Belshina were founded in the mid-seventies and are a well-known name in the top two tiers of Belarusian football. Their historical record is as good as Shakhtyor's- three Belarusian cups and one solitary league title, in 2001. However, it's been some time since Belshina were serious contenders for the title, and in the last decade they have been relegated and promoted a couple of times. The club played in the second tier from 2016 until last season's title win.
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| A Beaver in Bobruisk! |
Everything that is Solid Melts into Air
In 1812 Napoleon's army was humiliated by the Russians at the Battle of Berezina nearby- one of a string of heavy defeats on his way to relegation from the Nineteenth Century European Autocrat Premier League. To this day bérézina is a word in French for a catastrophic situation. Catastrophe has been a familiar word for the local team in 2020, as they have stumbled lucklessly from defeat to defeat.
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| Head Coach Eduard Gradoboyev |
Belshina are managed by Eduard Gradoboyev, who oversaw their championship win last season, assisted by Dmitry Migas. The two coaches have looked increasingly haggard this season as the defeats have mounted up, and the side has endured the kind of bad luck associated with drowning a bagful of black kittens, or indeed driving a BelAZ truck through a mirror factory. In most of the games I have seen this term Belshina have looked OK and created a few chances, but the opposition goal always seems to be guarded by a ball-repelling magnetic forcefield. Couple that with a confidence-shot defence that can't cope with set pieces and balls played diagonally across them, and it's no surprise they've struggled so badly.
In truth, Belshina's problems run a bit deeper than just this season. Last year's champions lost just twice, with the title flag hoisted on the back of goals from the prolific Aleksandr Yushin (27 games, 26 goals) and Andrei Lyasuk (12 goals). Both strikers departed in the close season; Yushin now turns out in the Russian second tier for Nefthekhimik Nizhnekamsk, whilst the veteran Lyasyuk opted to sign for Lida. Firepower of this quality is hard to replace, and it's been a problem Gradoboyev has been unable to solve. I am not sure whether this is down to money, or an inability to attract players to the club. Moreover, he has been unable to find a settled formation or starting line-up; he's rifled through seven different formations already, and used thirty-four players; both reliable indicators of a troubled season.
Fungus of the Mind
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| "Oh No, Not Gorodeya..." |
Sadly, the big break has never come for the Bobruisk club and increasingly their squad appears afflicted with fungus of the mind. In recent games, as soon as the opposition scores, Belshina look beaten. They've lost belief that when they fall behind, that they can turn things around. At Shakhtyor a few weeks ago, the side, cheered on by a noisy faction of ultras, gave a very good account for seventy minutes but then fell apart like a damp roll-up in a gale, with a Podstrelov goal-of-the-season contender typifying their bad luck throughout the campaign.
That spirited level of performance was nowhere to be seen last weekend as Dynamo Minsk visited Belshina's tidy Spartak stadium. Dynamo, who in all other games I've seen them have looked crabbed, constipated and over-wrought when attacking, were made to look like Real Madrid. Two of the goals were gifts, and a third an unlucky deflection; the take-away from this dreadful capitulation was that Belshina looked sunk after Dynamo scored the one goal they actually had to work for, within the opening five minutes.
However, that last defeat was a symptom rather than a cause. The real turning moments for Belshina have been in two separate 2-3 defeats; the first away to Slutsk, the second at home, in a gale and driving rain, to Slavia Mozyr. In the Slutsk game, Belshina showed tremendous spirit to come back from 0-2 down to level at 2-2; they then had two excellent opportunities to take the lead, but poor luck meant that they were passed up- only for Slutsk's Mohamed to pop up with a desperately late winner for the home side.
An even worse fate awaited against Slavia Mozyr. Leading 2-0 early on in the first half, Belshina were slowly peeled apart and lost the game with two cheap goals in the last quarter of the match, the winner being struck in the last minute. Both of these matches have stood out as particularly livid welts in a season of drubbings. Losing one game like that still hurts weeks later...two in a season leaves a side really struggling to maintain any kind of self-confidence.
