Last remnants of the Serie D championship which now has nothing left to ask of the three Agrigento teams taking part. Akragas, Canicattì and Licata have in fact achieved safety and no longer have any ambitions other than to close the championship with their heads held high.
Today the 37th day is scheduled, the penultimate of the inter-regional tournament and the calendar offers the away match of Akragas in Syracuse and the home match of Licata against Castrovillari. Instead, Canicattì rests. “We certainly all need to rest – said coach Orazio Pidatella. Being the fourth best attack at the moment makes us proud, it means that we have proposed proactive football: the fact that 17 players scored is significant for us, we involved everyone. Being fourth in the second round doesn’t count for anything: it’s certainly another important number that gives meaning to the work of the staff and the kids.”
The Akragas coach, Marco Coppa, presented the challenge against Siracusa: “We are going to play with the second strength of the championship – he explained – a very strong team with superior category elements in all departments. We have to go there with the attitude of a workers’ team, which will have to run twice as fast as them, trying not to make mistakes and not have any tactical mistakes. And we shouldn’t get the initial approach wrong. For them it will be a great celebration, it will be an important day and they have consolidated second place. They will also want to celebrate by trying to get a result, but we will not be anyone’s victim, we will play it openly.”
On the fact that the championship no longer offers stimuli, Coppa says: “The kids know it. They have the experience to understand that the last matches of all championships are the most important ones, the ones that remain imprinted in the minds of the club itself and the experts. We will have to do well until the end, even once we have reached our goal.” Kick-off at 3pm.
At the “Saraceno” stadium in Ravanusa, however, Licata faces the unsafe Castrovillari. The team coached by Pippo Romano achieved mathematical salvation in a tournament played in a fluctuating manner. Fortunately, the “treasure trove” of points accumulated in the first leg served to avoid the debacle, but the team’s performance was inconsistent.
Now the yellow-blues have to finish the championship by demonstrating their value.
“We certainly could have reached the playoffs, but we only achieved the minimum objective which is salvation – said striker Calogero Minacori. Now we have to close the championship with dignity.”
