FC Meshakhte Tkibuli

FC Meshakhte (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი მეშახტე) is a Georgian association football club based in Tkibuli. Since the 2018 season the club has been a member of Liga 3, the third tier of the national football system.

FC Meshakhte
Full nameMeshakhte Tkibuli
Founded1938 (1938)
GroundVladimer Bochorishvili stadium
Tkibuli, Georgia
Capacity6000
ChairmanLevan Japaridze
ManagerLado Burduli
LeagueLiga 3
20235th of 16 in Liga 3

History

Meshakhte participated in the Georgian Soviet league and twice, in 1980 and 1981, became champions. In 1964 and 1976 they also won the domestic Cup.

The club spent 13 seasons in the Soviet third division with the following combined results:[1]

MWDLGF–GA
30312760116414-399

The success of the club was attributed to the large coal mine industry based in Tkibuli which financed the local football as well.

First years after Georgian national league was formed, the club played in the second division. Between 1991 and 1996 they three times finished third and once, in 1997, came 2nd. Starting from 2005, Meshakhte spent thirteen consecutive seasons in Pirveli Liga.

The 3rd place taken in Group White in 2016 has been the best result achieved in the recent period.[2] But the next season turned out troublesome. The team produced a seventeen-game unwinning run.[3] Three points earned in the last round saved the club from automatic relegation, although a home-and-away play-off tie ended unfavourably.[4]

After two years in Liga 3 Meshakhte, struggling the whole season, finished at the bottom in 2020.[5] However, they avoided another relegation due to some changes, introduced in late January 2021, which increased the number of clubs in this league.[6]

In 2022, Meshakhte took part in a long survival battle, but they lost a crucial game and ended up in the drop zone. Nevertheless, this time due to disqualification of another club, the Miners retained their place in this division.[7]

Seasons
YearLeaguePosPWDLGFGAPts
2005/06Pirveli Liga13/183411914384042
2006/079/183415613534051
2007/082/102714211394144
2008/0911/11304422206116
2009/1012/15286715366825
2010/1110/173210517324835
2011/12Pirveli Liga10/10182412163310
B Group4/820938353230
2012/13Pirveli Liga Group A5/123313614426645
2013/14Pirveli Liga Group A7/1324888373832
2014/15Pirveli Liga Group B7/103614517575547
2015/16Pirveli Liga11/1834101212283142
2016Pirveli Liga Group White3/916925251229
2017Erovnuli Liga 29/10↓367623337527
2018Liga 38/203817615595457
20198/103611619435539
202010/1018131410456
202110/14268612314530
202214/163010515353935
20235/163015105492455

Players

As of 13 March 2024

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  GEO Levan Tkeshelashvili
2 DF  GEO Irakli Badzagua
3 DF  GEO Nikoloz Kenchadze
4 DF  GEO Saba Sidamonidze
6 MF  CMR Fabian King
7 MF  GEO Beka Verulidze
8 DF  GEO Nika Toklikishili
9 FW  GEO Davit Ebralidze
10 MF  GEO Iago Deisadze (C)
11 MF  GEO Giga Guldedava
12 MF  GEO Giorgi Balarjishvili
13 DF  GEO Guga Merlani
14 MF  GEO Mirian Jikia
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF  GEO Tato-Giorgi Tatunashvili
17 MF  GEO Sandro Melikishvili
18 MF  GEO Saba Somkhishvili
21 MF  GEO Zaza Gugeshashvili
22 DF  GEO Davit Todua
23 GK  UKR Zaur Makharadze
24 GK  GEO Shota Nadiradze
25 DF  NGA Momoh Oduduwa
27 MF  GEO Giorgi Burduli
30 MF  GEO Dimitri Ghurtskaia
33 FW  GEO Luka Dolidze
36 MF  NGA Shola Olukoya
— DF  GEO Vakhtang Kapanadze

Stadium

When the central stadium was opened in 1968, initially it was 17,000-seater[8] in a city with almost 23,000 residents. It is currently able to hold 6,000 spectators.

Honours

Name

In 1991, the club took part in the second division as Okriba only to regain the current name the next season.

Meshakhte literally means a miner. The name comes from shakhta which can be translated as a shaft in coal mine industry.

References
  1. "Meshakhte in the Second League". wildstat.com.
  2. "Pirveli Liga, 2016". soccerway.com.
  3. "ეროვნული ლიგა 2 - ტყიბულის მეშახტემ 17-მატჩიანი მოუგებელი სერია შეწყვიტა". mysports.ge (in Georgian), 28 September 2017.
  4. "Norchi Dinamo vs Meshakhte". eliga.ge (in Georgian), 3 December 2017.
  5. "2020 in Liga 3". gff.ge (in Georgian).
  6. "ცვლილებები ეროვნულ ლიგაში". primesport.ge (in Georgian), 25 January 2021.
  7. "მეშახტე", "ზესტაფონი", "ჩიხურა": იმერული სამაია ლიგა 3-ში რჩება!". fczestafoni.ge (in Georgian). 17 January 2023.
  8. "მეშახტის სტადიონი" კოლორიტებს მასპინძლობს". kvirispalitra.ge (in Georgian). 26 May 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.