A Cloggers' Gallery
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| Keeper Sergei Turanok may be rested this week |
Belshina's regular goalkeeper has been Sergei Turanok, the club captain. He was part of the title winning group last term. He has experience previously with Gorodeya and Torpedo as well as a spell in Russia. Unfortunately he became a symbol of Belshina's terrible tailspin in the last outing against Dynamo. Just before half time, a dreadful mis-kicked clearance set up a second goal for the visitors; just after the break, he flailed at a difficult cross like a drunk trying to stop the last bus home, missing it totally. The ball bounced in for the third and poor Turanok lay prone on the ground with his face buried in his hands. It was hard not to feel a little sorry for him at that moment. It wouldn't surprise me if Gradoboyev takes the opportunity to rest his team captain, and bring back Alexei Kharitonovich in goal. He's a keeper in his mid twenties who played for Energetik for four seasons until signing for Belshina in 2019, and was last seen in their 0-3 home defeat to Dynamo Brest. He's tall and a good shot-stopper.
The only constant in a Belshina defence which has leaked 27 goals this term has been Nigerian centre-back Samuel Odeyobo. Samuel's role in recent games has been confined to berating the incompetence of an ever-shifting cast around him. He's big and quite challenging in the air, the still point in a vortex of defensive blundering. The defender, who hails from Lagos, has spent his entire career in Belarusian football. Odeyobo's most common partner at the back is Vladislav Yasukevich, a Belarusian under-21 cap.
Two players have caught the eye, fitfully, in Belshina's midfield. Sergey Glebko is an attacking midfielder who has already served eight top level clubs in Belarus; he has a lot of upper body strength and is quite quick, and has turned in a couple of really good performances, most notably in Belshina's narrow and unjust single goal defeat away to Torpedo early in the season. Winger Roman Salimov is also a regular starter in the side and Belshina have looked to him to try and set up chances, with
inconsistent results. This season is Salimov's first in Belarus, having spent all of his footballing life in Russia.
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| Roman Salimov battles for the ball against Torpedo, watched by Sergey Glebko. |
What would Gradoboyev and the Belshina support give for just one of last season's strike force to come back? Part of their difficulty this season has been an inability to convert good chances, but still they are not without merit going forward, and have a couple of players worthy of watching. Top scorer with three goals is Leonid Kovel. At 33 Kovel is now approaching the veteran stage of his career, with previous clubs in Ukraine, Russia, Kazhakstan and Latvia, as well as spells at four other Belarusian Premier league teams. Kovel also is a full Belarusian international with three goals in seventeen appearances, although he hasn't featured in the national squad for several years now. Kovel isn't the quickest, but is a smart player, always knowing how to find the right place in the box, and with a lot of strength and appetite for the game.
Central midfielder Pavel Bordukov is another player to be wary of- normally deployed in an attacking position behind Kovel. He's a powerful character who's featured twelve times this season and has most of his career ahead of him, having signed to take part in Belshina's title winning campaign from Dnepr Mogilev. When Belshina are playing better, it's usually down to Bordukov's promptings from the middle of the park.
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| A younger Leonid Kovel representing his country against Croatia. |
Only a Win Will Do
Energetik won't have a better opportunity to get back to winning ways than a home fixture against Belshina. Even having acknowledged their better players, we should have more than enough to cause them many problems. Belshina really struggle from corners and free kicks, and also don't cope well with diagonal balls played at pace over the top of their defence. I feel that if we can have a high-energy, high-tempo pressing start against them and one or two quick goals, we will settle the game down. Our biggest enemies here are ourselves; either through complacency, or nerves. No one wants to be Belshina's first victims this season, and the longer their winless streak goes on, the worse that feeling will be.
I suspect we will see a more attacking line up this week as coach Vladimir looks to capitalise on Belshina's many weaknesses; perhaps a 3-4-3, even, to try and test them in the first half. Perhaps it's time for a couple of the players who have spent most of the season on the bench to come in and show what they are capable of. With Shakhtyor travelling to face BATE at the Borisov arena, only a win will do in this fixture, for two reasons; firstly, to keep the pressure on the top two in the event that they draw with one another; secondly, to go into the following week's fixture, a Minsk derby away at Dynamo with a good win and professional performance behind us. In this context no slackening off against supposedly weaker opposition can be tolerated. I don't expect a classic game this weekend, but I do expect a win.
Jon Blackwood
Twitter: @jonblackwood
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