much more was asked for in this game, but it's worth the 3 points. 3 days later the first round of the Slovnaft Cup arrived with an opponent from the lower divisions, TJ Vel'ke Levare and even with some rotation we still won by 4 balls. In the last game in September, we hosted FC Samorin and dominated the game with 2 goals from David Depetris, becoming the current best scorer of the championship, with 8 goals in 10 games.

October follows and seems to be a less complicated month. The most difficult game will probably be for the second round of the Slovnaft Cup where we will receive FK Pohronie from Fortuna Liga.

  At the tenth round, after a September with only victories, we are in second place with the same points as the leader Sport Podbrezova and with 2 points more than FC Kosice.