The future in the First League is confidently marching towards the title and records, Petrovac does not stop in the second part of the championship, confirming the epithet of the biggest hit of the elite, there is also third-placed Bokelj... In the Second League, Mladost DG and Rudar continue the race for the one place that leads to the highest rank and have no competition.
The most beautiful spring story in Montenegrin club football, or one of the most beautiful, anyway - comes from the second half of the second league table.
Iskra's players did not make the only feat this spring by reaching the semi-finals of the Cup and sensationally eliminating the undisputed Buducnost. The second feat is a look at the list of the youth national team of Montenegro, which will fight for a place in the European Championship in the elite round of qualifications in Georgia next week. Along with players whose names are next to the names of clubs such as Juventus, Bologna, Almeria and Dinamo Zagreb, there are as many as four players from the Danilovgrad team. Only Buducnost has more youth national team players (U19) than Iskra - five.
- This is truly our greatest success, confirmation of the quality of our work with the youngest and, in general, the club's commitment - says Iskra president, former Montenegrin national team player, football player, and later sports director of Budućnost, Risto Lakić.
Who are Iskra's youth team players? They all participated in the elimination of Buducnost in the Cup semi-finals.
- Goalkeeper Tomaš Đurović saved two penalties from Buducnost players, Filip Perović masterfully hit the net with a 'panenkom' in the penalty shootout, Aleksa Karadžić is also very important in the game, just like Danilo Ćetković, who is a member of Sutjeska and contributes a lot as a loaned player in Iskra and is definitely not on the list by chance. And it's not just them, we also have a young Montenegrin national team player, Matija Rovčanin. Practically half of our team is in the younger national teams, which is a great success and great recognition for us - Lakić points out.
Iskra is the youngest second league team, the youngest in both federal ranks, clearly - convincingly the youngest among the Cup semi-finalists, which also include Mornar, Petrovac and Dečić Admiralbet.
- The average age is 19 and a half, recently against Igalo we had all 11 'bonus' players on the field, under 21. With such a profile of football players, we are also helping the development of Montenegrin football - adds Lakić, also highlighting the coaching staff:
- Head coach Milan Radulović, coaches Mirko Tamindžija and Dejan Perović, new sports director Vlado Gajić.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Cup is a great reward, a great experience and a challenge for the young guys, he emphasizes.
- We see what form Buducnost is in and how they play. Eliminating such a team from the Cup shows what quality is hidden in young guys. We are in the semi-finals, which are played over two games and anything is possible. We are competing with three first-league teams, it is clear that everyone wants us in the draw, without pressure and imperatives we will try to make another surprise - emphasizes the president of Iskra.
Reaching the Cup final would be the greatest success for Iskra, a club that was in huge financial trouble just a year ago.
- We managed to stabilize. We found ourselves with over half a million euros in debt, and now we are close to the 'green branch' - positive zero. It was not easy to compete, repay debts, create young players and produce results at the same time.
Iskra has been playing every game "away" for some time now - the field is currently being reconstructed.
- The entire grass surface is being replaced, including the drainage and irrigation system, because the previous surface was in poor condition. In addition to the auxiliary one, we will get another field with an artificial surface of smaller dimensions, intended for the youngest participants. A gym and some other accompanying facilities are also planned - says Lakić, revealing the club's main goals in the coming period.
They are not closely tied to results.
- We want to invest as much as possible in infrastructure, because we believe that it has a crucial impact on the development of young players. We want to improve working conditions, to invest in young people, we will not chase promotion to the First League at any cost. If the opportunity arises, of course we will not run away from it. We are currently close to our basic goal of results, survival in the second league competition - concludes Lakić.
It wasn't easy to repair the inherited debt of half a million
It was not easy to rehabilitate a debt of half a million euros, says Iskra President Risto Lakić.
- The greatest contribution was made by the municipality, led by Mayor Aleksandar Grgurović, and in the first term by the president of the club's Assembly, Duško Stijepović. After his departure from the club, Bojan Pavićević took over the position of president of the Assembly. A great contribution was made by the president of the city assembly, Predrag Pajović, as well as a member of the club's board, Rajko Burić, and secretary Dragan Medojević... These are people who have made a crucial contribution to stabilization after the huge debt inherited - Lakić points out.
- Thank you also to the Football Association of Montenegro, which recognized the situation and helped the club in the most difficult moments by investing large amounts of money in the reconstruction of the main field.
Lakić also notes the merits of the coaching staff:
- Head coach Milan Radulović, coaches Mirko Tamindžija and Dejan Perović, new sports director Vlado Gajić.
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