The Ankaragücü İskoçya Blog !

Ankaragucu Iskocya has moved !

2012-10-24T13:24:00.001-07:00

Round Ball in Ankara

Ankaragucu Iskocya has moved to http://ankarafootball.blogspot.co.uk, it has been decided that instead of having the two blogs we will just have the one. All the same news, views, match reports etc will still take place just at a different blog.

Please follow the link above which will take you to the blog and thanks for following.

Player profile - Bayram Olgun

2012-10-21T10:46:00.002-07:00

Over the coming months, Ankaragucu Iskocya will take a look at the current Ankaragucu squad and see who the future stars of the club are. First up is 1st choice Goalkeeper Bayram Olgun.

Bayram is a product of the Ankaragucu youth team and amazingly the 22 year old is in his 6th season as part of the first team squad. He has been capped three times by the Turkish under 19 team and last season cemented his place as the number 1 Goalkeeper at the club.

At 6ft 1 ins Bayram is powerful and a good shot stopper who has similarities with Volkan Demirel the Turkish International number 1. He has had to be patient for his place in the team, with the likes of Zafer, Serkan, Senecky, Bora and Ozden all having their chance ahead of him.

In season 2010, Bayram had a spell on loan at Bugsas which gave him experience in playing first team football. They say in life what doesn't break you makes you stronger, and that is certainly the case with Bayram. Last season was the worst season in the history of Ankaragucu, with the club finishing bottom of the Super Lig. Even in those tough times Bayram impressed and it was a huge boost when he declared he was staying at the club in the summer.

Offers from Kayseri Erciyesspor, Antalyaspor and Trabzonspor were turned down by Bayram in favour of staying to help Ankaragucu. When Ankaragucu Iskocya spoke to Bayram earlier this month, he confirmed he hadn't been paid in three months, in modern football where players are paid ridiculous money it was refreshing to see a young lad who just wanted to play football for the club he loves.

Bayram started this season on top form and is a key player for the team. At 22 years old he is one of the most experienced players in this young side. He has missed the last 5 games due to injury but is back in the squad which is a big boost to the team.

We at Ankaragucu Iskocya would like to wish Bayram Olgun all the best in his future, and thank him for coming to visit us when we traveled to Ankara for the Kartalspor match.

Bayram with myself and the Kanka group at Beyzade restaurant.

Ankaragucu 0-1 Trabzon 1461 Match Report !

2012-10-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

It was men against boys today as Ankaragucu lost 1-0 at 1461 Trabzon. The home side had only lost 1 of their last 32 matches and were strong favourites going into the match. Umit kurt returned to the Ankaragucu defence after suspension and Umut Nayer made his debut up front.

Team - Gokhan, Aytac, Volkan, Umit, Mehmet, Serkan, Mert, Bilal, Hasan, Timur, Umut Nayir,

Subs - Bayram, Kaan, Muhammed, Orhan, Gokhan Erdogan, Enes, Artun

1461 Trabzon are a very talented side, they won promotion from the Turkish Lig 2 last season and are the B team of Trabzonspor. They have a mix of talented young players like Torric Jebrin, Chikeluba Ofoedo and Eren Albayrak on loan from Trabzonspor as well as experienced lower league players.

Although the score was only 1-0 Ankaragucu were today taught a lesson on how to pass and move the ball and the score could have been higher. First change of the match came when Ofoedo tried to lob Gokhan who had come off his line to clear the ball, but the Nigerian striker put the ball high over the crossbar. Eren Albayrak caused problems down the left and when he went past two Ankaragucu defenders his cross come shot went by the post.

1461 pushed forward again, this time from Mehmet who took the ball out of defence, went past three defenders and put in an excellent cross for Ofoedo who just had to put the ball into the net but unfortunately for Trabzon he put the ball over the crossbar.

First chance of the game for Ankaragucu came when Hasan stepped up to take a corner, the winger put in a good cross which was headed by Umit and deflected by a Trabzon defender but the ball was saved by Ozturk in the Trabzon goal. Half time 0-0.

In the second half Trabzon were dominating in the wide areas, Serkan Sirin cleared a shot off the line and both Jebrin and Ofoedo were given to much space and their pace was causing all sorts of problems for the Ankaragucu defence. Ankaragucu could have taken the lead when Hasan's throw in was met by Bilal who controlled the ball before a left footed shot went inches by the post. It was the only change Ankaragucu were to have in the second half.

Torric Jebrin broke down the right hand side before putting in an excellent cross for Mehmet whose header went inches over the crossbar. Next up was Sercan Kaya who cut inside before shooting straight at Gokhan.

The 1461 Trabzon fans could sense the goal coming as they cheered their team on, Ofoedo went past both Volkan and Umit down the left before his shot just went wide of the post with Gokhan beaten. Umit Kurt made a big difference to the Ankaragucu defence and made another clearance off the goal line. From the resulting corner Mustafa Tiryaki who looks and sounds more like a Chinese food than a footballer headed the ball into the back of the net from a cross into the box with only ten minutes remaining.

The homes side hung on for the victory and another defeat for Ankaragucu. Next up is Gaziantep BB at home next Sunday afternoon. A must win match for Ankaragucu as they are in danger of being left behind in the relegation zone.

With the president of Ankaragucu jailed this week for being caught with Guns in his car without a licence, there isn't much hope for the future of Ankaragucu and its going to take a miracle for the club to avoid relegation.

Ankaragucu draw Corum Belediyespor in Turkish Cup !

2012-10-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu were today drawn at home to Corum Belediyespor in the Turkish Cup third round. Ankaragucu won 5-1 in the last round at home to Igdir Universitesi, however Lig 3 side Corum look like they will be tougher opposition this time round.

Corum knocked Adana Demirspor out in the last round and our resident Jim will tell you just how good a side Adana are. The most important thing for Ankaragucu this season is that they stay in the Turkish first division but a good cup run can bring in much needed revenue.

In other news Ankaragucu have been fined 25,000 TL for the crowd trouble at the Bucaspor match. Ankaragucu have also added Mehmet Umut Nayir who was the youth teams top goalscorer last season and central defender Necmettin Kutulubay to their squad. Both players were out of contract but have agreed to deals which will see them here to at least the end of the season.

Bent Ahlat jailed for 8 months !

2012-10-18T14:10:00.006-07:00

Ankaragucu president Bent Ahlat was today arrested by plain clothes officers and will now face an 8 month jail sentence. The crime committed is thankfully nothing to do with his time at Ankaragucu, it comes from working with a previous weapons company.

