FC Samgurali Tsqaltubo
Full nameს.კ. სამგურალი წყალტუბო
Founded1945 (1945)
Ground26 May Stadium
Capacity3,500
OwnerMikheil Iashvili
CoachMikheil Ashvetia
LeagueErovnuli Liga
2023Erovnuli Liga, 5th
WebsiteClub website

FC Samgurali (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი სამგურალი) is a Georgian association football club from Tsqaltubo, which takes part in Erovnuli Liga, the first tier of the national league.

They have been runners-up of the Georgian Cup three times.

History

In Soviet and national leagues

Formed in 1945 as FC Medic, the football club from Tsqaltubo had the most prolific years in the 1980s. Between 1983 and 1990 under the name Shadrevani 83 they became champions of the Georgian Soviet league three times, once finished as runners-up and once won bronze medals.

When Georgian Football Federation formed an independent championship in 1990, Samgurali spent eight out of the initial ten seasons in the top flight. In 1999/2000, they finished in the drop zone and left the league. In this period the team experienced the worst decade in their history as they ceased to exist for four years.[1]

Samgurali gained promotion to the second division in 2010 and stayed there as a stable member for nine successive seasons. The team finished as group runners-up in the 2016 transitional tournament, when the promotion rule was suspended.[2] Two years later they slipped into the relegation zone after the last round. Worse was yet to come, as Samgurali suffered a play-off defeat on away goals.[3]

Despite this setback, following the club's purchase by new owners in the summer of 2019, ambitious promotion plans were unveiled.[4] It took Samgurali a year to climb back to Liga 2. The team came 2nd in the regular season and secured a convincing victory in both play-off ties.[5] The next season brought another triumph. The club prevailed over their opponents again in both games and returned to the first tier after an eighteen-year break.[6] This double promotion in two consecutive years was achieved under head coach Ucha Sosiashvili.

Due to his impressive performance in the league, striker Sergo Kukhianidze became the first Samgurali player who was called up to the national team for friendly games in June 2021.[7]

In 2022, Samgurali had a memorable season, which could have resulted in their first top-league medals since 1990. As primary contenders for the third place, the team needed to play at least a draw in the final day of the season against rivals Dila Gori. But they threw away this initial advantage and ended up fourth for the second time in their recent history.[8]

Georgian Cup

Apart from winning promotion to Erovnuli Liga, the team in 2020 also achieved an impressive success by reaching the final of David Kipiani Cup for the first time since 1999. As in the previous case though, they again lost the final game on penalty shoot-out.[9]

Nor the third attempt made the next year was fruitful. Having won four away games en route to the final, Samgurali were defeated in the regular time with a narrow margin.[10]

Seasons

SeasonDivPosPWDLGFGAPtsTop scorerGoalsCup
1990UL14/183411617425739R3
1991UL11/2019739213424
1991/92UL12/203814618415548R1
1992/93UL4/173218410735158Merab Megreladze41QF
1993/94UL, West8/814111212424QF
11-19 Places14/1916916272928
1994/95UL16/16305619306821R1
1995/96PL1/2038333213228102DNE
1996/97UL11/163010515355435R2
1997/98UL12/16309714315034R1
1998/99UL11/163010317325733RU
1999/2000UL, A7/81432992711R1
9-16 Places13/161483317833
2000/01PL6/12221237384039QF
1-6 Places3/61053213738
2001/02UL12/12223514163714R2
7-12 Places11/1210514111023
2002/03PL4/16301587422653R1
2003/04PL2/16301776391958R2
The club was dissolved in 2005-2009
2010/11PL14/17328618386430DNE
2011/12PL7/1018657272323Giorgi Bukhaidze7DNE
2012/13PL6/123013710594846Tornike Kapanadze27R1
2013/14PL7/14261169494939Giorgi Bukhaidze14R1
2014/15PL4/103619314765060Giorgi Tevdoradze17R1
2015/16PL6/183416315604651Giorgi Tevdoradze17DNE
2016PL2/9161024292432Mamuka Gongadze8R1
2017L24/103616515464653Gaga Chkhetiani12R5
2018L28/103612519405641Gaga Chkhetiani12R3
2019L32/10362178522970Sergo Kukhianidze16R2
2020L22/10 18864231230Sergo Kukhianidze7RU
2021EL7/103691413344641Sergo Kukhianidze11RU
2022EL4/103615129554457Irakli Rukhadze13R3
2023EL5/103616911535157Giorgi Nikabadze9SF

Honours

Top scorers

With 41 goals scored in the 1992/93 season, Merab Megreladze has been the leading goalscorer not only in the history of Samgurali, but also in the Georgian top football division since its creation in 1990.[11]

