Among VS Dunakeszi’s 22 divisions, the adult football team, as newcomers to the first division of MLSZ Pest County, after a moderate performance in the fall, really found itself after two failures in the spring, thanks to which the team of head coach Zoltán Kecskés finished the 2022/2023 championship in the prestigious 4th place. . We evaluated the team’s performance with Tamás Zalaegerszegi, the operational manager of the department, and Tibor Simon Csordás, the professional manager, one of the key players of the team. The two sportsmen emphasized the importance of educating the younger generation, which is evidenced by the fact that representatives of all age groups, from kindergarten to U19, play week after week in the MLSZ or regional championships, as well as in the framework of the Bozsik program.
At the very beginning of the conversation, it became clear that the county I. division was a much bigger challenge for the team than winning the second division. They moved up a class, but they were well aware that this was a different level and required more serious changes. Although they had a stable team in two of the counties, it was obvious to the professional staff that without new certifications, strengthening of the team’s key position, and expansion of the available squad, there is not much laurel room for the team in the first division of the Pest county.
Even today, Tamás Zalaegerszegi sees that they proved themselves well, they managed to mold the players into a team, the results of which really showed in the spring season. They did not lose their faith even during the period of modest autumn performance, they trusted in the players and in the work done.
– We all know that moving up a division is not easy to pick up the rhythm of the teams that have been playing football there for years, you have to get to know the opponent’s style of play. Here, the fall season went like this, but I can happily say that after the initial two fiascos, the boys “recovered” in the spring and, in addition to the nine wins and two draws, only a two-goal defeat in the home of the champion Vecsés slipped in. As rookies, we finished the first championship year in the impressive 4th place in the county’s first division, said Tamás Zalaegerszegi with appreciation in his voice, who added: they targeted the strong midfield at the start of the championship, which they far surpassed.
Tibor Simon Csordás, both as a professional leader and as a player, emphasized that VSD’s football team passed the exam with distinction.
– The team’s success is not due to the outstanding performance of a goal-scoring striker or a great goalkeeper, but to the fact that we won the matches by helping and encouraging each other. I can say with particular pride that we form a great community not only as players, but also as people. There are always people who help the band through dead ends. Here, team play dominates, which can be seen, for example, in the fact that not just one player is “responsible for the goal”. Bence Balogh scored 11 goals, I scored ten, while Attila Kacsó scored eight, and the others also took part in scoring.
Both of them know and have expressed this fact that the team “overachieved” in the first league year, but they also see that the team has become stable under the management of Zoltán Kecskés.
“We are trying to stay grounded in reality,” said the operational manager of the department, who believes that the confirmation of some new players will make the team even more stable, which is expected to finish in the midfield in the 2023/2024 championship.
Here, Tibor Simon Csordás noted that the main goal of the department is to integrate self-educated talented young people into the adult team.
– There could have been many U19 players in the squad who could have trained together with the adult team. As a youth training association – of course we consider the successful performance of the adult team important – our goal is to promote the flow of talented young people. A good example of this is the inclusion of Olivér Horváth, but several players were given this opportunity by head coach Zoltán Kecskés in the cup matches – explained the player of the adult team.
The department’s youth training activities were presented in thorough professional detail, as a result of which hundreds of young people get to know the basics of football in the VSD, and play in different age group championships, Bozsik tournaments and festivals.
The professional work of the VSD is recognized by the fact that, as a district center, tournaments and festivals are organized in Dunakeszin with the participation of youth teams from 14 associations, in which more than 300 young people take part on occasion.
Women’s football is becoming more and more popular in our country, including Dunakeszin. VSD already has a U14 team in the Pest county championship.
– The development is continuous, we are organizing the launch of a new team – informs Tamás Zalaegerszegi, who spoke with great professional appreciation about the young people playing in futsal teams, for whom the cultivation of this popular game is an excellent technical and tactical training. – The adult team just made it to the NB II, which also held its own in the upper house playoffs – we heard from the operational manager, who proudly announced that there are 360-370 players playing football in the football division, including the adults, which provides a solid basis for the VSD teams for successful championship performances.
Imre Vetési
Photo: István Fabriczi