It brings shame to the name of Ankaragucu yet again that we have a president who has made a habit of lying since he came to the club. First of all promising he would lift the transfer ban on three different occasions, then his outburst that the team would not play any more games in the PTT Lig due to bad refereeing.

Ankaragucu fans have had to endure Cemal Aydin, Sami Altinyuva, Haluk Ilcak, and now Bent Ahlat and all their corruption and lies. When will this ever end and why does the Turkish FA and Government allow criminals like this have such important roles in their football clubs.

Ankaragucu vs 1461 Trabzon match preview !

2012-10-17T12:10:00.001-07:00

Ankaragucu travel to Trabzon on Saturday afternoon as they face 1461 Trabzon in the Turkish first division. After sundays disastrous defeat at home to Bucaspor the visitors will want to restore some pride with a good performance against a tough Trabzon side. The home side currently sit 5th in the league with Ankaragucu rooted to the bottom of the table.

The two teams met in a pre season friendly with the final score 0-0, 1461 will be a much stronger outfit this time and Ankaragucu will have to give the performance of their lifetime if they are to take anything from this game. Trabzon have only lost 1 of their last 32 games which is a fantastic achievement at any level. They are the B team of Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor.

1461 Trabzon have some quality players, Torric Jebrin is a talented young midfielder from Ghana signed by Trabzonspor from Bucaspor and then loaned out to the B side in the summer. Eren Albayrak and Sercan Kaya also signed by Trabzonspor from Bucaspor are midfielders who like to get forward and score goals. Up front they have Chikeluba Francis who is very quick and powerful and will need to be marked tight by the Ankaragucu defence.

Ankaragucu havent played at their best the last couple of games even though they won at home to Kartalspor. They need to start making more chances and tighten up at the back, there is no doubting referee decisions have went against the club but the poor mistakes at the back have cost us more. The good news is that Umit Kurt will be back in the side after suspension, he was missed badly at the weekend and it was no coincidence that in his absence the defence gave their worst performance of the season. Mehmet Cogum and Bayram Olgun may also be back in contention as well.

This will be the toughest game Ankaragucu have played this season, its important that the likes of Umit Kurt, Mert Erdogan, Serkan Sirin and Timur Ozgoz are at their best if Ankaragucu want to take anything from the game. I watched 1461 play Manisaspor a few weeks back and Manisa put up a good defensive performance and were well organised taking a point from the game. There is no reason why Ankaragucu cant do the same. The game will be shown live on TRT Web Tv.

Ankaragucu 1-5 Bucaspor match report !

2012-10-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu went into todays game confident of winning against struggling Bucaspor and a big turn out at the 19 Mayis Stadium had turned out to cheer the team on. Bucaspor had only won 1 game this season and at the start of the day were sitting just 1 point ahead of Ankaragucu. After 90 Minutes Ankaragucu were taught a footballing lesson with Buca's front four putting on a masterclass as well as poor defending from the home side. It has to be said the turning point of the game was yet another shocking refereeing decision that went against Ankaragucu.

Team - Gokhan, Orhan, Aytac, Volkan, Mehmet, Gokhan Erdogan, Bilal, Mert, Kaan, Timur, Serkan

Subs - Hasan, Sinan, Cihan, Artun, Metin, Muhammed, Enes

Attendance - 9348

Three changes for Ankaragucu from last weeks win over Kartalspor, Orhan came in to replace the suspended Umit Kurt. Bilal returned to the midfield as he replaced Muhammed Turkmen and Kaan Kanak replaced Hasan Ayaroglu.

The game had just started when a good run down the left hand side from Mohammed Dahmane and cross into the box found Zafer Cevik unmarked, the little winger volleyed the ball into the top corner giving Gokhan no chance. 1-0 Bucaspor. In the match preview this week we spoke of Mehmet Batdal and Mohammed Dahmane being the danger men and they didn't disappoint.

Ankaragucu were nearly on level terms a couple of minutes later when Mert shot from distance but his shot hit the post. It was Bucaspor who were controlling the game, there sharp passing and wide players were causing all sorts of problems. Umut Gundogan and Zafer Cevik were supporting Mehmet Batdal and Mohammed Dahmane giving the Ankaragucu defence and Mehmet Tasci in particular all sorts of problems.

Orhan Evci broke forward down the right for Ankaragucu before being fouled, Kaan Kanak stepped up to take the free kick and sent a lovely ball into the box, Timur Ozgoz was on hand to put the ball into the back of the net past Omer in the Buca goal. 1-1. The goal lifted Ankaragucu and the crowd, the atmosphere was spurring the young players on and it was Ankaragucu who started to look the better team. Ankaragucu had the ball in the back of the net again through Timur but it was ruled out for offside.

Kaan Kanak had a 35 yard free kick go over the bar just before half time as Ankaragucu continues to push forward for that second goal. The referee blew his whistle for half time with the score at 1-1. Both teams would have been happy with the result and the game was there for the taking.

Into the second half and again it was the young Ankaragucu players who raised the tempo, Gokhan Erdogan was full or running and causing all sorts of problems when running at the Bucaspor defence. It was Bucaspor who had the first chance of the second half. Nice play from Dahmane and Batdal to set up Umut but the winger saw his shot hit the post. Umut was causing all sorts of problems again with his pace, this time he went past a couple of players before finding Batdal and the big strikers shot was tipped round the post by Gokhan.

At the other end, Gokhan Erdogan went by his man down the left before cutting the ball back for Timur who turned and shot but saw his shot just go wide of the post. Then came the turning point, Mehmet Batdal broke into the Ankaragucu box, he tried to take the ball past Gokhan but fell to the ground, the big striker got up to his feet and looked to play on but the referee pointed to the spot and gave the penalty. You can usually tell from a players reaction if it were a penalty or not, the replays show minimal contact at the most. Up stepped Zafer Cevik who made no mistake with a well taken penalty into the top corner to make it 2-1 Bucaspor. A couple of minutes later Gokhan went by three men and was tripped in the box but the referee waved away the protests for the penalty much to the anger of the home fans.

The penalty decision seemed to take the stuffing out of Ankaragucu and the visitors dominated the rest of the match. Bucaspor had another couple of chances through Dahmane and Zafer but young Gokhan made the saves. Mehmet Batdal was put through on goal again, a lovely first touch before shooting over the top of Gokhan to make it 3-1. Mehmet Batdal is a young player who was tipped for big things but has saw his career stall the last couple of years. The way he played tonight it wont be long before he gets another crack at a team in the Super Lig. Ankaragucu brought Hasan Ayaroglu on for Kaan Kanak.

