RBC Sports Presents
Changing the Guard: Energija Chernovets
Episode IV - The Long Winter
Changing the Guard: Energija Chernovets
Episode IV - The Long Winter
Snow is falling as we pull up to the downtown Chernovets condo that Taras Maksimov calls home. “My girlfriend made some hot chocolate for you guys,” he laughs as we sit down at the table.
The young man seems in his element at home, and but for the trophies and medals on the wall behind him - and, of course, the giant window looking out over the city and the mountains in the distance - you might not even realize he’s a footballer.
“I was actually born in Borograd, haha, but my parents moved to Chernovets when I was little, 4 or 5 maybe? So I grew up wearing green, but for Olympia, haha. They get that out of you quick in the Chernovets academy, though.”
Today, Taras Maksimov is one of the finest defenders in the world of football, a starter for his club and country. And he’s become a hero amongst the Energija Chernovets faithful thanks to his stellar performances which have helped the club win the league title and, last season, the AOCL.
“The AOCL one was incredible, we could really feel the - pardon the pun - energy from the fans, and it was such a fun experience. We had nothing to lose going into that final, and to win it on penalties - you can’t understand the emotional rollercoaster that is until you’re there, on the field, and it was just crazy.”
The young defender can’t keep us long - he’s heading out for dinner later on with the other members of his defensive line, Akhil Sibal, Alphonse Royer and Novak Skrinjar. “We get along well,” he says. “We’re all young, and it’s crazy to me that I’m actually the longest-serving at the club out of the guys, but we’re all friends.”
The next time we catch up with Taras, it’s at the first training session at the Energija-Arena after the break. “I hope you’re all ready to work twice as hard as in the first half,” says Apostol Manevski as the session begins.
As kids growing up, everyone in Siovanija & Teusland has the shared experience of that first school hockey or football practice after the Christmas break. You had a bit too much turkey, and you didn’t realize until the bag skate/line runs, take your pick. But professional footballers are a step above - and the Chernovets boys are really put through their paces today by Manevski, it’s a difficult session, but they each make it through.
Manevski laughs as we sit back in his office. “I push them on days like today because I know they can handle it,” he says. “Everyone complains about the cold in this league, but half of our schedule is played in the winter, and whoever handles that the best has a massive opportunity.”
There’s a light in Manevski’s eyes whenever he talks about a player on the team. There is no-one, seemingly, that he doesn’t get along with, and no-one he forgets. You can mention players who made 1 appearance for the club 12 years ago, and he’ll tell you in detail what that appearance was, and how they performed. There’s a particular light in his eye when talking about Miro Dinev, of course: “I’ll always be grateful to him, for what he did for us. I don’t know where I would be, or where this team would be, without him. We had half-full stadiums before him.”
But the new boys receive high praise as well: “It was Enigma that held the team together in that AOCL final,” he says, praising the Chromatik as a possible future captain of the club. “Emiliano, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player have a ‘perfect’ season, but the year we won the league with him would come close,” and for the newest of all, “Jezdemir has been incredible. You could see his quality the moment he came through the door. He has brought what we have needed for the last few years, and he’s clicked with the team so quick.”
A smile comes on his face when asked, however, about Taras Maksimov. “Ah, Taras. That boy - when he first came into the team, he was so reckless - I’d never been so frustrated, it felt like he never learned! You look at him now, though, and there’s the complete package. He has all the tools. I don’t need to look away when he has the ball now!”
Maksimov smiles when he hears his manager’s description recounted to him “Haha, I was a little too bold sometimes, for sure. That’s just something you have to learn, though.” For Maksimov, he knows how important his performances will be for the team as the run towards the title continues: “We know what Jez and Emiliano and all those guys up front can do, but it’s up to me and the others to take a lot of the load off of them.”
On the first game after the break, however, Taras doesn’t have to do much defending at all - it’s a rampant 5-1 win for Chernovets over SW Stahlberg in which the Canaries looked absolutely dominant. The team heads on to Stelburg for the next week’s match against the club everyone in the country wants to beat - FC Teussen Stelburg.
“I mean, everybody does want to beat them though. The Teus teams all want to prove themselves, and the Siovanijan teams all want to beat the Teus. They play every game with a target on their back, it’s really tough, but you just have to adapt to it,” says Maksimov about the upcoming game with the black and gold.
