Lamezia Terme – The Calabria-Puglia match, valid as the semi-final of the national Eccellenza play-offs, will pit two renowned teams against each other, given their respective, as well as substantial, past in Serie C, such as Vigor Lamezia and Bisceglie. The precedents between the green-and-whites and the Nerazzurri are limited to the first half of the nineties, when they played in the southernmost group of the then C2 series. However, the first double confrontation dates back to immediately after the Second World War. To be precise, the 1947-48 Serie C championship. The colors were the same, but not the social names: the Apulian team was called Biscegliese while the Calabrians were then Vigor Nicastro. In that tournament almost eighty years ago, the team from the center of the province of Barletta – Andria – Trani (BAT) won both the first leg and the second leg with, respectively, 1-2 and 1-0. A negative tradition for Vigor which was also confirmed in the nineties of the last century. Lamezia’s only success materialized on 22 December 1991 when, at the “D’Ippolito”, Intrieri and the late Chiappetta (who died prematurely due to leukemia), cameback to score the 2-1. The return match saw Bisceglie prevail 3-2. For the Calabrians the scores of Brescini and Mazzeo were in vain.
The results of the following year were disastrous (C2 1992-93). The sensational 6-0 achieved against “Ventura” by a Vigor team first in the rankings and still undefeated caused a sensation. The match in the return round didn’t go much better, as the guests took the via Marconi pitch 4-2. The goals with which Mazzeo, from the spot, and Bonaccorso had managed to momentarily cancel the opponent’s initial 0-2 were illusory. And we come to the 1993-94 season. At the “D’Ippolito” Ferrante and Gigliotti bring the locals to a 2-0 lead, but it will end 2-2. In the second leg, and it was the last precedent, Bisceglie took a very heavy 1-0, considering that it was then decisive for their salvation and, conversely, for the relegation of the green and whites, who, then, did not even register for the next Interregional tournament, starting again, before finally throwing in the towel due to heavy debt, from Regional Promotion. But the sensational thing is that the one who scored that 1-0 was Pino Di Meo, coach of the Apulian team since last September. Thirty years later, Vigor will therefore have to deal with the “ghosts” of its past. Di Meo, then a rocky and grim central defender, played for another two consecutive seasons, always in C2, with the Nerazzurri.
The coach born in Trani is chasing his second promotion in a row having, in the past season, won with a record (28 victories in 30 games, 137 goals scored and just 10 conceded) the Molise Eccellenza at the helm of Campobasso. Important numbers even in the current era. His AS Bisceglie finished in first position in the Apulian Eccellenza group with 64 points, the result of twenty-one successes, one draw and four defeats. 73 goals scored and 16 conceded, resulting in a better attack and tighter defense on a par with that of Molfetta Calcio.
The Nerazzurri then prevailed, thanks to a 0-0 draw at the end of extra time, in the play-off final of Group A of Eccellenza, played within the friendly walls of “Ventura” against Molfetta Calcio. However, the match left heavy disciplinary consequences for both teams. In fact, on the Bisceglie front, Kouame and Avantaggiato were disqualified for four and three matchdays respectively, having taken part in a brawl with opposing players at the end of the match. A round of stoppage, however, for the striker Pignataro. Curiously, the latter managed to get himself disqualified for another day, without obviously having played in the next match, i.e. in the play-off between the winners of the play-offs of the two Apulian Eccellenza groups. The sports judge, precisely in reference to Ugento – Bisceglie on May 5th, which ended with a resounding 4-0 for the Lecce team, in fact inflicted on him a match because “although disqualified, he entered the pitch during the warm-up phase of the match own team and at the end of the first half entered the locker room through a secondary door.”
Pignataro, therefore, will not be there at the “D’Ippolito” on Sunday 26 May for the first leg match against Vigor. And the Nerazzurri will obviously also have to do without Kouame and Avantaggiato who, unless their respective suspensions are reduced on appeal, will also miss the return match. Furthermore, there are five players banned from the Apulian squad: Fucci, Sanchez, Di Rito, Lucero and Kouame himself. Among the green and whites, only Spanò, due to the avoidable “yellow” he received last Sunday against Cittanova.
Speaking of the match against the Giallorossi from Reggio, the final 4-0, just as the play-off between Ugento and Bisceglie ended, could make those who didn’t witness it think of a match without history. Instead, the first half was quite balanced, although the most dangerous occasions came from Lamezia. However, Vigor was cynical in placing the deadly one-two just a few minutes before the break. At the beginning of the second half, the great goal from the former Spanò arrived to definitively close the game. Cynical and determined Biancoverdi, carried away primarily by the sumptuous performances of Giovanni Foderaro and Curcio, as well as by Bernardi’s experience. In the next, decisive matches, however, it will be necessary to avoid reckless gestures such as the one made by De Nisi in the very first minutes, when in taking the defense of his teammate Spanò, mowed down by an opponent’s challenge in midfield, he seriously risked leaving his team with ten men. for almost the entire match and, obviously, with the result still 0-0. It’s good for the former defender of Promosport and Sambiase that the match director “washed his hands” of it on the occasion, even sparing both him and D’Ascoli, the author of the foul on Spanò, from a warning. It’s right to defend a teammate, in short, but without indulging in reckless gestures. “If the referee had taken action – admitted Mr. Fanello at the end of the match – Fabio would have heard me a lot. It’s true that there were precedents regarding some players, but we were a bit naive in exasperating some situations. However, we must remember that we are all human beings and therefore sometimes it is difficult to remain cool. In the second leg of the championship, Spanò had not been treated very well by his former fans, and therefore he was very keen to produce a great performance. His ears, however, were pulled by me.”
Among the various happy notes, on the other hand, also the beautiful audience setting. In fact, almost two thousand were present in the stands. Number probably destined to rise again against Bisceglie, Sunday 26th. “The alchemy and understanding created with the public is beautiful: as a Lametino player – the green and white trainer always states – it is the thing that makes me most proud. This, moreover, is a serious, important group, made up of people who work well during the week. Now let’s think about recharging our batteries in anticipation of the next commitments which, without taking anything away from Cittanova, will be decidedly more demanding”.
It is certainly no coincidence, in fact, if the occasions in which a Calabrian has been able to access D through the play-offs of the inter-regional phase can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The last team to achieve this was, in 2016, Castrovillari. From Campania, Sicily or Puglia, they have on their side a technical rate and a budget that are on average higher than those of our local teams. In this sense, we asked Mr. Fanello how much having more than one player in the squad with a history in higher categories could help. See the various Bernardi, Scalon, Giovanni Foderaro, Catania, Lavrendi and Curcio. “It can be an important factor given that perhaps these players know how to manage certain moments of the match. Although I think that, if we have them in the squad, they will have them too. They will be somewhat new matches for us, also because they will be played over 180 minutes. We will need to stay calmer than usual and prepare them in the best possible way. The mental aspect often dominates and therefore probably some footballer with great experience will be able to lend a hand to myself and his staff”.
Ferdinando Gaetano
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