By Richard Beale ……
In the end Geçitkale had a comfortable win over their “just down the road” neighbours Serdarlı in this entertaining Sunday afternoon fixture.
Result: GEÇİTKALE GSK 3 SERDARLI GB 1
Sunday January 5, 2020: BTM League Red Group : Geçitkale Stadium,
Thank God, Thank Allah for the BTM League! where the K-Pet Super League and League 1 teams are running for shelter from the arctic winter. The snow, ice, rain hold no fear for the robust BTM League footballers who take no break to give me my local fix of football.
Yeniboüaziçi League leaders of the Red Group on Saturday made it 10 out 10 wins and, barring a catastrophe, look certain to automatically return to League 1. Geçitkale hope to follow them via the play offs, despite this win they dropped to third in the table, overtaken by Incirli won 6-0, both clubs being on 22 points but Incirli having the better goal difference.
A sunny January afternoon, attracted a crowd of around 100 joined by a number of hunters who as normal got their picnic tables out and no doubt bottles of much needed medicine (Raki/whisky).,
Geçitkale have been busy in the January transfer market making 3 transfers, the much travelled striker Ibrahim Çelik, winger Hasan Bayandursun both started with another winger Akin Yiıdırım on the bench.
Geçitkale struggled to get going in the opening 25 minutes, Serdarlı settled well and the Geçitkale goalkeeper Gürcan had to be very alert to thwart a couple of half chances.
At last Geçitkale gelled and came close to taking the lead in the 31st minute, a long ball found Ibrahim Çelik sprinting into the area, his shot hit the left hand post rebounding out to Vedat who squared it back to Ibrahim whose second shot hit the side netting.
Geçitkale v Serdarlı with Geçitkale in the white
33 minutes Geçitkale had valid appeals for a penalty, instead of clearing the ball, it was back passed to goalkeeper Özgür, but Vedat anticipated the pass and it appeared to me that the goalkeeper brought down the Geçitkale player, but the referee appeared uninterested in Geçitkale penalty appeals. Özgür who earlier suffered a leg injury needed lengthy treatment for a head injury.
This may have affected him when Geçitkale took the lead in the 44th minute a long hopeful bouncing ball, saw a race between the goalkeeper and VEDAT MAROTLU, the Geçitkale player managed to get a toe to the ball pushing the ball past Özgür and simply putting the ball into an empty net. HALF TIME SCORE 1-0.
Serdarlı were now second best as Geçitkale now were playing like their normal selves. Özgür did well to save at point blank range from Ibrahim.
Geçitkale increased their lead through their new signing and substitute AKIN YILDIRIM in the 62nd minute, he fastened onto a ball on the left, made his way into the area to shoot past Özgür. 2-0.
Ibrahim Çelik came close to scoring a minute later, headed a good Akin cross just wide as Geçitkale were now in the ascendancy.
Their third goal came in the 83rd minute, good work on the right by Rifat who sent in a cross finding Onurhan, the striker created space for himself and shot which Özgür could only parry into the path of AKIN YILDIRIM to tap in for his second goal. 3-0
AKIN YILDIRIM scoring both of his goals
In the 85th minute Serdarlı scored a late consolation goal, when Koray put in a hard challenge on Abdullah in the box and the striker went to ground. I thought it was a harsh decision to award a penalty, Abdullah took the kick, sending Gürcan the wrong way, however the ball hit the inside of the left hand post rolled along the line hit Gürcan and rebounded to GÖKAN KURÇOLAK following up to tap in.
FULL TİME SCORE 3-1