The Ankaragucu defence were all over the place and it was clear to see they missed Umit Kurt, Mohammed Dahmane played in Umut Gundogan who took the ball round Gokhan and put the ball into the net to make it 4-1. Hasan saw his shot at the other end easily saved by Omer. Mohammed Dahmane again was through on goal after beating two players but another excellent save from Gokhan. Ankaragucu brough Sinan on for Mert. Man of the Match Mohmmed Dahmane made it 5-1 with a few minutes to go to give Bucaspor a fantastic win.

Its difficult to understand why Bucaspor had only taken 5 points from their games at the start of play, their front four are the best players to have played against Ankaragucu this season so far. Ankaragucu need to sort out their defence quickly or it is going to be another season of embarrassment. There is no doubting the penalty decision changed the game but Bucaspor deserved their victory and Ankaragucu will need to learn from this game.

Next up is 1461 Trabzon next week, a tough game against a team who were 2-1 up at Sanliurfaspor today before the game got abandoned due to Sanli fans attacking the referee for awarding Trabzon a penalty and sending off two Sanli players.

Kaan Kanak

Aytac Oden

Sol Kapali throw flares into VIP Section

Hector Cuper and the Orduspor Revolution !

2012-10-13T07:33:00.001-07:00

Ok so this is a blog dedicated to Ankaragucu, so what has Hector Cuper and Orduspor got to do with Ankaragucu ? Well quite a lot and the rest of Turkish Football could learn a lot from Orduspor and the remarkable success they have had on and off the field over the last couple of seasons.

A few eyebrows were raised when Orduspor appointed Hector Cuper as their new manager on 19th December 2011. The club had just been promoted from the Turkish First Division and wanted an experienced foreign coach to take them to the next level. Cuper was a runner up in the Champions League twice with Valencia, and also a runner up in the UEFA Cup with Mallorca. In Italy he was Runner up for the Scudetto with Inter Milan.

Orduspor won promotion to the Turkish Super Lig just two seasons ago, unlike clubs who win promotion Orduspor's objection wasn't just to avoid relegation, but to challenge for Europe. After a great start to the season Ordu started to find it tough and were dragged into a relegation battle. Cuper was hired as manager at Christmas to try and steady the ship. Bogdan Stancu and Julio Cruz were both brought in on loan from Galatasaray and helped Orduspor retain their place in the Turkish Super Lig.

Although Orduspor will be disappointed they didnt finish higher up the table, they can be pleased that they are still in the Top Flight and can now look to climb higher up the table this term. Orduspor to date are the only undefeated team in the Turkish Super Lig. Good wins over Eskisehirspor and Galatasaray see them sit second in the league at the moment.

Hector Cuper has added some good players to the squad, Quality Turkish Players like Atilla Turan, Hasan Kabze and Yigit Gokoglan as well as impressive foreign players such as Jean Jaques Gosso, David Barral and Javier Umbides. Its not just on the field that Orduspor are doing things that are catching the eye. Off the field they have an impressive Business Management team that are working with Local Businesses and look to build the brand value. The club are also investing in youth football and grass roots football to produce local talent.

While clubs in Turkey continue to spend recklessly and add debt, Orduspor are showing how it should be done. Cuper has spoke of his love at managing the club and living in Ordu. " Everyday i go to training, and then when i return i have dinner in a local restaurant in Ordu, when i have a day off i wander round the city of Ordu, the local people are so friendly ".

Its easy to see why Hector Cuper is so successful, if his passion and hard work rubs off on his team then they will go on to better things. "He who works hards succeeds, it takes more than money to be successful, you can have all the money in the world but still not win anything. ". With the Turkish National team struggling and possibly looking for a new manager if Abdullah Avci is sacked then there cant be many better candidates than Cuper.

Ankaragucu are a club from the capital city of over 5 Million people, Ordu is a small city with only 145,000 people yet its the latter who are leading the way in terms of Professionalism, ambition, and the ideas which will take Orduspor to the Top of Turkish Football.

Ankaragucu vs Kartalspor videos !

2012-10-12T10:46:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are some videos i took at the Ankaragucu vs Kartalspor match on Sunday night as Ankaragucu won 1-0 thanks to a Timur Ozgoz goal.

Ankaragucu vs Bucaspor match preview !

2012-10-11T10:34:00.001-07:00

Ankaragucu host Bucaspor in the 19 Mayis Stadium on Sunday night as they look to make it two wins in a row. A good 1-0 win over Kartalspor at the weekend will give the players a taste of victory and hopefully they can now go on a winning run and climb the table. Ankaragucu will need to go into the match without Umit Kurt who is suspended which is a big blow.

Last Sundays performance at home to Kartalspor wasn't the best Ankaragucu have played this season but the important thing was to get the three points. It looks like Yilmaz Ozlem favours Muhammed Turkmen to Bilal Gulden but it was bringing on Bilal that changed the game on Sunday. Muhammed has the experience but isn't match fit having missed the last 6 months due to disciplinary problems and injury.

The last time the two sides met Ankaragucu won 5-3 at home two seasons ago, goals from Murat Duruer (2), Metin Akan, Robert Vittek and Ozgur Cek gave Ankaragucu the three points. Bucaspor were relegated that season and have found it difficult in the Turkish First Division. They have started the season only 1 point better off than Ankaragucu. A 2-1 home defeat at the weekend against Sanliurfaspor see Bucaspor getting dragged into the relegation battle.

Buca have some good players like Mehmet Batdal, Mohamed Dahmane, and Erkan Taskiran. They also have former Ankaragucu players Luiz Henrique and Abdullah Keseroglu in their squad. They will know what to expect when they travel to Ankara on Sunday and the front two of Batdal and Dahmane will need to be marked closely by Aytac Oden and Volkan Geyik who will play at the heart of the Ankaragucu defence.

Key players for Ankaragucu at the weekend will be Serkan Sirin and Timur Ozgoz. Sercan is impressing more as the weeks go by with his skill and flair and Timur needs to get on the scoresheet with him being the lone striker. Timur has the pace to play that lone striker but he needs to work on holding the ball up better and be stronger at holding players off.

I would love to be their to cheer Ankaragucu to another victory but i will need to do with watching on TRT 3 where the game is live. The ticket prices for all stands is 5 TL. No predictions for me this week as it brought me good luck last week. Saldir Ankaragucu !!

Ankaragucu 1-0 Kartalspor match report !

