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Silver lining for Zeljeznicar |
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 A season-best result in their first game of the spring has signaled a change in fortunes for off-colour Bosnia-Herzegovnian giants NK Željezničar.
Great result
Having endured a miserable autumn, the Sarajevo side surged into the spring with a 7-1 win against over NK Posušje at the Grbavica Stadium. Having bettered the season's most emphatic victory - NK Zrinjski's 7-2 thrashing of NK Jedinstvo – it seems Željezničar are not yet out of the running for a European place.
Satisfying moment
It was a moment of supreme satisfaction for coach Enver Hadžiabdić. He said: "Even though we were without Admir Vladavić and Damir Memišević, who left the club during the winter break, we started very well, and showed that the Željezničar players have not forgotten the good times."
Željezničar credentials
Hadžiabdić has already seen plenty of glory with the club. He was a member of the Željezničar side that won the 1971/72 league title in Yugoslavia and also led the club to the crown in the independent Bosnia-Herzegovina back in 1997/98. However, the club have now not won a title since 2001/02.
Third appointment
The coach is the third man to lead Željezničar this season. Nenad Starovlah was dismissed in the autumn after the club made a poor start in the league and his replacement, Dželaludin Muharemović, did not last long either as the club spent the winter way down towards the foot of the table.
Senegalese wonder
Dialiba Boubacar was the star of the show against Posušje, scoring a hat-trick. "This performance will bring our fans back to stadium," he said. The Senegalese striker was one of two players to kick off the spring with a hat-trick along with Branko Šešlija, who hit three in FK Leotar's 4-0 win against NK Žepce.
Top sides draw
Željezničar remain 13 points adrift of league leaders FK Sarajevo who kicked off the spring with a 1-1 draw against Jedinstvo in Bihac. Second-placed Zrinjski also made something of a false start, drawing 2-2 against bottom-side NK Radnik in Bijeljina, while champions NK Široki Brijeg drew 0-0 at FK Sloboda Tuzla.
Cup semis
Zrinjski take on Sarajevo in the next round in Mostar in what is one of the biggest ties of the spring, while in the Bosnia-Herzegovnian Cup, Sarajevo face FK Slavija Sarajevo in one semi-final while NK Celik play Široki Brijeg in the other. First legs are scheduled for 28 March with return matches on 11 April.
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