OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME | 2022/23 | VICTORIA STADIUM, GIBRALTAR
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SECOND LEG 12.07.2022 | 18:00 | VICTORIA STADIUM
V
FC SHKUPI 1927
WELCOME
THEPRESIDENT DEAR FRIENDS, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE VICTORIA STADIUM FOR THE START OF OUR LATEST EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN.
Head Coach: Raul Castillo Technical Team: Juan Jose Bezares Alarcon, Javier Muñoz Arevalo, Daniel Segovia Team Delegate: Christian Fortuna Fitness Coaches: Liam Mesilio & Sergio Garcia Physios: Keith Ramirez & Adam Oria Goalkeeper Coach: Javier Munoz Arevalo Kitman: Jose Manuel Corrales Team Doctor: Francisco Moya Media Officer: Mark Rodriguez CLUB HONOURS Gibraltar Football League: 26 wins 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990– 91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004– 05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011– 12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22 Rock Cup: 20 wins 1985–86, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992– 93, 1993–94, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007– 08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 202021, 2021-22 Gibraltar League Senior Cup: 18 wins 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989– 90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003– 04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14
Last year history was made and so many memories created along the way as we created a very special chapter in the story of the club. Hopefully we can add to it this time around, but we know only too well that we start with a very difficult assignment today.
The result we got in the first leg in Skopje last week was not what we were hoping for but we have full confidence in our team to overcome the result. The team is ready and with your support there is no reason why we can’t pull the
team over the line and get the result that we need to progress in this competition.
Only by everyone working together will this be possible, so thank you for all of your backing. Let’s make this another fascinating European campaign for the Lincoln Family.
May I take this opportunity to welcome everyone connected to our opponents to Gibraltar before wishing you a safe journey home afterwards. Enjoy the game…
MATCH PROGRAMME Today’s special souvenir Matchday Programme has been produced on behalf of Lincoln Red Imps FC by our Official Match Programme and Website Partner: APE PUBLICATIONS Gibraltar’s Match Programme Specialists Twitter: @APEPublications |Web: apepublications.wixsite.com/home Email: apepublications@aol.co.uk All images courtesy of:
MARK RODRIGUEZ
DYLAN VIAGAS President OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF LINCOLN RED IMPS 03
HEAD COACH
HEADCOACH
WELCOME TO THIS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SECOND LEG CLASH WITH FC SHKUPI 1927.
Following the first leg last week, we have to be realistic and admit that we face a difficult task to turn things around today.
That said, difficult doesn’t mean impossible and that is why we will have to fight together to try and turn the tie around.
We will try to be more aggressive and improve our handling of the ball. I am confident that if we reach the standards that we know we are capable of, we will make life difficult for our opponents during the 90 minutes that lie ahead.
I have never worked with accepting defeat; we will be very positive from the start and fight for everything to try and
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turn the scoreline around and make it through to the next round of this competition.
We want to make home advantage count. Our supporters have an important role to play and the backing that we receive will be a key factor.
I hope that the fans attend the game in good numbers and give a boost to the team. There will be ups and downs during the game and through each phase we need that support and togetherness. Enjoy the game…
. . . Difficult doesn’t mean impossible and that is why we will have to fight together to try and turn the tie around…
RAUL CASTILLO Head Coach OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF LINCOLN RED IMPS 05
FROM THE CAPTAIN
ROYCHIPOLINA
We are back in UEFA Champions League action here at Victoria Stadium today for this first qualifying round second leg tie against FC Shkupi 1927.
Looking back at the first leg last week, we know that our opponents are a good side and on the night they were very effective in what they did. That said, we are also only too aware that we were nowhere near our best and at this level of football, we can’t afford to be anything less. Being three goals down makes it a tough task to progress; we have to compete much better than we did in the previous game and if we can get the first goal today, we shall see.
As players we know that our standards were not good enough and we are determined to give a much better account of ourselves. The club has made some exciting signings during the close season that
. . . We need to create that passion and culture. We want to be able to create memories and a special atmosphere on occasions like this…
will strengthen what we already have here. Now it is important that they settle and gel so that we can continue to grow and develop as a team. We will be looking to make our home advantage count tonight. We have to use the surface to our advantage; as tough as it was for us to play on a wet and muddy pitch seven days ago, hopefully it will be similarly tricky for our opponents to play on our surface.