2012-10-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

Picture above - Me sitting with Gecekondu leaders with Scotland Flag

After Friday and Saturday night there was only going to be one outcome on last nights match, an Ankaragucu victory but the players had a tough fight for the three points. We all met up at the Chopin, Jim, Damon, Bugra, Basak, Lila, John, Tansu and his son and Harun. After a few drinks we set off for the 19 Mayis stadium where we got our tickers for 5 Turkish Lira for the Gecekondu section.

On arrival at the stadium there were long queues to enter the stadium, until Harun told the Ankaragucu fans there was a guest from Scotland, we were sent to the front of the queue and allowed to enter the stadium for the usual police checks. As we entered the stadium the Gecekondu ultra leaders recognised me as we met on Saturday, they asked me to come up and join them as the whole section burst into Ankaragucu songs. The picture above shows me with Ali Imdat who is the leader of Gecekondu and his closes friends with the Scotland flag.

Bugra then took me round half the people in the Gecekondu and other tribune groups and introduced me. The welcome i got from everyone will live with me for the rest of my life. We then went and joined the Kanka Group who were joined by Huso and his wife Natalie.

Team - Gokhan, Aytac, Volkan, Umit, Mehmet, Gokhan Erdogan, Muhammed, Mert, Hasan, Timur, Serkan

Subs - Cihan, Kaan, Enes, Bilal, Sinan, Artun, Orhan

Attendance - 6475

The game started at a fast pace with neither team having time on the ball. Kartal looked very quick down both sides of the park and looked dangerous on the counter attack. Ankaragucu were trying to play football but the Kartal players were so sharp at closing the players down. It was Kartalspor who had all the chances in the first half. First chance was a mistake by Volkan who allowed the kartal forward in but Gokhan made a good save to keep the scores level.

Ankaragucu had a couple of efforts from distance through Umit and Serkan but both chances went wide and didn't test the Kartal keeper. The best chance of the first half fell to Kartal on the stroke of half time. A lovely cross into the box was met by a header which looked destined for the bottom corner, that was until Gokhan Akkan dived low to his right and made an outstanding save. It would turn out to be the turning point in the match.

Half time 0-0

Into the second half and Ankaragucu raised their game, they kept the ball a lot better and made more chances. There were a couple of half chances until the goal game. Mert Erdogan put in a great cross which was flicked onto the back post, Timur was on hand to head the ball into the back of the net beyond the Kartalspor keeper.

The stadium was now in full voice and Gecekondu was bouncing. Ankaragucu had a couple of chances to double their lead, a lovely move from the back saw Timur through but his cut back for Serkan was a poor pass and came to nothing.

The last ten minutes of the match seemed like 90 minutes as we hung on to the lead. After 4 minutes of injury time the referee blew for full time to give Ankaragucu their first win of the season and it was the first victory i had witnessed in Ankara. The players came and celebrated with the fans and Umit Kurt took my Scotland flag and wrapped it around him.

A great night in the 19 Mayis stadium and now i can travel back home happy that i have finally saw Ankaragucu win a game. Thank you to everyone who made my time in Ankara so memorable.

Man of the Match - Umit Kurt

Kanka Group in the Chopin before the match

Entrance to the 19 Mayis Stadium

Gecekondu as we enter the stadium

Team comes out onto the park

Ankaragucu players celebrate their victory

Again the players celebrate

Player celebrations after the match

Players thank the supporters after the match

Bugra and Jim celebrate after the match

The Kanka group celebrate at full time

Ankaragucu fans wave their scarfs above their heads

Ankaragucu players take on Kartalspor

Ankaragucu fans with flares

Ankaragucu vs Kartalspor video

Ankaragucu fans during match

Ankaragucu fans celebrate

Ankaragucu Team Photo

Man of the match Umit Kurt

The Kanka Group

Ankaragucu Iskocya meets the Ankaragucu family !

2012-10-07T04:17:00.000-07:00

After a 2 year absence i finally returned to Ankara to meet with all the different fan groups and friends. On Friday night we all met at Beyzade restaurant where we enjoyed dinner and drinks, well some of us enjoyed drinks and some of us cant remember their drinks :-). A great turn out, as Myself, Harun, Jim, Damon, John, Chris, Bugra, Haruns three friends, Tansu and Ankaragucu captain and Goalkeeper Bayram Olgun. Hope i haven't missed anyone. I would just like to say thanks to everyone who turned up and gave me such a warm and generous welcome. All the names above apart from Bugra and Bayram are part of the Kanka Group which is made up of the foreign Kankas and Turks to. Bugra belongs to Gecekondu.

Onto Saturday and i met with Bugra and we met up with members of Anti X, Bugra explained that i had travelled from Scotland for the match which drew a few confused and surprised faces. A nice group of people though and they were telling us they are not going to the matches at the moment in protest against Cemal Aydin.

After meeting with Anti X we set off for a long walk to the Ankara Castle which is situated high up the mountains of Ankara. On the way we stopped off at a museum which has Kemal Mustafa Ataturks gun and military gear in it. Once we got to the top of the mountain the views of Ankara were stunning, you could see all the famous landmarks like Genclik Park, Kocateppe Mosque, The Sheraton etc. Once up there we went into a village where the locals were doing their day to day chores, in all the years I've been travelling this was one of the most interesting places I've ever been.

On the way back home, we stopped off at Dernegi which is home to Turkeys most feared fan group, The Gecekondu. With a reputation for being one of the most hostile areas of Ankara we met up with Ali Imdat and Koray the leaders of Gecekondu. They kindly gave us Turkish Tea and allowed us into the Dernegi building where Ali was born as a child. Ali then presented myself and Bugra with an Ankaragucu badge and took us for dinner which i have to add was excellent. While walking to the restaurant you could see the respect the locals had for the Gecekondu leaders. This wasn't your dressed up Danny Dyer stuff, this was the real Football Factory.

Today is match day, Ankaragucu host Kartalspor at the 19 Mayis stadium where we will watch from the Gecekondu tribune. A win would be the perfect end to a fantastic week. Saldir Ankaragucu !

Ankaragucu vs Kartalspor match preview !

2012-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Will it be 6th time lucky for Ankaragucu as they search for that first win of the season at home to Kartalspor on Sunday night ? There can be no other outcome if Ankaragucu are serious about challenging for a play off place this season. Right now i would settle for avoiding relegation never mind a play off challenge. There is no doubting the table doesn't give a true reflection of the season Ankaragucu have had so far. Only Adanaspor can say they deserved there victory, the other games Ankaragucu should have won but for poor defending, finishing or bad refereeing. Its time to roll up the sleeves and get stuck in for this battle ahead.

