Upon the expiration of his loan contract, Máté Tuboly is leaving DVSC. The 19-year-old midfielder arrived in Debrecen in August last year. He made his debut in the team and played in 12 league matches in the colours of Loki. We wish him good luck in his future career!

The 26-year-old defender of DVSC, Meldin Dreskovic received another call-up to the Montenegrin national team after March. Our player has already made two appearances in the national team of his home country. Now, he has the opportunity to increase the number of his caps on June 5 against Belgium and on June 9 against Georgia.

In the 2023/24 season, DVSC finished in the 5^th place in the first division of the Hungarian championship. The team collected the largest number of “young minutes” in the league. Srdjan Blagojevic, the head coach of DVSC, gave an interview to dvsc.hu and the staff of the “Csak a Loki!” magazine. Let’s see what he commented on different topics.

About the season, the expectations and the league

– First of all, we started the season with bigger expectations based on last year’s result and also because we are an ambitious team. Both the coaching staff and the players wanted to repeat something similar to what we have achieved in the previous season. We are a little bit disappointed because we didn’t get the opportunity to show ourselves in Europe. On the other hand, considering reality, the strength and unpredictability of this league, and all the problems and challenges that we faced during the season, I think that this is a realistic result. However, it is very difficult to say what is realistic in the Hungarian championship. For example, I don’t think that either Vasas or Honvéd had thought last year that it is realistic to be relegated, or let’s take Kisvárda as an example, who might had been thinking about competing in international cups at the beginning of this season, but now they are relegated to the second division. In this league, Ferencváros is one or two levels up compared to the other teams, regardless of the result of the cup final. I would say that all the other teams represent a similar level, and details can decide whether a team stays on the ground of reality, drops down or moves forward, like Paks did this year, or Kecskemét and our team did last year. Maybe we didn’t reach our high expectations, but overall, we are satisfied with the result this season

About development

– We have improved in some parts, while in some other parts, we have not. It was pretty chaotic and when we analyse the season, we must separate the performance from the result. In a lot of games, the result didn’t match the performance and it was true in both ways. There were a lot of games, when we played very well, but we didn’t get the result, for example in the away game against Fehérvár. However, there were also matches, when we won the game, but we couldn’t say that we were better than our opponent, like in the home match against Fehérvár. If we speak about the performance, in some parts we have improved and in other parts, we haven’t. Now, the team understands what the coaching staff wants. We need to work hard every day as learning and improvement never stops.

From a professional point of view

– I’ve checked the statistics and considering the expected points (regarding xG for us and against), we are the third in the table after Ferencváros and Puskás. It’s true that in a lot of games, we had bigger possession than our opponent. Although I know that people are commenting that they don’t need the possession, they want us to score goals, but we need the possession not for the sake of just having the ball. With the help of possession, we want to create chances and score goals, so it is possession with a purpose. I don’t want to fall into the trap saying that we don’t have the quality, of course we do, but we are aware of the fact that in some moments, we should have better solutions. It concerns the decisions made in the final third, the final passes, deciding about when to pass and when to shoot. These choices have basically cost us points and the opportunity to participate in international cups.

About the squad

– We speak about the squad during every transfer market. I have a clear idea about what I want, but it doesn’t depend just on the wishes of the coach, but a lot of other factors. There is no doubt and it is not a secret that we signed players during the previous transfer period, but we basically stayed without them because of different reasons. There’s room for improvement in this area. For the next season, the team needs refreshment, new blood, new ideas and energy, passion because football is about evolution all the time both on the pitch and in the locker room. In fact, not just Jorgo Pellumbi and Thor Úlfarsson were missing, but also Erik Kusnyir. I don’t want to use any excuses, but for us, his absence was a big loss. In my opinion, Erik Kusnyir was the most stable player in our team at the time when he got injured and I think that he was very close to receiving a call-up to the national team. He was ready to be a part of the national team, but unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury. After that we realized that Thor has a chronical injury, he had an operation and now he needs time to recover. We basically stayed with Donát Bárány as the only striker, plus the young Tamás Batai, who also got his own minutes. However, I’m afraid that it’s not going to be enough to enter a serious competition with bigger expectations no matter of the fact that I’m satisfied with Bárány, his effort, work and statistics too. Still, no one should forget that it is his first full season, If I’m not wrong, because in the previous seasons he was always injured. It is already a success that he could play during the whole season. What concerns Jorgo Pellumbi, we needed a left-footed centre-back with playmaking characteristics and a good pace, that’s why we signed him. Unfortunately, he got injured and we could not count on him.