The home support is also going to be vital, as it was for our hosts in the first leg. Gibraltar fought for many years to be accepted into UEFA. I remember going to support the Gibraltar national team as a young boy when they played friendlies against teams like Crystal Palace and Norwich City and we always packed the stadium. Now we have European competitive football and it would be great to see all our local clubs being supported in such a manner.
We need to create that passion and culture. We want to be able to create memories and a special atmosphere on occasions like this. If we can do that it will go a long way towards continuing the development of the local game. Thank you for your support… ROY
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THE EUROPEAN STORY SO FAR
CHAMPIONSLEAGUE
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2022-23 | FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND FIRST LEG RESULTS Tuesday 5 July 2022 Pyunik (ARM) 0 0 CFR Cluj (ROU) Malmö (SWE) 3 2 Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) Ludogorets (BUL) 2 0 Sutjeska (MNE) Ballkani (KOS) 1 1 Žalgiris (LTU) TNS (WAL) 1 0 Linfield (NIR) KKS Lech Poznań (POL) 1 0 Qarabağ (AZE) Shamrock Rovers (IRL) 3 0 Hibernians (MLT) Shkupi (MKD) 3 0 Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) 08 OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF LINCOLN RED IMPS
Wednesday 6 July 2022
FC Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) 0 0 Ferencváros (HUN) HJK Helsinki (FIN) 1 0 RFS (LVA)
Bodø/Glimt (NOR) 3 0 KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) Diddeleng (LUX) 1 0 KF Tirana (ALB)
HSK Zrinjski (BIH) 0 0 FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) Maribor (SVN) 0 0 Shakhtyor (BLR)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 0 0 Dinamo Batumi (GEO) OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF LINCOLN RED IMPS 09
Another year competing in Europe, how has the League season treated you in preparation for what’s ahead?
INTERVIEW
GRAEME TORRILLA: Although we were quite dominant, I’d say it’s been a challenging season as each year the level of the opposition seems to get that bit higher. Having said this we also knew that coming into our European fixture was always going to be a slight jump from what we’re used to due to the standard of teams in this competition.
GRAEME TORRILLA
IN TEH SPOTLIGHT
The last game didn’t go as planned, where do you think the team could improve to make sure we come back with a fighting chance?
GT: For starters I think every member of the squad needs to believe we can do it. We’re aware that we might need to dig a little deeper than usual as the scoreline isn’t on our side, but we’re up for the challenge and ready to give it our all.
. . . I think every member of the squad needs to believe we can do it. We’re aware that we might need to dig a little deeper than usual as the scoreline isn’t on our side, but we’re up for the challenge and ready to give it our all…”
Your introduction into the action off the bench in the second half of the first leg appeared vital in bringing stability and control to the team, how do you think your performance on the night went?
GT: I think I was brought on for those two reasons mentioned. I’d say I helped provide some of that and as always I simply try to get the best version of myself out on the pitch so it can benefit the team as much as possible. On to today’s game and what are you and the team looking to get from this?
GT: Obviously the aim is to correct what went wrong in the first leg. As I mentioned before it’s a tough one due to the scoreline being in their favour but we firmly believe if we stick to our game plan and things go our way on the night we will have a great chance of turning things around. How important is the crowd and home support in big games like this?