Im glad to say the match will go ahead, after our presidents latest ridiculous outburst that the team would withdraw from the league due to the poor refereeing decisions that have went against the team. Thankfully Mr Ahlat has saw sense and the team will continue with the season. I will set of for the match tomorrow as i fly from Edinburgh to Frankfurt and then onto Ankara for my long awaited return.

Ankaragucu have home advantage and will need to use the home crowd advantage in Sundays game, the 19 Mayis Stadium even when half full is intimidating for any team to travel to, just ask Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce who have all been beaten there. The young players will need to start the game strong with the quick one touch passing they have been playing this season.

Serkan Sirin has shown as the weeks have went by what a gifted young player he is, his touches and skill bring others into play and Ankaragucu will look for some inspiration from Serkan. Muhammed Turkmen may return to the starting line up after coming on as a substitute last weekend. Hasan Ayaroglu after a bright start has been quiet over the last two games, but that is what is expected with 17 year old footballers. If he can find his form again it will be a huge boost to Ankaragucu.

Kartalspor are perhaps the weakest side that Ankaragucu will have faced this season so far, but that goes for nothing. A good 2-0 win at home to Boluspor for them last weekend means they are sitting 10th in the League. Their key player is Ferdi Basoda and the likes of Umit Kurt and Aytac Oden will need to be at their best to stop him from scoring.

Kick off for the game is at 1900, we will be meeting in the Chopin Bar near Ataturk Bulvar in Kizilay at 4pm, anyone who wants to join us is welcome to come to the match. Come support your local team and get behind them. Im leaving predictions for this week as i don't want to jinx it, lets hope for a nice home win. See you all on Sunday in Baskent !

Bent Ahlat " We will withdraw Ankaragucu from League "

2012-09-30T08:18:00.002-07:00

Ankaragucu president Bent Ahlat declared after todays match against Sanliurfaspor that he will withdraw Ankaragucu from the PTT League. Ankaragucu were on the wrong side of a bad referee decision yet again which saw the club loose 3-2 in Urfa.

Ahlat stated he will release a press conference on Monday or Tuesday saying we will not play in this league anymore in protest against the Federation and Referees. There is no doubting Ankaragucu have been on the wrong end of bad refereeing decisions, but what are the real reasons Bent Ahlat wants to take the team out the league ?

This is the same man who promised to lift the transfer ban but didn't, the same man who allows his youth teams to travel to matches on public transport and cant provide water for them at matches. Its clear Bent Ahlat has no money and this is a way out of the club.

Having flights booked for next weeks Kartalspor match i will be hoping this is one of the many outbursts from Bent Ahlat that come to nothing.

Sanliurfaspor 3-2 Ankaragucu match report !

2012-09-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Its difficult enough to win games in the PTT League never mind having referees who make mistakes against your team every week. From week 1 when Ankaragucu were leading at Kayseri Erciyesspor and then Timur Ozgoz was sent off, not sending off the Manisaspor defender after a few minutes of the game starting when he was the last man and fouled Timur who was through on goal, not awarding Gokhan Erdogan a penalty when he was brought down in the box at Karsiyaka, and then we have todays antics.

Team : Gokhan, Orhan, Mehmet, Umit, Aytac, Gokhan Erdogan, Mert Erdogan, Bilal, Hasan, Serkan, Timur

Subs : Cihan, Sinan, Kaan, Muhammed, Metin, Teoman, Artun

Attendance - 4009

As discussed before the game, Ankaragucu need to start turning these impressive performances into wins. Lying at the foot of the table and with the other sides picking up points round about them its important to get points on the board and start climbing the table.

Sanliurfaspor started with Tonia Tisdell up front and the former Ankaragucu player captained the side, Serdar Ozkan started from the bench for the home side. The home side started the brighter with Tonia in particular causing problems with his pace. Both Tonia and Timur had half chances in the first few minutes but didn't trouble the goalkeepers.

The first real chance fell to Tonia, he was put through on goal but unfortunately for the striker his first touch was heavy allowing Gokhan to save at his feet, Tonia caught Gokhan and was yellow carded. Another chance fell to the Liberian from a lovely long ball but at full stretch he fired over the cross bar.

Ankaragucu broke forward with three against three, Timur advanced on goal but fired straight at Ozturk in the Urfa goal. Timur should have squared the ball instead. Timur did have the ball in the net soon after, but his header was ruled out for offside with replays showing it was the correct decision. Another half chance fell to Timur again but he shot straight at the goalkeeper from just outside the box.

The home side went up the other end and made it 1-0, a cross into the box was headed back across goal and kivanc Karakas lifted the ball over Gokhan Akkan in the Ankaragucu goal. Sanliurfa deserved there goal as Ankaragucu struggled to get into the game. Hasan Ayaroglu had a weak shot easily saved by Ozturk before Sanliurfa were awarded a penalty. Ankaragucu tried to play the ball out of defence, Orhan Evci tried to clear the ball but instead kicked the Urfa player and the referee awarded the penalty. Up stepped Koray but young Gokhan dived the correct way and saved to his right hand side. A lifeline for Ankaragucu on the stroke of half time. Sanliurfaspor 1-0 Ankaragucu.

Into the second half and Ankaragucu looked a better side, we saw that quick precise passing and energy they have shown in previous games. A poor clearance from Sanliurfa saw Ankaragucu break forward with the ball, Gokhan Erdogan crossed into the box and Serkan Sirin with a fantastic header gave Ozturk no chance. 1-1

Ankaragucu should have went 2-1 up minutes later when Timur passed the ball to Gokhan but his shot was saved by Ozturk. Muhammed Turkmen made his long awaited return when he replaced Mert Erdogan. Bilal had a shot from 30 yards which Timur almost got on the end of and just went wide. At the other end a Gokhan Akkan dropped a cross which Ozgur got on the end of but put wide of an empty goal.

Tonia Tisdell put a lovely cross to the back post for Kivanc but the midfielder fired wide much to the relief of the Ankaragucu defence. Serdar Ozkan came on for Sanliurfaspor as they tried to get that second goal. But it was Ankaragucu who took the lead. Excellent play again from Serkan Sirin who found Gokhan Erdogan in the box and the midfielder made no mistake as he placed the ball into the back of the net. 2-1 Ankaragucu.

It was now end to end stuff as the game opened up. Serdar Ozkan went by his man down the right hand side before putting in a cross to the back post which was headed home by Ozgur to make it 2-2. Ankaragucu brought Sinan on to replace Gokhan Erdogan. Both teams looked for that winning goal. Then came the turning point of the match. Serdar Ozkan went by two players before knocking the ball 15 yards in front of him, he knew he wouldn't get to the ball so decided to take a dive in the box. Yellow card for diving ? wrong, the referee awarded the penalty much to the anger of the Ankaragucu players and fans. Up stepped the cheat Serdar who scored to make it 3-2.

