Head coach Dušan Kerkez was satisfied after the victory over Spartak (Varna) with 2:1, with which the team in “yellow and black” reached the semi-finals of the Bulgarian Cup.
Here are Dušan’s first words after the match:
“What we wanted was to qualify for the semi-finals, and we did. We could have made the night easier but we were worried about what might happen. There are always surprises in the Cup, and you are worried when you are the favourite. The important thing is that we are semi-finalists. Spartak has quality for the first division. Today they had nothing to lose, they played calmly, and I want to congratulate them. At some moments we acted casually. We have to concentrate and give our best from ourselves, and then we can beat anyone. We didn’t perform very well today, and we have to learn some lessons,” said our coach.
“A huge thank you to our fans who came and supported us from the first to the last minute. I hope there were few fans just because it’s Tuesday, but everything around the Club is difficult at the moment. I know Botev has always been supported a lot, but the fans want the footballers to give themselves away and that’s why I hope everyone will return to the stadium”, added Dusan Kerkez.
“I am a person who is never satisfied enough. At the moment, we are not in the form that I want. We have problems in our squad; we have a new striker, and the players have to adapt. We aim to get as far as possible in the Bulgarian Cup. Regardless of the opponent, we always prepare for a tough match, but first we have to look at the upcoming matches for the championship,” added the specialist.
“I am extremely happy here, I have a wonderful relationship with the president and the staff, I can be here for many more years, but we will see how things will turn out. Ivelin Popov is a great footballer and character, he takes on the task of shaking the rest of the footballers off the tension”.
“When you play for Botev, there is extreme stress and expectations. There are players who have not played at such a level. We have a difficult schedule, but in such matches the big players appear. Slavia has been doing a great job recently, as well as CSKA and “Ludogorets”, of course. I believe that in two meetings we will be able to fight and beat anyone”, concluded Kerkez.