Analysis and vision

– Firstly, the coaching staff have to objectively analyse themselves, which is a big challenge. The whole club and the management also have to objectively analyse what happened and draw conclusions in this way. After that, steps and actions need to be taken with the aim of improvement. I would say that first we have to make an objective analysis, then prepare a good plan for the transfer market. We have to be brave and make some moves that can bring us the energy and passion that is necessary. I think that our team needs to increase the aggressivity and speed. We need the desire to play more aggressive football with higher quality in defensive and offensive transitions, but without losing our own way of play.

Joao Oliveira leaves DVSC. The 28-year-old Swiss winger arrived in Debrecen in the summer of 2023. He played in 10 league matches and gave 1 assist. We wish him good luck in his future career!

The 2023/24 season will stay memorable for five young, homegrown players of Debrecen as they’ve made their debut in the first division. The debut of these young players was not accidental in any way, because many of them have already been training with the first team.

The 19-year-old striker, Tamás Batai made his first appearance in the first team back in December in Kisvárda, while the 17-year-old defender, Csaba Hornyák played for the first time in NB I against Zalaegerszeg in March. During the final match against Puskás Academy, our talented goalkeeper Benedek Erdélyi (18 years old) as well as our defender Balázs Gellén (22 years old) and our midfielder Flórián Cibla (19 years old) came on as substitutes and proved that they can be counted on in the future.

It is important to highlight that considering the first division, DVSC earned the most points from young minutes this season, which is also a nice result.

Congratulations to our young players!

In the last match of the 2023/24 season, DVSC played against Puskás Academy in Felcsút. Regardless of the result of this match, our team finished in the 5^th place in the championship. Nine players were out of the squad: Erik Kusnyir, Jorgo Pellumbi and Thor Úlfarsson were still on rehabilitation, Donát Bárány and Meldin Dreskovic had minor injuries, while Márk Szécsi, János Ferenczi, Dusan Lagator and Stefan Loncar were suspended because of the yellow cards that they’ve collected. For this reason, the technical staff decided to fill the squad with the youngsters of the second team. Among the starting XI were Máté Tuboly as a right-back, Nimród Baranyai as a centre-back and Balázs Dzsudzsák as a striker.

The match started at a good pace, and even though a lot of players were missing, Loki entered the game bravely. In the 10^th minute, the ball accidentally bounced on the hand of Balázs Dzsudzsák within the box and the referee awarded a penalty. The VAR checked it, but the decision remained unchanged and Zsolt Nagy converted the penalty (1-0). Right after that, there was a doubtful situation in front of the opponent’s goal, the referee didn’t blow his whistle, but he gave a yellow card to the bench of Debrecen.

In the 24^th minute, the referee sent-off Christian Manrique, who collided with Komáromi as the second-to-last man (it was also a controversial decision), and another lengthy VAR review followed, but it didn’t change the red card. The ball went over the goal after the 16-meter free-kick. Botond Vajda became the left-back and in the 36^th minute, Puskás doubled its advantage, when Komáromi shot the ball into the bottom left corner from 17 meters (2-0). However, DVSC pulled one back before the break: at the end of extra time, Soma Szuhodovszki made a nice cross and the arriving Ádám Bódi scored a beautiful goal into the right corner of the goal from 7 meters (2-1).

The second half started with another goal from Puskás. After a right-sided cross, Zsolt Nagy was left alone and he headed the ball into the net from close-range. During that period of the match, Puskás, who were in numerical superiority, dominated and they missed some big chances.

There were no big excitements in the last thirty minutes of the match, but in the 90^th minute, Komáromi was lucky to score another goal (4-1). However, it was a big pleasure that the young Csaba Hornyák and Tamás Batai came on as substitutes. Benedek Erdélyi, the goalkeeper, made his debut in the first division as well as Balázs Gellén and Flórián Cibla.

Now the team goes on a four-week break, after which the preparation for the new season will begin.

According to the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: There is nothing special to analyse, the penalty and the red card decided the match. It was difficult to play with such a line-up, but I was satisfied with the way we started, but then came the penalty. I’m very glad that a lot of players could make their debut in the team, congratulations to them, it is very important for the club. At the end, we played with 10 young players and I’m sorry for the defeat. Thanks for the support of the fans!

OTP Bank Liga, round 33.

Puskás Academy-DVSC 4-1 (2-1).

Pancho Arena, 2181 spectators. Referee: Rúsz M.

Puskás Academy: Pécsi – Maceiras, Golla, Stronati, Ormonde-Ottewill (Levi, 70.) – Szolnoki (Corbu, 70.), Plsek (Favorov, 79.) – Komáromi, Nissila (Colley, 79.), Nagy Zs. – Puljic (Vékony, 84.). Head coach: Hornyák Zsolt.

DVSC: Megyeri (Erdélyi, 83.) – Tuboly, Baranyai, Romanchuk, Manrique – Ojediran – Szuhodovszki, Bódi (Gellén, 83.) – Vajda (Cibla, 83.), Dzsudzsák (Batai, 76.), Domingues (Hornyák, 69.). Head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Goal: Nagy Zs. (15. from penalty, 49.), Komáromi (36., 90.) as well as Bódi (45+4.).

