By Chris Evans

It shouldn’t be a surprise Didim Efeler 09’s season so far has been a roller coaster ride that quickly descended into the oblivion of a relegation dogfight.

High expectations 

The coaches and players missed out on a proper pre-season of training as the hunt for a new home went on over the summer. Thankfully, Didim jumped into the breach and we had our first-ever professional men’s football team. It meant players were signed mere days before the season started. The first game of the season was even in doubt until 48 hours beforehand, as the relevant paperwork hadn’t been received.

Under these circumstances, winning the first game of the season with a decent crowd was a miracle. It also set a tone for what supporters expected from the team. Dreams of promotion abounded.

The first six games heightened expectations with four draws and just one defeat. Worrying signs were emerging, though.

Cracks emerge

Teams were finding it too easy to score against Didim purely by putting a high ball into the penalty area. Goalkeeper Kemal Mert Ozyigit has his strengths, but supporters were covering their eyes when high balls and crosses came in. The adage of you can’t score if you don’t shoot was also playing its part. Didim had become the second lowest goalscorers in the division.

The next few games were always likely to define the first half of the season. Nobody could have seen the drama to come. A run of just one point from the next seven games was disastrous and plunged Didim directly into a relegation battle.

After the third of these defeats, coach Tolga Sanbay surprisingly resigned. He finally seemed to have given the team some structure and organisation, but he had made his decision, or the club had made it for him.

Mahmut Can replaced him. Rarely can a coach have had such a poor start. Four defeats followed, including a 4-0 thumping at the hands of table toppers Kucukcekmece. It was, by far, the lowest point of the season.

Green shoots of recovery

The club didn’t have the support of its home fans, which had grown to over 1,000 per game, as the pitch needed to be reseeded. A painful two defeats followed in the temporary home in Izmir.

Rather like the pitch, green shoots of recovery came from nowhere as Didim returned to Marina Road. The first game back saw the biggest win of the season as three goals were scored in the same game for the first time, increasing the goals scored by 30% in just 90 minutes.

This was followed by a battling away win to take into the month-long winter break. The two wins lifted the team out of the relegation spots.

Improving on all flanks

The change has been clear to see. The players seem to have more energy and are pressing the opposition rather than waiting for something to happen.

The goalkeeper has gained confidence and now looks very secure under high balls. The strikers are shooting and making life difficult for defenders, and the midfield is dominating possession. Mehmut Can’s methods are clearly having an effect.

It’s unfair to pick out one player as the difference, but Cengizhan Sen’s return to full fitness has coincided with the upturn in fortunes. He’s already joint top scorer with four other players, although it’s a low bar with only two goals needed to get on the list.

Discipline has also improved. Three red cards in the first 10 games, two to the same player, was not a good sign. No further dismissals and a big reduction in silly yellow cards will always make a difference.

There has been a marked improvement in every position as we head towards the winter break. The team is fulfilling its undoubted potential. There is now the opportunity for a proper pre-season camp before the next match in mid-January.

Looking up

Confidence has increased following the first back-to-back wins of the season. If the coach can get his ideas across during this time, and player fitness can be improved, it could be an exciting second half of the season. It’s a tight league, meaning Didim could jump from a relegation fight to the playoff places with another two wins.

With things off the pitch improving every week, and supporter numbers growing, we will all look back on the first half of this season as a time of growth. After all, prizes aren’t handed out in December. There is half a season to go yet.