Tomorrow Maccabi will face Hapoel Petach Tikva, three months after a meeting in the "Toto" Cup
Last season
The club's great following and rich history tend to obscure the fact that only last season Hapoel Petach Tikva were still playing in the second division. Unlike their fellow promotion club Maccabi Netanya, who made their way back to the top flight at a canter, Hapoel Petach Tikva secured promotion ahead of Bnei Lod only one match from the end of the season. In fact, from the moment they landed in the league's second spot halfway through the year, Hapoel Petach Tikva only looked back to fend off their various rivals for the coveted second promotion place, and not without difficulty. In the State Cup they were less fortunate, bowing out to third division side Ma'alot Tarshiha in the last sixteen.
Status Quo
One gets the impression that Hapoel Petach Tikva could have used more time getting accustomed to life in the top flight after two years in the second division. They were already trounced 4-0 by Hapoel Ra'anana in matchweek 1, followed by Hapoel Beer Sheva and Maccabi Haifa who scored against them with a frequency of one goal every half hour. The beatings pushed the club to add a fifth man into defence and they proceeded to secure six points in their next two outings. Despite a second run of three consecutive losses, the club were able to console themselves with four points earned against Hapoel Haifa and Bnei Sakhnin. In their last outing, after an additional loss to Beitar Jerusalem in a mid-week fixture, Hapoel Petach Tikva played their first derby against Maccabi Petach Tikva in three years and, to the delight of their rapturous fans, emerged victorious.
Head Coach: Idan Bar-On
Idan Bar-On began his first season as a first-team head coach with cold determination but little in his arsenal to back it up. As a child he watched matches at Petach Tikva's old "Urva" Stadium and got as far as the youth academy, but a successful season last year with the club's Under-19s was his only credit to date before taking over at the first team. After an early and somewhat humiliating exit from the "Toto" (League) Cup and three early defeats in the league, Bar-On changed direction and bought himself a lot of time in the following outings. It's quite possible that the club's current position just above the drop zone may satisfy the home crowd at the end of the season, but the derby win will stand out as a high-water mark for Bar-On whatever the rest of the season may bring.
Players out:
Last season eleven different players scored goals for Hapoel Petach Tikva and with the exception of defender Uri Peso, now in his second year at the "Moshava", all of them left the club last summer. Topping the list is striker Lior Asulin, who started the season with Hapoel Petach Tikva and even scored, but was forced to leave the club for disciplinary reasons. Hapoel Petach Tikva's South American striking force of the Argentinian Adrian Fernandez and the Brazilian David Gomez, responsible for 18 of the club's goals last season, also headed for the exit. At the other end goalkeeper Avi Ivgi left, as did Ghanaian centre back Imoro Lukman, who made his debut in Israel way back in 2002.
Players In:
As one might expect from a club with a lot of youth and little money, Hapoel Petach Tikva last summer focused on loan arrangements with players looking for playing time in the top flight. Maccabi Haifa proved a prolific donor, with midfielder Dor Kochav and strikers Dor Hugi and Shahar Hirsh, who has already scored five goals this season, all making the trip south. Maccabi Tel Aviv were also quite generous, sending off defender Reef Peretz and midfielders Hassan Abu Zaid and Omri Altman, who scored his first league goal in the derby. The club replaced their foreign contingent with Croatian winger Mirko Oremus and Nigerian midfielder Chimezie Mbah. Further domestic acquisitions were goalkeeper Kale Dreshler from Hapoel Haifa, defender Kobi Musa from Hapoel Ramat Hasharon and defender Sagiv Cohen from Hapoel Acre.
Player to watch out for: Liroy Tsairi
Another summer signing was holding midfielder Liroy Tsairi, though how the club managed to get their hands on a player who was sold to Belgian side Mechelen as recently as three years ago for a million and a half shekels is anybody's guess. After a disappointing year at Bnei Yehuda, Tzairi recorded his first five appearances at Hapoel Petach Tikva in just over a month, scored two goals that earned his side four points and added an assist into the bargain. Since joining the club he's recorded two wins, two losses and a draw, one point more than the whole club earned in the period prior to his arrival.