Yellow card: Plsek (47.), Komáromi (73.), Colley (94.) as well as Tuboly (34.).

Dismissed: Manrique (24.).

DVSC will play the last match of the 2023/24 championship at the home of Puskás Academy, in Felcsút, starting from 17.45 on Saturday.

Important information: club card and personal data are not necessary for purchasing tickets. However, those who would like to buy discounted tickets, need to show their ID, which makes them eligible for the discount (e.g. a student ID). There is a discount for online tickets: earlybird and online tickets cost 800 HUF for adults, while on site, guests can buy tickets for 1000 HUF each.

The guest sectors include the 3I and the 3H sectors, while tickets can be bought at ticket offices 5 and 6. The ticket offices for the guest supporters and the gates open two hours before the match, that is at 3.45 pm.

The goalkeeper of DVSC, Balázs Megyeri received the Zilahi award, which is given to a player of Loki, who delivers the best performance during the season. Our 34-year-old player is the third goalkeeper in the history of the club, who can be proud of this trophy.

– Looking at the list of players on the Zilahi award, I got admitted to quite an illustrious company, so for me, it means a huge recognition – said Balázs Megyeri to our website. –When I was playing at Fradi and Olimpiacos, I received some individual awards, but it was not characteristic to have such an acknowledgement during the recent years of my career. After a long break, I have another trophy in my vitrine, which is obviously a good feeling, although I would have traded it for a place on the podium.

It was a pretty uneven season and during the weekend, it became official that the team finished in the 5th place. How would you evaluate this season?

– It was rhapsodic. We had some good matches and big victories, and it makes me glad to remember that we made a comeback after 2-0 and earned a point at Groupama Arena. Sometimes we performed well, but didn’t get any points and there were times, when our play was not so attractive, but we won. Basically, it was characteristic of the whole season. We started well, then we had some ups and downs, but I’m glad that throughout the whole season, we were at the forefront of the table. It could be encouraging for the future that even with such a season, we consistently remained in the top part of the table.

You made numerous brilliant saves and saved the team from conceding goals many times. Are you satisfied with your performance?

– There were times, when I could perform some feats and contributed to the success of the team, but there was also a period, when I was not lucky and the ball bounced into the net either from the bar or a defender. During the run in, I think that I was in a good form and contributed to the results of the team, but that’s the reason why I’m in the goal. We have one match left and even though our fate has already been decided, we have to deliver our best performance as professional sportsmen. It also matters in what kind of mood we go on a break, but after the match against Fehérvár, we took a step forward. We showed that we are competitive, which can provide motivation for the future. One is thing is for sure: we are not going to Pancho Arena with a white flag, we will do everything to be successful, moreover, in order to finish the season with two victories. It would be rewarding for our soul and it would indicate that we can achieve a better result in the next season.

You arrived in Debrecen two years ago and the club prolonged your contract last year. How do you feel in the city?

– I really like to be here. Compared to the previous year, the only difference is that my family also moved here. My wife and children love the city. My daughters go to an excellent school, so they got used to life in Debrecen. The club and the city have both welcomed us, which makes our life easier. We look towards the future with good feelings, and I believe we’ll be here for at least another two years.

In the last auction of this season, supporters can bid on the dedicated shirts of our players, worn during the match against Fehérvár. Supporters can easily create an account on the www.matchwornshirt.com website and follow the auctions of Debreceni VSC. Fans can bid on the red jerseys of the players and the black jerseys of the goalkeepers until 2 pm. on Saturday HERE!

On Sunday evening, Loki played the last match at home against Fehérvár without Erik Kusnyir, Thor Úlfarsson and Jorgo Pellumbi. As usual, the best football player of the season has been chosen and greeted at the beginning of the final home match. This year, the goalkeeper of DVSC, Balázs Megyeri received the Zilahi award, presented by András Zilahi, the son of Géza Zilahi and the management of the club. His brother was Zoltán Zilahi, the former talented player of Loki, who tragically passed away. Congratulations to Balázs Megyeri! Dusan Lagator was also greeted on the occasion of his 50^th appearance in the Hungarian first division.

The match started with a minute of silence. János Szűcs, the excellent former defender of Loki, passed away at the age of 67 after a short and serious disease. János Szűcs, famous for his elegant play, was a player of DMVSC with only a brief interruption for nearly a decade, from 1979 to 1988. He had 156 appearances in NB I and NB II in the colours of Loki and scored 7 goals. We will cherish his memory.

