It’s not often that we see foreigners who stay half a decade in the same team in the Premier League, but one such is Dziugas Bartkos, the Lithuanian goalkeeper who will start his fifth season in the cities of Kiryat Shmona. In an interview with the Sport Channel, he told about life in Israel and the northern football team.
Are you feeling ready for the new season?
“Yes, of course. I had a crack in my finger, but it’s been three weeks. Since then I’ve been wearing all kinds of aids in my glove so I can play. I already played in the Toto Cup and it was fine.”
Tell me a little about your time in Kiryat Shmona, you’ve been there for many years.
“Yes, I am the oldest foreigner in the team. Now this will be my fifth season. It was one of the best decisions I made in my career to come here. I like the place very much, the club from day one treated me very well, with a lot of respect, that’s why all these years I I feel a desire to repay them for that on the field. For me and for my family, this is an amazing time here in Israel. Until Israel, I had many ups and downs, the leagues I played in were not big, here I manage to maintain stability. If you compare the conditions and the level, this is the best place I’ve been at him”.
What is it like to live in Kiryat Shmona?
“The first place we came to in Israel was Kiryat Shmona, so we didn’t get used to another place. We loved the place from the first moment, it’s calm here, there’s nature here, we always try to find the best in things, so we appreciate and love the place and it’s good and comfortable for the family. My children We go to an excellent school, my wife is pregnant and is due to give birth here in Israel, this is home for us. We are people of faith and we feel lucky to be in the Holy Land.”
This is your fifth season in Kiryat Shmona
“After last season we signed a new contract for one season with an option for another season, but it depends on the club of course, I don’t know what will happen. I would be very happy to stay, as long as they need me, Kiryat Shmona is my priority.”
You played with Kiryat Shmona against big teams with a lot of crowds, don’t you miss that?
“Every player wants the best possible, but I didn’t have the possibility to go to the bigger clubs. I’m happy with what I have, and I appreciate it. It’s obviously a little sad to see so little crowd here in Kiryat Shmona, but we’re doing the best we can and I Trying to enjoy it, even though there aren’t many people.”
Do you have an idea what can be done to bring more fans to Kiryat Shmona?
“I don’t know how, but Kiryat Shmona is a small city, I think this should be the best entertainment for the city. The stadium is not big enough, but you have to bring 2,000-3,000 people every time, it shouldn’t be complicated because there is not too much to do Besides. Maybe the people here are a little different.”
You are the oldest in the dressing room right now, how does that feel? Who are you most connected to in the locker room?
“Suddenly I realized how time passes quickly. I try to maintain good relations with everyone of all ages, at the moment I connect the most with Mohammed Shekar, but also very close to the other foreigners.”
What do you think of Menachem Koretsky? How is the training and preparation with him so far?
“I think he is a very nice person. Even before he arrived I was told that he is a really good person. As a coach, he understands football. I see how he is involved in the process, how much energy he gives on the field, he really wants to succeed here in Kiryat Shmona and we are trying the whole team together to achieve, so I hope we will succeed.”
What did you think of the change in the coach’s position? Because Slobodan Drapis had an excellent season and was still fired.
It is already part of the past. It’s between Izzy and Drapitch that happened. I try to respect every coach we have here, and there have been quite a few in these years. Drapich is an excellent person and coach, he was very successful here. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a team yet and I wish him to find a good option quickly. He succeeded here and we love him.”
Do you feel that the team built this season is better than last season’s?
“I would say that we have more experience. We have a lot of young players, maybe this is the youngest team in the league even though I raise the average a bit. But even the young people have a year or two of experience, they played a lot in the Premier League. The most important players from last season have remained, and with The experience gained by the young people means we should be better, yes.”
You said before that you went through many coaches in Kiryat Shmona, what do you think about the rapid turnover of coaches here in Israel?
“In four seasons, the coach was changed once a season, in the rest of the league I think the situation is worse. I think Izzy is doing a good job, in the end you need results. If you see that you lose five games in a row and the league is tight, you have to react quickly, that’s normal. Even if the coach is good, but He doesn’t bring results, it will be very difficult for him to survive. In the end, this is what happened in Kiryat Shmona. We started the season badly, we gave credit, we gave time, at the beginning you can be more patient, coaches start when there is no time and the results are not good. I don’t feel that it is any more Coach uniforms”.
You have been here for four years, how is your Hebrew?
“It’s embarrassing. Only this year I’m trying to invest in it. The problem is that you never know if you’re staying or not, each time you sign for one year and you don’t know what will happen and the time goes by without you noticing and without you investing in learning the language. I hope this year I’ll get better at it.” .
Would you like a longer contract and stay here for more years?
“Obviously, I want to stay as long as possible. If not in Kiryat Shmona, then somewhere else in Israel. For me, it’s a great place and I love Israel very much. I still have time, but without a doubt I would be happy to finish my career in Israel. Maybe I’ll even be able to stay in Israel after graduation The career, you never know. We still haven’t decided where we want to live and where our house is. Over the years, we can get a visa, so we might want to ask for one, I’ve already talked about it with Kiryat Shmona, and they’ll try to find out.
Maybe we’ll see you continue to a professional position in Kiryat Shmona after?
“Time will tell.”
What are Kiryat Shmona’s expectations and goals this season?
“I don’t like to talk before the season and say ‘this season we will be top playoffs or top three’, I mostly hope we will be better than last season and I believe we have a good enough team to do it. We need a little more time to improve and find the DNA of Kiryat Shmona this season, but I hope there will be as few ups and downs as possible this season.”
A better season than last season does mean being able to reach the top playoffs. Do you think you are good enough?
“Yes. I think that people around Kiryat Shmona, their opinions are always ‘Kiryat Shmona are not good enough’, it’s like that every year and I don’t know why they talk like that, it’s a tradition. But as much as people say bad things about us, it’s good for us. The league Very tight, especially this season. Any team can beat any team. I want us to be as stable as possible and it will be fine.”
You’ve been in Kiryat Shmona for so long and the oldest in the dressing room, wouldn’t you like to be captain?
“No, we have an excellent captain. Yossi Edri (CEO of the club) keeps reminding me that you don’t need a captain’s ribbon to be a leader. I’m a leader on and off the field and that’s enough for me.”