Current squad

As of 1 September 2023[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Georgia (country) GEO Giorgy Lomaia
2 DF Croatia CRO Bartul Markovina
4 DF Georgia (country) GEO Omar Patarkatsishvili
5 DF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Kalandarishvili
6 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nodar Lominadze (on loan from Dinamo Tbilisi)
7 FW Brazil BRA Leandro Lima (on loan from Pardubice)
8 MF Georgia (country) GEO Davit Maisashvili
9 MF Russia RUS Georgy Sulakvelidze (on loan from Dynamo Moscow)
10 MF Georgia (country) GEO Demur Chikhladze
11 MF Georgia (country) GEO Luka Korkheli
13 GK Russia RUS Nodari Kalichava
14 FW Benin BEN Charbel Gomez
15 FW Japan JPN Taiki Kagayama
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF Brazil BRA Fernando Bull
17 FW Georgia (country) GEO Aleksandr Verulidze
19 GK Georgia (country) GEO Levan Shovnadze
20 MF Ghana GHA Jude Arthur
21 MF Georgia (country) GEO Beka Dartsmelia
22 DF Georgia (country) GEO Tedo Kikabidze
23 DF Tajikistan TJK Mekhrubon Karimov
27 FW Ukraine UKR Denys Balanyuk
29 FW Georgia (country) GEO Lado Chikhradze
30 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Khorkheli
31 FW Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Topuria
39 FW Ivory Coast CIV Gnamien Gislain Yikpe
40 GK Georgia (country) GEO Luka Kutaladze

Managers

  • Georgia (country) Giorgi Gogiashvili (August 2011 – July 2016)
  • Georgia (country) Gia Gigatadze (August 2016 – May 2018)
  • Georgia (country) Besik Khachiperadze (May 2018 – January 2019)
  • Georgia (country) Mikheil Makhviladze (January – September 2019)
  • Georgia (country) Ucha Sosiashvili (September 2019 – April 2021)[13]
  • Georgia (country) Samson Pruidze (April – December 2021)
  • Georgia (country) Giorgi Mikadze (December 2021 – December 2022)[14]
  • Georgia (country) Giorgi Chelidze (January – September 2023)[15]
  • Ukraine Oleksandr Poklonskyi (October – December 2023)
  • Georgia (country) Mikheil Ashvetia (since December 2023)

Other teams

Samgurali have several teams participating in different youth tournaments. The reserve team known as Samgurali-2, which has recently spent one season in the third division, won Regionuli Liga Group West in 2021 and became a member of Liga 4.[16]

Stadium

The local football ground named after 26 May, the Georgian Independence Day, has undergone a several-phase reconstruction since 2018. After individual seats were installed, the arena has the capacity of 3,500.[17]

References

  1. "აღზევება: "სამგურალის" გზა მაღალი საზოგადოებისკენ". lelo.ge (in Georgian), 29 Dec 2020.
  2. "პირველი ლიგა ოთხმა კლუბმა გაინაღდა". mysports.ge (in Georgian), 25 November 2016.
  3. "სამგურალი - გურია". eliga.ge (in Georgian), 14 December 2018.
  4. "საინტერესო გეგმები წყალტუბოს ,,სამგურალის" პრეზიდენტისგან". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 18 February 2020.
  5. "სამგურალი ეროვნულ ლიგაში აღზევდა". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 19 Dec 2020.
  6. "18-წლიანი ლოდინი დასრულდა - სამგურალი ეროვნულ ლიგაშია". popsport.com (in Georgian), 19 December 2020.
  7. ""წარმოუდგენელი გრძნობაა' - სერგო კუხიანიძე საქართველოს ნაკრებში გამოძახებაზე". popsport.com (in Georgian), 18 May 2021.
  8. "3:0 კონკურენტთან - გორის დილა კონფერენსლიგაზე გავიდა" (in Georgian). 3 December 2022.
  9. "Სამგურალი - გაგრა". gff.ge, 8 November 2020.
  10. "სამგურალის მესამე ვერცხლი საქართველოს თასზე". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 8 December 2021.
  11. "საინტერესო ფაქტები ეროვნული ლიგის ბომბარდირებზე". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 6 December 2021.
  12. "Players". erovnuliliga.ge.
  13. "უჩა სოსიაშვილმა წყალტუბოს სამგურალი დატოვა". live.ge (in Georgian). 14 April 2021.
  14. "სამგურალს გიორგი მიქაძე გაწვრთნის". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 28 December 2021.
  15. "წყალტუბოს სამგურალის მთავარ მწვრთნელად გიორგი ჭელიძე დაინიშნა". europop.ge (in Georgian). 3 January 2023.
  16. "2021 in Regional league". gff.ge.
  17. "3000 ინდივიდუალური სკამი ტრიბუნაზე – წყალტუბოში სტადიონი რეაბილიტირდება" (in Georgian). 23 August 2021.
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