Trikala F.C.
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Trikala F.C.
| Full name | Athlitikos Omilos Trikalon-(Αθλητικός Όμιλος Τρικάλων) | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Sakafliades | ||
| Founded | 1963 | ||
| Ground | Trikala Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 15.350) |
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| Chairman |  Evaggelos Plexidas |
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| Head Coach | Giorgos Vazakas |
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| League | Football League 2 | ||
| 2010-11 | Elimination from Football League (relegated) | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Trikala F.C., or Athlitikos Omilos Trikalon (A.O.T.) (Greek: Αθλητικός Όμιλος Τρικάλων – Athletic Association of Trikala), are a professional football club based in the city of Trikala, in central Greece.
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History
The club was formed in 1963 from the merger of two rival Trikala football clubs, Achilleas of Trikala and Α.Ε.Τ. The history of these original clubs can be traced back to the early 1920s when the football in the town was starting to rising.
The merger provided an optimistic spirit for the fans of the team since the town's best teams had been merged. Concequently, it proved to be successful as, within a year, A.O.T. had won promotion to the Greek first division.
Progress
After coming top in the Greek 2nd division (Beta Ethniki) in 1964, AOT continued its early success by competing in the Greek 1st division (Alpha Ethniki) from 1964 to 1969 (except for the 67-68 season when they were relegated to the 2nd division only to come top of that division and be promoted straight away). AOT then spent a further two years in the 2nd division before winning that league again in 1971 and being promoted. They spent a further two years in the 1st division before being relegated to the second division in 1973.
The team spent a further 10 years in the second division and eventually got relegated to the third division (Gamma Ethniki) in 1983. The period between 1983 and 1995 was one of the team's worse, spending 7 of the next 12 years in the 3rd division.
In 1995 AOT re-established themselves in the 2nd division and that success was followed four years later when they won the league and were promoted to the 1st division in 1999 after a 27 year absence.
Unfortunately, the success was short lived as AOT came last in the 1999 - 2000 season which was followed by a disastrous run culminating in their relegation to the 4th division in 2003.
Since 2003 the team have been playing in the Greek 3rd and 4th division with their most recent success being their promotion to the Greek second division in 2010 (Beta Ethniki) after a 9 year absence.
Grounds
The Trikala Stadium was built in 1950 and it has a horseshoe-like shape, with no stand behind the west goal. It has a main south stand, which is covered by a roof. The stadium upgraded in 2003, as in that year it hosted the Tsiklitria international athletics Grand Prix. The Record of Attendance is 20,000 in a 1999 match against PAS Giannina. It is the home stadium of Trikala F.C. and hosts other events such as concerts and athletics.
Fans
Trikala F.C., despite being a team coming from a small city, has a big average of attendance and sometimes it outweighs attendance of Superleague Teams. Especially in the Greek Cup matches when the team faces a big Superleague opponent the stadium is packed. The record of attendance is 18,231 in match against Panathinaikos F.C. in 1972 when Trikala F.C. finished 12th having 64 points.
Trikala citizens always go to the stadium in order to attend a football match of their team and Sakafliades schedule trips away so that they can encourage the team.
Sakafliades are the official supporters of the club. One of the most dynamic club supporters in Greece. Established in 2004 they are the sequel to the former unofficial Fan Club of Trikala F.C. named Hobo Boyz.
Sakafliades respect the team preference of everyone and one of their purposes is a Violence-free Football Match.
2009-2010 season
The most recent season was a particularly memorable one and the most successful season for AOT in a decade. Having won promotion from the Greek 4th Division, AO Trikala were to compete in the Greek National 3d Division North Group. They signed many good and experienced players and set their sights on promotion. The club started the season with a great performance in the Greek Cup as they eliminated Kastoria and went on to play fierce local rivals Anagennisi Karditsas at home. A crowd of over 7500 Trikala fans saw the home team beat their rivals 1-0, with the goalscorer being Dimosthenis Manousakis. In the 4th round Trikala had another memorable game when they beat top-flight club Iraklis Salonica in front of over 7000 home fans. They eventually lost on penalties in the next round having progressed to the last 16 of the competition.
Despite the good run in the Greek Cup, the team's league performance at the start of the season suffered as their inability to score away from home meant that Trikala dropped a lot of points. But a 9 game streak of consecutive victories in the end of the season meant that Trikala achieved a second-place finish place, which qualified them for a playoff match against the runners-up of the division.
The playoff match was played on May 29, at the Nea Smirni Stadium in Athens. More than 4000 Trikala fans travelled 7 hours to watch their team produce a memorable display and beat Vyzas Megaron by 2-0, with Costa Rican striker Enoc Perez netting both goals. It was a happy end to the season as AO Trikala had finally started to form a team worthy of its bright history.
The 2009-2010 season also saw AO Trikala breaking some impressive records. The team conceded just 11 goals in 35 league games (including the playoff match), which was a European record for the season. Trikala also finished with an impressive home record of 12 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses, while having conceded only 2 goals (a penalty and an own goal). Trikala also were the most attended team in the division, with attendances regularly rising over 4000.
2010-2011 season
The team enjoyed on pitch success in the 2010-2011 season at the second tier football league finishing the league in fourth place and becoming eligible for the promotion playoffs to the top tier Superleague. The team never had the opportunity to participate in the playoffs as it was disqualified after it emerged that the team had produced counterfeit bank guarantees to prove the team's financial viability. The bank guarantees were a prerequisite for a license to be granted from EPO. The repercussions from the false guarantees did not end there, as the team was relegated to the lowest tier of the Greek football D ethniki. After further investigations which uncovered extensive irregularities and undeclared debts, the team was expelled from D-Ethniki into non league football. This prompted an angry response from fans towards controversial owner Vangelis Plexidas who the fans held responsible for the predicament of the team.
This meant that in the 2011-2012 season, the club would not be part of the Greek football league for the first time in its history. An open crisis meeting was held with club members and past players to discuss a way forward. The decision taken was that a new team would be formed by merging the amateur section of the team and the local area team of 'Thyella Petrotou' which was to compete in D Ethniki the oncoming 2011-2012 season. The newly formed team was named 'Trikala 2011' ensuring Trikala's name continues its 48 year presence in the Greek football leagues.
Honours
- Champions : Football League (4 times): 1964, 1968, 1971, 1999.
- Champions : Delta Ethniki (1): 2005,2009.
- Runners-Up : Football League 2 (1): 1984,2010
- Best position : Superleague: 9th (1965–66)
Crest
The original design of the Trikala F.C. logo represents the merger of the two local rival football teams, Achilleas Trikalon and A.E.T. It was the merger of which Trikala F.C. was established. Since then the crest has changed several times but the original 'Merger Bond' is still featured. In 2009 the chairman Vaggelis Plexidas asked for a new crest that the design resembles the crest of Barcelona F.C., since the team's main colours are red and blue.
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
| Job title | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Giorgos Vazakas |
| Asst Manager | Vasilis Kalogiannis |
| Trainer | Vasilis Segos |
| Goalkeeping Coach |  Ljupco Dimovski |
| Physiotherapist | Konstantinos Sakellaris |
| Physiotherapist | Nikos Dialesiotis |
Notable former players
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This list of "famous" or "notable" sporting persons has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help to define clear inclusion criteria and edit the list to contain only subjects that fit that criteria. |
External links & References
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