Lokomotiv power out of Georgian blocks
Monday 13 October 2008
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Lokomotiv midfielder Rati Aleksidze in action for Georgia last month (©Getty Images)
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When Georgian commentators were weighing up the likely challengers for the Umaglesi Liga title this summer few spent time hovering over the name of FC Lokomotiv Tbilisi. Yet with five rounds of the season gone Georgi Kiknadze's men are riding high, making a mockery of their relegation struggle last term.
Reinforcements
Ex-Georgia international Kiknadze arrived at Lokomotiv in the middle of last season and soon set about orchestrating their top-flight survival. He succeeded, the side finishing just a place above the drop zone and he has been rewarded this summer, with the club's owners keen to stabilise the their status. Experienced internationals Levan Tskitishvili, Vitali Daraselia and Rati Aleksidze all extended their contracts, while goalkeeper Georgi Lomaia and promising youngsters Georgi Kakhelishvili and Irakli Chirikashvili arrived to reinforced the squad. "[The owners] have created great conditions for us and we can't afford to disappoint them," said 32-year-old Kiknadze. "We need to qualify for the UEFA Cup at the least, although the maximum goal is to win the championship."
New facilities
They have not made a bad start. Four games into the new campaign and Lokomotiv have already taken the prized scalps of current champions FC Dinamo Tbilisi and league leaders FC WIT Georgia and, a point, off the summit, have a game in hand on the rest of the top four. The form of Aleksidze and Lomaia have been central to their success, the former scoring four goals in as many outings as he made light of a four-year absence from professional football. Both have had their reward, with call-ups to the Georgia squad, though Lomaia also credits the construction of a new training facility near Tbilisi. "We have wonderful conditions at our training centre," the keeper explained, "and that's why we were able to beat Dinamo and WIT Georgia. However there's still a long way to go."
'Hard work'
A 1-0 defeat at home against FC Mglebi Zugdidi last time out attests to that, and Kiknadze is seeking a swift response. "We have to learn from this defeat and then forget the match itself to avoid any psychological problems in future," he said. "During the international break we will be working very hard." FC Bojromi, Lokomotiv's next opponents on 18 October have been warned.
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