Pidgursky: Rukh Academy Pupils Can Play at Premier League Level

Captain Ruha Denis Pidgursky shared his opinion on the away win over Obolon in the second round of the UPL.

— For Rukh, this was the first match of the current season, and it started with a confident victory for your team. Are you tired of waiting for official games?

– Of course. We missed the first match with Polesie. It would have been better if we had played that game. And it was not easy to start the championship with an away match with Obolon – the Brewers are a serious opponent. Despite the final score of 4:0, it was not easy. We will have difficult matches later.

In addition, we have many problems with the squad due to injuries. Five leading players are injured – this is a lot for our team. We are waiting for the guys to return to action. Although, there were similar situations in the last championship: when some of the young footballers started playing in the main squad, they did not drop out. The Academy of FC Rukh works fruitfully. The Academy graduates can play at the Premier League level.

— Was the first half very difficult?

– Of course. The start of the season is always difficult. I want to thank our leaders who organized a training camp for us in Slovenia. Not every Ukrainian club can prepare in such good conditions. We had friendly matches there with strong opponents – Hajduk (Split) and Austrian Sturm. Such matches will help us in the new season.

— How have your goals on the football field changed compared to last season?

— The structure of our game has not changed, although adjustments are always made. We want to play football from a position of strength. We want to use pressure. First of all, we watch our game.

— Denis, now the European Cups are in the qualifying matches stage. Until the last round of the last championship you were in a correspondence fight with Dnipro-1. Was it a shame to learn that the Dnipro team never started in the Conference League?

— First of all, we look at ourselves. Based on the results of the last championship, we did not make it into the top five UPL teams. Then this situation with Dnipro-1 happened. Perhaps their leaders knew in advance what would happen next.

— The defeat in the 30th round of the last championship from Dynamo, which played far from its main lineup, remained in your memory for a long time?

— Yes. When I went on vacation, I remembered not only that defeat from Dynamo. There were many games where we missed our chances. The main reason for our failure to qualify for the European Cups is that we have many inexperienced footballers.