Ankaragucu replaced Bilal with Kaan for the last few minutes but Sanliurfaspor hung on to their lead and won 3-2. A disappointing defeat for Ankaragucu. Its important the players dont let their heads go down and get ready for next weeks opponents Kartalspor at home. Kartalspor won 2-0 at home to Boluspor today.

Man of the Match - Serkan Sirin

Ankaragucu vs Sanliurfaspor match preview !

2012-09-27T05:37:00.001-07:00

Ankaragucu travel to Sanliurfaspor in the Turkish first division on Sunday afternoon hoping to win their first game of the season. The club come off the back of a good 5-1 win over Igdir Universitesi in the Turkish Cup but the game went to extra time and will have taken a lot out of the players.

The home side Sanliurfaspor won promotion to the First Division last season and invested a lot of money in the squad over the summer. Players like Serkan Calik, Alfred Sankoh and of course our very own Tonia Tisdell have all joined the club. Tonia broke onto the scene when Ankaragucu signed him from Ankaraspor, his blistering pace and power caused all sorts of problems for defenders. The youngster was attracting interest of some of Turkeys top clubs until he suffered recurring injuries. Last season Tonia terminated his contract with Ankaragucu due to unpaid wages. After a loan spell at Mersin he singed with Sanliurfaspor in the summer.

5 points from their opening 4 games isn't exactly the start Urfaspor were looking for, but after their first win of the season at home to Kartalspor last week they will be hoping to build on that. Ankaragucu will be looking to carry their good form of late into this game, and will be looking to the likes of Mert Erdogan, Bilal Gulden and Serkan Sirin to push the team to victory. Sinan Kurumus scored a double against Igdir and will be putting pressure on Timur for the place as first choice striker.

Im predicting a 1-1 draw, remember the game will be shown live on TRT1. In other news next weeks match against Kartalspor which i will be travelling for will be on Sunday night at 1900. General Manager Hikmet Hancioglu today announced the club are trying to put a plan together to pay back the outstanding debts owed to Ediz, the former Ankaragucu defender died a couple of weeks ago and was owed money from the club. The Gokceks have said they want to help pay the money back to. The courts have decided Ankaraspor will not be able to change their name to Ankaragucu A.S. The Gokceks have been looking to take the name of Ankaragucu but it was today thrown out in court.

Ankaragucu 5-1 Igdir Universitesi Spor

2012-09-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu were made to work for their place in the next round of the Turkish Cup today. In what should have been a straight forward victory turned out to be a difficult match for the home side. Well done to Jim for also predicting Ankaragucu would win by four goals.

Team : Gokhan, Orhan, Gurkan, Umit, Mehmet, Aytac, Mert, Bilal, Hasan, Serkan, Timur

Subs : Cihan, Gokhan, Sinan, Teoman, Artun, Kaan, Muhammed

Attendance - 686

So a strong line up for Ankaragucu in what was played in a near empty stadium due to the ridiculous mid day kick off time. The first have there wasn't much to talk about, apart from Timur should possibly have had a penalty awarded. Igdir defended well and managed to contain Ankaragucu who were looking to build on their weekend draw at home to Manisaspor.

Half time 0-0

Into the second half and against all the odds, Igdir took the lead through Halil. Ankaragucu have a habit of struggling against the smaller sides in the cup and it looked like this was going to be another one of those days. That was until the visitors were reduced to ten men after Ugur was sent off.

Igdir continued to hold on to their lead and it looked like they were going to hold out until substitute Sinan Kurumus scored with ten minutes remaining. That took the game to extra time. The fitness and man advantage began to show in Extra time as Sinan grabbed his second of the game to put Ankaragucu 2-1 up.

Goals from brothers Mert and Gokhan Erdogan made it 4-1 before Timur Ozgoz made it 5-1. Ankaragucu now progress to the next round of the cup. Before that they travel to Sanliurfaspor on Sunday afternoon. The game will be shown live on TRT1.

Ankaragucu vs Igdir Universitesi Spor match preview !

2012-09-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu host Igdir Universitesi Spor from Erzerum on Wednesday afternoon in the Turkish Cup. After a good 1-1 draw at home to Manisaspor in the League at the weekend, Ankaragucu will be hoping to carry on the same level of performance against Igdir. It will also give Yilmaz Ozlem the chance to play some of the fringe players like Artun Kutukcu and Metin Aydin who are both highly rated and have been waiting for their chance.

The visitors are a bit of an unknown quantity, but anyone is capable of beating anyone in the Turkish Cup. Ankaragucu have two Turkish Cup titles to their name, one in 1972 and the other in 1981. Last season the side failed to qualify for the group stages, and will be hoping to do better this time out.

Yilmaz Ozlem and Taner Ocal have both praised their young players for the football they have been playing this season, the only thing missing is finishing their chances. The match will give the players confidence if they can find the net to take into Sundays match at Sanliurfaspor.

If the team play the same way they have the last two games then Igdir should be in for a tough night, however this is Ankaragucu and nothing is as straight forward as that.

My prediction is a 2-0 win for Ankaragucu and Timur and Hasan to get on the scoresheet.

Ankaragucu 1-1 Manisaspor match report !

2012-09-22T11:52:00.001-07:00

Ankaragucu won their first point of the season but will be disappointed they didn't take all three points. Another excellent performance from the team, who passed the ball so well and played the game the way it should be. Ankaragucu are just missing a quality striker who can convert the many chances they create during the game.

Team : Akkan, Orhan, Mehmet, Aytac, Umit, Gokhan, Mert, Bilal, Hasan, Serkan, Timur

Subs: Cihan, Kaan, Sinan, Gurkan, Metin, Kutukcu, Teoman

Attendance - 4320

The crowd for tonights game was 4320 with Gecekondu almost full and Maraton half empty. A disappointing turn out for the young team who are giving everything for the team. It seems Anti X are staying away from the club while Cemal Aydin is still involved. The team started with Gokhan Akkan replacing the injured Bayram in goal, Aytac moved to defence to replace the suspended Volkan Geyik and Mehmet Tasci replaced kaan kanak at left back.

The game hadn't long started when another big referee decision went against Ankaragucu, Timur was played through on goal but was tripped by the last man. Everyone in the stadium thought foul and red card, but the referee waved play on. Replays show it was the wrong decision, Manisaspor should have been reduced to ten men.

