The joy of victory is still eluding the oldest Serbian football club, Legionaries from Sremska Mitrovica. “The Legion” will attempt to notch up their first victory this weekend, when the heavily favoured Kragujevac Wild Boars march into Srem looking for another win.
Just about everybody in Mitrovica is fully aware of their opponent`s strength, but that won`t stop them from attempting an upset. Still, they will have to do that with a crippled roster, without several regular players who were also absent from the last game, as well as safety Stevica Vranješević. Not all is this somber though, as the northerners will welcome back their star tailback Zoran Lončarević, who should provide some danger in the ground game.
“We`re aware of the fact that they`re coming here for a win, and we know how strong they are. We studied their offensive and defensive schemes, and know what is expecting us. All I can promise is maximum effort, for the rest, we`ll have to see”, said Goran Stojanović, Legionaries` head coach. Legionaries` team captain, Darko Šimleša, shares his sentiments. “This is going to be one difficult game for all of us, but we`ll do our best. Despite many injuries, I believe we have players enough to put up a good fight. The fact that we`re still winless might only serve as extra motivation”, said Šimleša.
Mitrovica`s GM Ramazi Inaišvili is looking ahead of this game. “So far, the biggest conclusion I`ve drawn from this competition is that you cannot succeed with a thin roster. We`re planning a slew of actions in the offseason, in order to make the public more aware and gain more youth support. We`re a small city without any colleges or universities nearby, which are the prime producer of young players. Still, I believe Mitrovica will stay one of the Serbia`s premiere footballing towns”, boldly stated Inaišvili.
The game is slated to begin at 16h this sunday, 18th of June, and the interested parties should head to the Podrinje stadium in Mačvanska Mitrovica, a short walk away from downtown Sremska Mitrovica.