By Richard Beale….

Results: Saturday January 20: Northernland Kıbrıs Cup 1st Round: Karşıyaka Şengul Törehan Stadium

 KARŞIYAKA ASK v ESENTEPE KKSK (kick off 1-00pm)

This weekend Esentepe are involved in the first round of the Kıbrıs Cup. If this were the UK for most football supporters this will be the time of the season that you looked forward to, if you were a minnow then would you draw one of the big fish, would your team embark on an exciting cup run? - here in the TRNC things are done differently.

How differently? All 16 Super League Clubs are drawn automatically against the 16 teams from League 1. 8 Super League teams are given a home tie and 8 Super League teams play away. What that results in at the end of that round maybe one or if you are very lucky two League 1 teams survive to go into round 2 - basically it’s a Cup for the Super League teams.

If you managed to get into round 2 then the sponsors give 20,000 TL each to the successful clubs.

For the 4th successive season, Esentepe has been given an away tie, this time against Karşıyaka who currently are in 8th place in the Super League. They were promoted as Champions last season from League 1 to the Super League and being backed by wealthy sponsors have made a very satisfactory start so far with the “big boys.

Esentepe's record in the Kıbrıs Cup is poor, not surprising as you are up against Super League teams.

Since I have been watching them, only once have they progressed to the second round, that was in 2018-19 when they were a Super League team albeit for only one season..

ESENTEPE CUP RECORD.

Season 2011-12 ; Esentepe 1 Gençlik Güçü 3 2012-13, 13-14 no Cup completion.

Season 2014-15 ; Esentepe 1 Yeniboğazici 5

Season 2015-16 ; Esentepe 0 Gençlik Gücü 2

Season 2016-17 : Çetinkaya 4 Esentepe 0

Season 2017-18: Esentepe 0 Cihangir 2

Season 2018-19; Esentepe 1 Karşıyaka 0 (rd 1), Esentepe 1 Binatlı 4 (rd 2)

Season 2019-20: Hamitköy 5 Esentepe 2

Season 2020-21: Covid

Season 2021-22; Goçmenköy 1 Esentepe 0

Season 2022-23; Küçük Kaymaklı 1 Esentepe 0

Maybe this time it will be different and Esentepe will win, we live in hope.

Esentepe having already a small squad have been decimated with injuries (Mahmut, Deniz, Ali, Ege Can, Devran) and now possibly Yusuf and Semih who were injured in their last friendly match.

However with the transfer window being open Esentepe have signed from Maraş, BURAK KARABACAK, who I believe will be a good signing as he can play either in midfield or as a striker and knows where the goal is. Returning to the club, is MUSTAFA SOYTÜRK ( a very fast, powerful overlapping full back) who was on loan to coincidently to Karşıyaka this season !.

Karşıyaka have also been very busy in the transfer market in the last couple of days, wanting to cement their place in the Super League signing BEHİC KUM, İLKER TEK, AKSEL KAPTANOĞLU ,

AHMET KARA, SERTAN KURUKAFA and the very experienced goalkeeper CENK YILDIZ.

The match kicks off is at 1-00pm to allow for the possibility of extra time and penalty shoot-out, there are no replays.

DIRECTIONS :

Esentepe - Girne - Alsancak bypass - go through Alsancak, Lapta and much of Karsıyaka. Go past H,GÜL Supermarket on the left —- you are looking for a left turning which almost double backs onto itself (STADYUM CADDESSİ) I believe on the right there is a signpost saying Stadium. The Stadium is on the right a few hundred meters along that road. There is a small car park, but you normally park on the road. There are two stands in the Stadium, away supporters are advised to use the one on the right hand side. Toilets and refreshments available.

Esentepe having scored 5 goals themselves against Super League opposition last week, they were on the receiving end this time against classier opponents.

To see more pictures please visit my Facebook page
https://cyprusscene.com/2024/01/18/the-magic-of-the-cup-or-maybe-not/