The first real chance of the game came from Manisa, a well taken free kick from distance by Iwanski was well saved by Gokhan Akkan in the Ankaragucu goal. A couple of minutes later Ankaragucu should have taken the lead, a lovely cross by Timur was headed by the post from Serkan Sirin. A great chance and he should have done better.

Ankaragucu were starting to control the match after a good start by Manisaspor, but it was the visitors who had the next chance. Murat was put through on goal but he fired his shot wide when he should have done better.

Mert Erdogan then had a go from about 30 yards but Volkan Babacan saved easily in the Manisa goal. Kahe had a half chance for Manisaspor but the big striker put his shot wide of the post. Ankaragucu were passing the ball well and looked a lot sharper than the visitors. Orhan Evci went close to giving Ankaragucu the lead but for a good save from Babacan after a mistake in the Manisa defence.

Then came the Manisa goal, Murat laid the ball off for Iwanski who hit the ball first time, his shot came back off the cross bar and Bulent Cevehir was first to react as he put the ball in off Orhan into the back of the net. 1-0 Manisaspor.

Manisaspor seemed to grow in confidence after the goal and looked dangerous without creating much, but it was Ankaragucu who scored next. Hasan Ayarolgu crossed the ball into the box but the ball came off Benjamin Fuchs hand and the referee awarded the penalty. Maybe a bit harsh on the defender but after all the decisions that have went against Ankaragucu who is going to argue ? Up stepped captain Mert Erdogan to calmly slot the ball passed Volkan Babacan. 1-1.

The second half was all Ankaragucu, they controlled the game and tried to create where as Manisaspor looked to have run out of ideas. Serkan had a go from distance but his shot was deflected wide for a corner. Bilal Gulden was up next as his shot from distance was tipped round the post from Babacan.

Ankaragucu should have taken the lead when Serkan went past a couple of players before his inch perfect pass to Hasan Ayaroglu, the young striker put his shot straight at Babacan and should have done better. Serkan then had another effort well saved from the keeper.

Sinan came onto replace Timur who worked hard but just couldn't find his goal. Within minutes Sinan nearly scored after good work from Gokhan Erdogan but Babacan saved again in the Manisa goal. Kaan Kanak came onto replace the injured Gokhan Erdogan who had a very good game.

With seconds to go, Bilal Gulden had a 30 yard free kick tipped onto the bar by Volkan Babacan, so close but the referee blew for the final whistle, Ankaragucu 1-1 Manisaspor full time score. The Ankaragucu fans stayed behind to applaud the young team off the park.

Next up is Igdir Universitesi Spor in the Turkish Cup on Wednesday. The game will be played at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara. Then on Sunday the team travel to Sanliurfaspor in the league.

Ankaragucu draw Igdir Universitesi Spor in Turkish Cup !

2012-09-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu were today drawn at home to Igdir Universitesi Spor in the second round of the Turkish Cup. The draw was made in Istanbul and Ankaragucu will be happy to have home advantage. Elswhere Genclerbirligi were drawn away from home against Dersimspor.

Igdir hail from the city of Erzerum and should not be taken lightly. Ankaragucu failed to make the group stages of the cup last season and will need to be at the top of their game to progress to the next round. This will be a cup final for Igdir and they will be travelling to Ankara to try and cause an upset.

More news on the dates of the ties when they are announced. In other news Ankaragucu were fined 3000 TL for crowd trouble at Karsiyaka last week. Volkan Geyik has been handed a 3 match ban for his red card in the same match, and Hikmet Hancioglu has urged the Ankaragucu support to fill the stadium and get behind the team for tomorrows match. He has also asked the fans to behave and not get involved in any criminal activity.

Ankaragucu vs Manisaspor match preview !

2012-09-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

Ankaragucu host Manisaspor on Saturday night hoping they can get that important first win under their belts. Ankaragucu lost 2-1 away at Karsiyaka last week and were unlucky not to take something from the game. Yilmaz Ozlem will be hoping for a repeat of last weeks performance but to improve on finishing and tighten up at the back.

Both Ankaragucu and Manisaspor were relegated from the Turkish Super Lig last season. Manisaspor have made a decent start to the season. A 1-1 draw at Karsiyaka, 1-0 win at home against Kartalspor and 0-0 draw at home to Sanliurfaspor. Last season when the two teams met Manisaspor won both games, 2-0 at Manisa and 1-0 in Ankara.

Like Ankaragucu, Manisa have lost a lot of their top players, Murat Erdogan, Isaac Promise and Simon Vucicevic to name a few. They still have the Brazilian Kahe though who has scored 2 goals already this season and Ankaragucu will need to keep a close eye on him if they want to win the game.

This young Ankaragucu team have shown signs of improvement over the last couple of weeks. New manager Yilmaz Ozlem has made it clear he wants his team to play football. Ankaragucu build from the back, an even Bayram Olgun refuses to kick the ball up the park. Yilmaz earlier this week said he isn't interested in a relegation battle, he is looking at a top 6 finish.

Volkan Geyik will miss out due to suspension after his red card last week, key players for the team will be Bilal, Umit Kurt, Serkan Sirin and the very impressive 17 year old Hasan Ayaroglu. The youngster has made a bright start to his career and if he keeps progressing there is no reason why he cant play at a higher level. Bayram will again be a key player in the Ankaragucu goal as he looks to keep his first clean sheet of the season.

Another huge match for the club, the 19 Mayis Stadium will be open to the fans for the first time this season, so lets hope for a big crowd and an Ankaragucu win.

Sanliurfaspor look to appoint Hakan Kutlu !

2012-09-19T09:40:00.001-07:00

Former Ankaragucu Manager and player Hakan Kutlu has been offered the managers job at ambitious Lig 1 side Sanliurfaspor. The newly appointed side have been the biggest spenders this season spending 8.5 Million Lira on new players.

One of their new players is former Ankaragucu winger Tonia Tisdell. Big things were expected of the Liberian youngster but injury has set him back. Hakan Kutlu left Ankaragucu in the Summer due to a dispute with the Management team. He has been accused by Bent Ahlat of pocketing over 10 Million from the club.

Ankaragucu fans will know who to believe, a former players, coach, manager and legend, or a Bent Ahlat who has done nothing but lie since he came to the club.

Good luck Hakan Kutu wherever you go.

Ankaraspor A.S 2-0 Ankaragucu A2 Lig

2012-09-18T03:51:00.002-07:00

Ankaragucu youth team travelled to Yenikent Stadium in the outskirts of Ankara yesterday as the side lost to rivals Ankaraspor A.S. The talking points weren't regarding what happened on the field, but off the field activities took centre stage.