GT: It goes without saying how big a factor it could be for us. Seeing how much of a challenge it will be certainly adds more importance to our home support, so it’s something we will also be relying on in order to achieve a great result. 10
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MATCH REPORT
FIRSTLEG DEFEAT IN THE RAIN
FC SHKUPI 1927 3 LINCOLN RED IMPS 0
National Arena Todor Proeski | 05.07.2022 | UEFA Champions League first qualifying round first leg
FC Shkupi 1927: Naumovski, Brdarovski, Faustin, Margvelashvili, Sheji, Putita, Hamidi (Georgiev 89), Alvarez, Cephas (Bajrami 59), Adetunji, Danfa (Zlatkov 76). Subs not used: Iljazi, Meljichi, Dzelil, Kalanoski, Trapanovski, Omeragikj, Timovski, Ackovski, Abazi. Red Card: Margvelashvili (54)
Goal(s): Danfa (11), Adetunji (29), Wiseman (OG, 62)
Lincoln Red Imps: Coleing, Britto, Lopes, R. Chipolina (Ronan 76), Wiseman, Yahaya, Marco Rosa (Gomez 65), Juampe (Torrilla 46), Nano, Pena (Cascairo 78), Walker. Subs not used: Santana, Villanueva, Toscano, Anon, Sergeant, Clinton, Cawthorn. Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (AUT)
Images: Mark Rodriguez
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LOLO SOLER
END OF ANERA
FAREWELL TO LOLO - A LOYAL SERVANT… IT WAS the end of an era recently when popular goalkeeper, Lolo Soler, decided to leave the club after six years of solid service.
“The decision to leave has been very personal and a very difficult one to make,” admitted the 35 year-old. “I have a small business in addition to playing for Lincoln and I needed more time with my family.
“I can say that Raul and the new coaching staff are doing an incredible job; their total involvement for the team will pay off I'm sure. “They are great professionals but also great people and when this happens in football you are very fortunate.
“The new signings have been high quality and have reinforced positions in the team with players of proven experience, who know this League and
. . . I will always be a supporter of this club. I am extremely grateful for the way I have been treated by the club and Gibraltar in general. I have felt highly valued by all my team-mates and coach, which ultimately is what every player wants…
have been able to fit in straight away.”
The team faces a tough task today in attempting to turn around our first leg deficit, but Soler believes that belief is key as well as being able to make home advantage count.
“We seemed to come out with the brakes on in the first leg and not have our usual belief,” he added. “It was a poor result but we are at home today and we have to believe that we can go out there and do the business. “We have to play without fear and with the fans behind us, give it our all and see what happens. “I will always be a supporter of this club. I am extremely grateful for the way I have been treated by the club and Gibraltar in general.
“I have felt highly valued by all my teammates and coach, which ultimately is what every player wants.
“The Lincoln Family and Gibraltar will always be in my heart and I will continue to closely follow the progress of the club. Come on Imps!”
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THE LATE SHOW
ROCK CUPFINAL WE LEFT IT LATE, BUT OUR DETERMINATION AND NEVER-SAY-DIE ATTITUDE SHONE THROUGH IN THE ROCK CUP FINAL IN MAY AS WE BEAT FCB MAGPIES 2-1.
In what was an entertaining and keenly-fought encounter, we fell behind just before the half-time interval but managed to get the job done in the second half as Anon Esteban levelled matters in the final minute before Kian Ronan popped up with a stoppage time winner.
It meant that we ended the season with some more silverware in what was a fitting finale for departing Head Coach, Mick McElwee.
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OUR VISITORS
OUR VISITORS
ON THE ROCK TODAY
FC SHKUPI 1927
TODAY WE TAKE ON OPPOSITION FROM NORTH MACEDONIA IN THE SHAPE OF FC SHKUPI 1927.
The clubs early days saw them playing friendly fixtures against local opponents. They then were part of the Skopje League before moving into a more regional competition. Bringing in players with many different ethnic origins, after World War II the club changed its name to Sloga, against the will of its supporters, and competed in the RS Macedonian first divison. It was in the late 1980s that serious investment first came into the club, who were part of the Macedonian second-tier at the time. This allowed progression but then came the break-up of Yugoslavia, which led to Macedonia becoming an independent state. The club, together with 17 others, formed the first Macedonian League and finished sixth at the end of the inaugural season. Steady progress was made before the club won the title three times in a row, in 1998/99,
1999/2000 and 2000/01 after being runners-up on several occasions previously. This period also saw the club win the Cup three times, in 1995/96, 1999/2000 and 2003/04, having appeared in a record eight Cup Finals. Going into the new millennium, the club was seen as one of the most successful in the country and regulars in European competition. However, relegation came in 2005 and although they were back in the topflight, three years later, financial problems blighted the club. It all came to a head in 2012 when Sloga merged with FC Albarsa to form FC Shkupi as we know it today. The Football Federation of Macedonia does not consider FC Shkupi to be successors to the original Sloga Jugomagnat club, but the supporters and former players and staff members do. They won the second division title in
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2014-15 and then their first foray into European football under their new guise came in 2018 where they came up against Scottish giants, Rangers, after they finished fourth in the Macedonian first division and thus qualified for the Europa League qualifiers. Further qualification for Europe, in the UEFA Europa League, came in 2019/20 and 2020/21, whilst last season they were involved in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they got as far as the second qualifying round only to be beaten over two legs by Santa Clara of Portugal.
