Battle for second place in Football League gaining pace
Battle for second place in Football League gaining pace
Unlike previous seasons, second place in the second division only offers a playoff spot instead of a direct route to the Super League, but the battle for the runners-up spot is hotting up between six contenders.
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This year, due to the upcoming reforms to the Greek footballing system, only the winners of the 2018/2019 Football League earn immediate promotion to the top division, while the team in second position will compete against the club in 13th place of the Super League in a promotion/relegation playoff. The winner of the playoff plays in the 2019/2020 Super League, but the loser will have to be content with a berth in the newly created Super League 2, which replaces the Football League as the second tier. The Football League will become the third level of Greek club football, and the Gamma Ethniki transforms into the fourth step on the ladder.
Intrigue concerning first place is unlikely to appear. In recent weeks, runaway leaders Volos NFC have suffered a dip in form, but despite losing three of their last five Football League matches, they are still eight points clear of nearest challengers Apollon Larissa after 22 rounds. Volos NFC got back to winning ways on March 17 with an emphatic 3:0 beating of relegation doomed Sparti at home.
Nevertheless, the battle behind Volos NFC for second position is extremely intense. At the moment, Apollon Larissa occupy second, but Apollon Pontou and Panachaiki only trail them by a single point. Interestingly, on March 27, Apollon Larissa are due to host Apollon Pontou in a match which could potentially decide the fate of second place and a ticket for the promotion/relegation playoff. When the season began, Panachaiki were one of the favourites for promotion, but after a tough start, they are now unbeaten in 10 successive Football League games. Forward Christos Eleftheriadis has been reliable with 10 goals in 21 matches.
Platanias, AOK Kerkyra, and Ergotelis certainly aren’t out of the picture either. Cretan outfit Platanias, who were relegated from the Super League in the 2017/2018 campaign, possess 36 points, only four behind Apollon Larissa in second. Kerkyra also dropped down from the first division, but while they sit in joint sixth place with Ergotelis on 34 points, reports have suggested that their players are refusing to train because of unpaid wages. Kerkyra do have serious financial problems, and if the club don’t get them sorted in the near future, they will ruin the team’s hopeful promotion bid. Kerkyra have only tallied one victory in their past eight Football League fixtures.
At the weekend, Ergotelis will host Kerkyra in Heraklion, and it’s a must-win game if the Cretan organisation are to apply pressure on Apollon Larissa in second. Ergotelis’ inconsistency throughout the campaign is a major reason why they are seventh.
Current 2018/2019 Football League standings between first and seventh:
Volos NFC, 48 points
Apollon Larissa, 40 points
Apollon Pontou, 39 points
Panachaiki, 39 points
Platanias, 36 points
AOK Kerkyra, 34 points
Ergotelis, 34 points
Remaining 2018/2019 Football League matches for teams involved in fight for second place:
APOLLON LARISSA
Doxa Dramas (A)
Apollon Pontou (H)
AO Chania Kissamikos (A)
Ergotelis (H)
AO Trikala (H)
Volos NFC (A)
Platanias (H)
Irodotos (A)
APOLLON PONTOU
Panachaiki (H)
Apollon Larissa (A)
Iraklis (H)
Aittitos Spata (A)
Karaiskakis (H)
Doxa Dramas (A)
Sparti (A)
AO Chania Kissamikos (H)
PANACHAIKI
Apollon Pontou (A)
AO Chania Kissamikos (H)
Ergotelis (H)
AO Trikala (A)
Volos NFC (H)
Platanias (A)
Irodotos (H)
AOK Kerkyra (A)
PLATANIAS
Volos NFC (H)
Sparti (H)
Irodotos (A)
AOK Kerkyra (H)
Aiginiakos (A)
Panachaiki (H)
Apollon Larissa (A)
Iraklis (H)
AOK KERKYRA
Ergotelis (H)
AO Trikala (A)
Volos NFC (H)
Platanias (A)
Irodotos (H)
Sparti (H)
Aiginiakos (A)
Panachaiki (H)
ERGOTELIS
AOK Kerkyra (A)
Aiginiakos (H)
Panachaiki (A)
Apollon Larissa (A)
Iraklis (H)
Aittitos Spata (A)
Karaiskakis (H)
Doxa Dramas (A)
by Shaun Nicolaides
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