Team : Cihan, Atasoy, Buyuktas, Can, Kayabasi, Aydin, Akyildiz, Bicer, Nayir, Demirtas, Emir

Subs used : Arslan, Gundogdu, Aluftekin

Ankaraspor won the game thanks to goals from Mehmet Yilmaz who scored on the 40th and 80th minute respectively.

The treatment of the Ankaragucu youth team can only be described as a disgrace. The team had to travel to the match on a public bus. They also had to rely on Ankaraspor providing them with water, and there was no use to a Physio or a Chiropractic.

Bent Ahlat told us that he promised to lift the transfer ban when he took over. He failed on that promise, so where is the money to pay for the basics to support the First team and youth teams ? Another con man, and another liar who is only here to use Ankaragucu to build his profile.

Mr Ahlat will release a statement tonight in response to Mehmet Ural who has filed a complaint against Bent Ahlat. Will be interesting to see what lies comes out his mouth tonight.

PTT League week 3 round up !

2012-09-17T04:53:00.002-07:00

Week 3 of the Turkish first division got underway with Kartalspor vs Samsunspor drawing 2-2. Samsunspor looked to be heading back home with all three points with goals from Sari and Arslan giving them a two goal lead. However a remarkable comeback from the Istanbul side saw two goals in the last minute from Uslu and Karaca give them a share of the points.

Up next was Karsiyaka 2-0 Ankaragucu and you can see the match report below. There were two divisions seperating Manisaspor and Sanliurfaspor last season, and the two met in Manisa for a 0-0 draw at the weekend. Sanliurfaspor have spent good money but have yet to find the form in the first three games. Manisaspor will travel to Ankaragucu at the weekend for their next game.

Caykur Rizespor destroyed Tavsanil Linyitspor 4-0 at home. Rizespor look a very strong side and must be considered up their with the favourites for promotion. Ousman Jallow, Uche Kalu (2) and Alkilic scored the goals for the home side.

Kayseri Erciyesspor and 1461 Trabzon remain unbeaten as they drew 0-0 in Kayseri. 1461 are another team who look strong contenders. Boluspor won 3-0 at home to Goztepe thanks to goals from Aksu (2) and Kilinc. The visitors are now rooted to the bottom of the table.

Denizlispor won 2-0 at home to Adana Demirspor with goals coming from Arslan and Erdem. It puts Denizli into the play off places and gives them a good start to the season. Konyaspor drew 0-0 at home to Gaziantep BB as both teams poor start to the season continues.

In tonights game, Adanaspor drew 0-0 at home to Bucaspor. Adana will be disappointed they couldn't take advantage of being at home. They were lucky to take all three points at Ankaragucu and will be hoping to improve on tonights performance.

Karsiyaka 2-0 Ankaragucu match report !

2012-09-15T13:32:00.001-07:00

Ankaragucu lost 2-0 tonight in Izmir against Karsiyaka. The result doesn't tell the true story of how the match went though. Ankaragucu will be disappointed they never took the three points, never mind taking none.

Team line up : Bayram, Orhan, Kaan, Volkan, Umit, Gokhan, Bilal, Aytac, Hasan, Serkan, Timur
Subs : Akkan, Gurkan, Teoman, Mert, Mehmet Tasci, Sinan, Metin

Karsiyaka started the game as favourites after taking four points from their first two games, while Ankaragucu sat at the foot of the table after two defeats. It was Ankaragucu who started the stronger, Hasan Ayaroglu was put through on goal but the Karsiyaka defender put the ball behind for a corner. From the resulting corner the ball fell to Aytac on the penalty spot and his shot was tipped wide by Necati in the Karsiyaka goal.

The Karsiyaka crowd were making a fantastic atmosphere and tried to urge there team forward. It seemed to bring the home side into life as a long ball down the right hand side resulted in Orhan bringing down the karsiyaka left winger inside the box. The referee didn't hesitate and awarded the home side a penalty and Orhan a yellow card. Up stepped Sen who converted the spot kick past Bayram.

The goal came against the run of play and Ankaragucu were playing some of the best football I've seen them playing in recent times. They passed the ball out from the back with Volkan, Umit and Bilal all looking impressive. Both wing backs Kaan and Orhan however were struggling, perhaps due to not playing in their correct position.

Timur Ozgoz then went close with a shot from distance which Necati pushed over the bar, from the resulting corner he made an outstanding save from a point blank header. It just looked like it wasn't going to be our night. Ankaragucu continued to push forward while Karsiyaka looked to attack on the break. Karsiyaka had a couple of half chances but Bayram and Orhan dealt with them on each occasion.

Half Time Karsiyaka 1-0 Ankaragucu

First chance of the second half was a piece of individual skill from Serkan who beat a couple of players before firing wide, a big chance which he should have scored. Karsiyaka then broke forward and a cross into the box was nearly headed into his own net by Kaan but Bayram saved well. Timur was then put through on goal by Gokhan but his shot was tipped round the post.

Then came the big talking point of the match. Gokhan went by his man in the box before being brought down, but the referee waved play on, the ball fell to the Ankaragucu player but yet again Necati made an excellent save. Replays show that Ankaragucu should have had a penalty.

Ankaragucu are getting closer to that equaliser and Timur lays the ball off to Bilal who fires inches wide with Necati beaten. Gokhan then puts in Timur but Necati rushes off his line to stop the striker from scoring his goal. Sinan replaces Serkan who had a good game and Gurkan replaces the injured Aytac. Sinan gets straight into the action as he plays an excellent ball into Timur but his header is brilliantly tipped round the post by Necati, and from the resulting corner Gurkan shoots wide at the back post when he should have scored.

Timur had another golden chance when he is through on goal but shot straight at Necati. Then came the second goal. Again Orhan was beaten down the right and the cross to the back post was cut back by Wilfred Dalmat for Gungor who shot into the roof of the net. Ankaragucu defender Volkan Geyik was furious with the referee as he believed he was fouled which replays show again that he was correct, the defender was then sent off for something he said to the referee.

Mert came on to replace Bilal but the game was finished, Ankaragucu continued to control the game even with a man down but the final score was 2-0 Karsiyaka. Three games in and Ankaragucu are rooted to the bottom without a point. However we could be sitting on 9 points if luck, better finishing and refereeing went our way. This performance will have given the team confidence that they can compete in this league. If the team can start finishing their chances there is no reason why we cant stay up.

Next up is Manisaspor at home next Saturday. They drew 0-0 at home to Sanliurfaspor tonight and Ankaragucu can win the game but they will need to find their shooting boots and quick.