Abdul Rwatubyaye
Ali Adem
Ardit Iljazi
Artan Iljazi
Erion Shuku
Fati Ismail
Faustin Senghor
Freddy Alvarez
Kristijan Naumovski
Kristijan Trapanovski
Matej Cvetanoski
Rajjan Abazi
At the end of last season they were crowned League Champions and this has seen them involved in the UEFA Champions League, where they bring a three-goal lead from the first leg into today’s encounter. We welcome everyone connected to the club before wishing them a safe journey home afterwards.
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MICK MCELWEE
THANK YOUMICK
Having guided the club through a highlysuccessful two seasons which saw us enjoy a record-breaking adventure in European competition as well as successive League and Cup doubles, including going through the 2021/22 domestic season unbeaten, Mick McElwee took the decision to step down at the end of last term. “My decision to step down as manager at the end of last season was to be able to spend more time with family,” said Mick in a message to the Lincoln Family. “After two seasons in the role, I was finding it quite difficult to maintain my enthusiasm.
“I also felt that the players needed new voices in the team talks and new ideas brought forward.
“I think that I left the team in a good place and I definitely support 100% the appointment of Raul, who will bring
continuity and stability to the club.
“In addition to Raul, who is a massive strengthening on the technical side, we have also signed some excellent new players who are all at the top level of Gibraltarian football; players who we have respected when they played against them, so to have them within our ranks now is a fantastic boost for the upcoming season. “So here we are again on the European cycle. Each year it gets tougher because the competition at this level is getting stronger all of the time. “All teams are carrying heavy investments and the hunger for success is massive. Therefore we should not be surprised what a difficult match it proved to be in the first leg last week.
“Our opponents are a very talented outfit and it will be another stern test for us today. We start with the objective of
winning the match and then see where we go from there.
“We will have to play the perfect match in order to overturn the deficit, but we should remember that we are more than capable of doing that and as long as we take this belief into the game, I know we will fight to the very end to achieve our objective. “This club holds such a special place in my life and it was an honour to manage the team. So many memories have been created along the way and hopefully there will be many more to come.
“I am proud of our achievements and thank everyone associated with the club. I wish everyone all the very best for the future - the club will always be a big part of my own personal story.” We thank Mick for his fantastic efforts on behalf of the club over many years and the memories that he has helped to create.