Here are Maksimov and his fellow defenders truly tested. Teussen are flying in the first half, tearing through Chernovets at seemingly every opportunity. Bastian Boltzmann doesn’t bat an eye as he scores the opener from range, a wonder goal that has the Franz-Gorz-Stadion shaking. But Taras isn’t fazed, and he works to lead by example - minutes later, a great tackle stops some build-up off the boot of Gustaf Liechtenstein, and a great clearance later in the half keeps some danger aside. By the end of the half, Chernovets have recovered enough for Viktor Dimitrov to equalize. And in the second half, Jezdemir Ocokoljic matches and betters Boltzmann’s strike with an incredible volley from outside the box to drive home the winning goal.
Chernovets leave Stelburg the talk of the league. They have won 11 of their last 13, and are unbeaten since that matchday 7 loss to Felsenkirchen. But the gap is closing - Chernovets are only four points off the top. And the next few games continue the run - leaving FK Venkovets, FC Einheit Marnau and even 1912 Stelburg in their wake. It’s time for the rematch with Felsenkirchen - and now, Chernovets are only 2 points behind and sensing blood in the water.
“This is the fight we’ve wanted all year. Nobody’s close to you guys right now. The run we are on is something special. Go out there tonight and get the job done,” says Manevski, keeping the talk short and simple.
He’s got Miro Dinev to mix things up, too. “They’re f****** scared of you boys, there’s not a team in the league that wants to play us right now. Show the whole country who the boss is, this is our game to win and our time, let’s f****** go! Come on!”
When the match starts, Chernovets are the ones who take the initial upper hand. Emiliano Gallegas makes a great run down the wing, and is almost gifted a goal - but his shot goes just out of play. Just when things seemed most comfortable, however, suddenly Felsenkirchen roar back. It’s Florian Krukenberg down the wing on a counter, and a pass for Lothas Ludwig in acres of open space. Taras Maksimov, however, runs him down and manages to make a miraculous tackle that draws great cheers from the home faithful.
Maksimov shouts at his fellow defenders after that one, though - he doesn’t want to be doing such moves all afternoon. Luckily, he doesn’t have to. The game becomes a back-and-forth contest with incredible defending on both sides, Akhil Sibal earning particular praise for his effort and matching perfectly with Linus Segert. Just before half, Emiliano Gallegas strikes to make it 1-0 for Chernovets, and that is the score as the sides head down the tunnel.
Maksimov stands up in the locker room at half, feeling quite confident and eager to encourage his teammates: “That was an incredible half boys, but we can’t let up now, let’s go, this game is ours.” When the second half begins, however, Lothas Ludwig gets some revenge for that missed chance earlier - he successfully beats Maksimov to a long ball from Ciriko Useternix, and uses great speed to burst past Maksimov and send a shot into the back corner. 1-1.
But Maksimov doesn’t let himself get down over that, with Novak Skrinjar giving his CB partner a quick pat, and Enigma Armageddon giving a nod of ‘you’ll be fine.’ Minutes later, he successfully makes a clearance that keeps the Chernovets goal out of danger for the moment, and the Canaries are starting to gain the advantage. When Jezdemir Ocokoljic scores a drive from range, you get the feeling it’s the winner - even though there are 10 minutes still on the clock. Felsenkirchen stretch themselves as much as possible in the last minutes, and a Maksimov long clearance finds the boots of Viktor Dimitrov, who takes it all the way back down to knock in the 3-1 goal. Game, set match.
“Top of the league, guys. Incredible stuff. Proud of the effort today, but you all know that it’s going to need even more the rest of the way for us to reach the finish line,” says Manevski.
The tired Chernovets team board the flight home exhausted - a few playing cards, but more relaxing with headphones on or catching the opportunity for a nap. “They’d better get some rest,” says Manevski. “We go to Banija in two days for the semifinal.”
The AOCL semifinal, and the title run in. Everything is left to play for in this season still, and Energija Chernovets are in the form of their lives. When they land in Chernovets in the early morning hours, it's the cool air of early spring mornings that greets them. Winter is over, and the season is coming down to the wire as spring dawns.
