Cherkasy and Zhytomyr in the 2023/2024 season will be represented for the first time at the highest level of domestic professional football
On June 14, the final, we hope for this, without disregarding the war and its attendant circumstances, the composition of the participants in the Premier League of the 2023/2024 season became known. Veres, having defeated Metalurh Zaporozhye in the return match, retained his place in the Premier League. Cherkasy LNZ, having beaten Inhulets, for the first time in its history, entered the elite. If we take into account that earlier Polesie got a direct ticket to the Premier League, we can state that two clubs have risen to the elite that have never played in it before, and we can also praise ourselves for our forecast.
“Only a severe force majeure can prevent Polesie from moving up a division,” we wrote in December last year. – The team won ahead of schedule a strong Group A of the First League and does not foresee any difficulties in the spring part of the season. Only the wildest force majeure, as well as inexperience of the acting. the head coach can interfere with the LNZ. Ex-collector Kovpak, of course, as a footballer, comprehended everything in domestic football, but in terms of coaching experience he is significantly inferior to his predecessor. Bakalov, we recall, won the amateur championship and cup of Ukraine with the LNZ, and also immediately led the team to the First League.
We weren’t wrong. Polissya went ahead of schedule at the UPL, and then also issued a championship title in the First League. LNZ was a little stormy, the team ended up in the play-offs, but at the decisive moments they still took their toll and reached the goal.
Format worked
The clubs of the First League took advantage of the new formats and new opportunities – we are talking about transitional matches with UPL teams. As a result, the first division in the past season delegated three clubs to the elite at once – in addition to the mentioned Polesie and LNZ, a ticket, and Obolon earned a direct one.
Debut coaching achievements
If we talk about the coach of the clubs that have entered the elite, then Yuri Kalitvintsev has raised his clubs in the class for the third time in his career. In the 2000/2001 season, having replaced Viktor Ryashko at the helm of the then Transcarpathian region in the second round, he led the Uzhgorod club to the then Higher League of the Ukrainian Championship. In the 2016/2017 season, he raised Dynamo Moscow to the Russian Premier League, now he has entered the Premier League along with Polesie.
For Obolon’s mentor Valery Ivashchenko and LNZ head coach Alexander Kovpak, this is the first promotion in the class. Moreover, if Ivashchenko worked with Obolon in the unfinished season 2021/2022, then for Kovpak this season is the first in his coaching career. An impressive start.
Who has not played in the Premier League
With the entry of Polesie and LNZ into the Premier League, the number of regional centers whose teams have never played in the elite division of Ukrainian football has been reduced to three. So far, the representatives of Sumy, Khmelnytsky and Kherson have never entered the elite. If the situation with the first two can change – Victoria resumes performances in the First League championship, Podolia will most likely do the same, then it is still more difficult with representatives of the Kherson region.
Not only has the region not yet been completely liberated from the Russian occupiers and is constantly under fire, but also the blowing up of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam by the Russians has turned the region into a disaster zone. But we believe that very soon peaceful life will return throughout Ukraine, and with it big football in the regions that were deprived of it.
For now, let’s just state a fact: out of 27 regions of Ukraine, 24, including Crimea, Sevastopol and Kyiv, were represented in the elite. We are waiting for the rest!
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