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RESULTS & FIXTURES
THE STORY OF 2021/2022
DATE JULY Tues 6 Tues 13 Tues 20 Wed 28
H/A
OPPONENTS (COMP)
F-A
Away Home Home Away
CS Fola Esch (UCL 1Q1) CS FOLA ESCH (UCL 1Q2) CFR CLUJ (UCL 2Q1) CFR Cluj (UCL 2Q2)
2-2 5-0 1-2 0-2
AUGUST Thurs 5 Tues 10 Thurs 19 Thurs 26
Home Away Away Home
SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (UEL 3Q1) Slovan Bratislava (UEL 3Q2) Riga (UECL PO1) RIGA (UECL PO2)
1-3 1-1 1-1 3-1
SEPTEMBER Thurs 16 Home PAOK (UECL G) Europa (Pepe Reyes Cup) Wed 22 Thurs 30 Away Copenhagen (UECL G)
0-2 1-3 1-3
OCTOBER Sun 17 Thurs 21 Sat 23 Thurs 28
EUROPA FC League Slovan Bratislava (UECL G) Lynx (League) LIONS GIBRALTAR (League)
3-1 0-2 7-1 1-0
SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (UECL G) Glacis United (League) COPENHAGEN (UECL G) MONS CALPE(League)
1-4 4-2 1-4 3-0
DECEMBER Sun 5 Away St. Joseph's (League) Thurs 9 Away PAOK (UECL G) Sun 19 Home FC BRUNO'S MAGPIES (League)
1-0 0-2 5-0
JANUARY Fri 7 Sun 16 Sat 22 Sun 30
Away Home Away Home
Manchester 62(League) COLLEGE 1975 (League) Europa Point (League) EUROPA (League)
7-0 4-0 5-1 3-3
FEBRUARY Sun 6 Sun 13 Sat 19 Fri 25
Away Home Away Home
Manchester 62 (Rock Cup 1) ST JOSEPH'S (League) Mons Calpe SC (League) FC BRUNO'S MAGPIES(League)
5-2 3-2 2-1 1-0
MARCH Sat 5 Thurs 10
Home GLACIS UNITED (League) Away Lions Gibraltar (Rock Cup 2)
1-0 3-0
APRIL Sun 3 Fri 8 Tues 12 Tues 19 Sat 23 Sat 30
Away Away Home Home Away Away
2-0 2-1 4-2 5-0 4-2 3-1
MAY Sat 7
FC BRUNO’S MAGPIES (Rock Cup F)
Home Away Away Home
NOVEMBER Thurs 4 Home Sun 21 Away Thurs 25 Home Tues 30 Home
Europa (League) St Joseph's League MONS CALPE SC League COLLEGE 1975 (Rock Cup SF) FC Bruno's Magpies League Glacis United League
Championship Group | Final Table 2021-22 Team P W D Lincoln Red Imps 20 19 1 Europa 20 15 2 St.Joseph's 20 11 2 FCB Magpies 20 10 3 Glacis United 20 7 1 Mons Calpe SC 20 6 2
L 0 3 7 7 12 12
2-1 GD 48 36 18 11 -4 -2
PTS 58 47 35 33 22 20
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LINCOLN RED IMPS
FC SHKUPI 1927
HEAD COACH: RAUL CASTILLO
DAYLE COLEING (GK)
HEAD COACH: GOCE SEDLOSKI
PLD SUB
PLD SUB
IVAN VILLANUEVA (GK)
1 KRISTIJAN NAUMOVSKI (GK) 12 ARTAN ILJAZI (GK)
NAUZET SANTANA (GK)
31 AMAR MELJICHI (GK)
ETHAN BRITTO
3 BLERTON SHEJI
JESUS TOSCANO
5 ABDULA DZELIL
SCOTT WISEMAN
4 GAGI MARGVELASHVILI
JACK SERGEANT
6 SENGHOR FAUSTIN
JOSEPH CHIPOLINA
16 MELOS BAJRAMI
ROY CHIPOLINA
32 ANGELĆE TIMOVSKI
BERNARDO LOPES
70 SUFJAN CHAJANI
MARCO ROSA
77 VLADICA BRDAROVSKI
LIAM WALKER
10 FREDDY ALVAREZ
JUAMPE
11 KRISTIJAN TRAPANOVSKI
GRAEME TORRILLA
34 KRISTIJAN ACKOVSKI
MUSTAPHA YAHAYA
47 UMERFARUK SULEJMAN
JAVIER AÑÓN
78 ALEKS ZLATKOV
KIAN RONAN
88 PUTITA
NANO
7 ANTONIO KALANOSKI
JUAN PEÑA
14 PEPI GEORGIEV
KIKE GÓMEZ
18 AZER OMERAGIKJ
LEE CASCIARO
19 SUNDAT ADETUNJI
KYLE CLINTON
20 WALID HAMIDI
FINLAY CAWTHORN
29 RENALDO CEPHAS
80 MAMADOU DANFA 99 ANID ABAZI
MATCH OFFICIALS REFEREE:
PILIP GLOVA (SVK)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: PETER BEDNAR (SVK)
DANIEL POLACEK (SVK)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: PETER KRALOVIC (SVK)
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