The match started at a relatively good pace. In the 6^th minute, Balázs Megyeri made a huge save to deny Karamoko’s one-on-one opportunity. As an answer to that, Brandon Domingues shot over the goal from 18 meters in the 11^th minute. Not long after, the ball bounced off the bar after Katona’s header and Megyeri had to deny one more shot.

The game was balanced, but in the 24^th minute, Botond Vajda took the ball, he shot from a sharp angle but Tóth saved it. In the 30^th minute, Schön had an opportunity on the other side of the pitch, but Balázs Megyeri punched the ball away. No goals were scored until the break.

What concerns the beginning of the second half, the game didn’t change much. DVSC had bigger possession, while Fehérvár relied on quick movements. In the 61^st minute, the goalkeeper of Fehérvár saved Hamzat Ojediran’s powerful shot. Later, Csongvai tried to convert a free-kick from close-range, but it went wide off the goal.

Stefan Loncar and Márk Szécsi came on as substitutes for the last 20 minutes (Ádám Bódi, Dominik Kocsis and Oleksandr Romanchuk also came on for the endgame). In the 72^nd minute, Hamzat Ojediran had one more dangerous shot. At the beginning of the final minutes, in the 79^th minute, DVSC took the lead! Following a corner, Brandon Domingues made a cross from the left side, the defenders tried to clear, but Meldin Dreskovic shot the ball into the right corner of the goal from 14 meters (1-0). This goal meant three points for our team, which said farewell to the fans with this victory. Thus, Loki finished in the 5^th place and the team will go to Felcsút in the last round of the championship.

According to the coach

Srdjan Blagojevic: It was not an easy match. Mentally it was difficult because we conceded 5 goals last week against FTC and we lost the opportunity to participate in European cups. It was hard to maintain the intensity, but luckily, we managed to do that. Fehérvár is a good team, physically strong, but today we could win due to Balázs Megyeri’s saves and our patience. It was not our best performance, but we won. I would like to say thanks for the support of the fans during the whole season.

Bartosz Grzelak: Congratulations to our opponent. Our performance was very good, it was the best in Debrecen since I’m the coach of Fehérvár. However, this is football, we are disappointed but we must go on!

OTP Bank Liga, round 32.

DVSC-Fehérvár 1-0 (0-0).

Nagyerdei Stadium, 5347 spectators. Referee: Bognár T.

DVSC: Megyeri – Baranyai, Dreskovic, Lagator, Ferenczi – Ojediran, Szuhodovszki (Loncar, 68.) – Vajda (Kocsis, 81.), Dzsudzsák (Romanchuk, 85.) , Domingues (Bódi, 81.) – Bárány (Szécsi, 68.). head coach: Srdjan Blagojevic.

Fehérvár: Tóth B. – Serafimov, Spandler, Gergényi – Bese, Csongvai, Sigér D. (Gradisar, 78.), Schön – Christensen, Karamoko (Pető, 84.), Katona M. (Stefanelli, 68.). Head coach: Bartosz Grzelak.

Goal: Dreskovic (79.).

Yellow card: Lagator (23.), Ferenczi (34.), Vajda (54.), Baranyai (73.), Bódi (93.), Szécsi (94.), Loncar, (96.) as well as Bese (66.).

Due to the high-level cooperation agreement between DVSC and Villarreal CF, the Hungarian club’s professionals learn from the Submarine’s knowledge. 

The coaches and playes of the DVSC Football Academy (general director András Herczeg, U19 coach Zsombor Kerekes, video analyst Levente Kiss, as well as five talented players, including Imre Egri, Dénes Szakál, Milán Sánta, Zsolt Varga and Botond Nyikos) spent one week in Spain, during which they could acquire new skills as part of their training plan.

“Over the last year, Villarreal’s coaches have been with us and we have gained information about how they work here through many meetings, not only about technique or tactics, but also about organisation. Our academy is among the best in Hungary, but we can do even better,” confesses András Herczeg, director of the academy.

According to Herczeg, it is a pleasure to work together with the coaches of Villarreal as they are showing a lot of new things, most of them related to the methodology programmes for coaches in Debrecen.

“It is also a pleasure to be here visiting the facilities, training and playing against the youth teams. The coaches also enjoy watching the training sessions, having meetings and leaving with new information from the academy coaches.”

Besides methodology and football concepts, Hungarian coaches learn everything about how a professional academy works from Yellows who are based in Hungary: “One of the best examples, which I think shows one of the most important changes for their club, is to think about how they have to behave with the players and give them feedback, how to lead them. All the teams have grown because the head coach treats everyone equally. That has been a big improvement, but I would also highlight how the other departments treat the players. All players think that this has changed and they trust us”, says Álex Viña, one of the coaches from Villarreal, who accompanies them in this process. Viña explains that they also teach them “how the rest of the departments work in the club to be able to give more effective tools for their young talents.”

Herczeg also highlights the work of the club’s medical services and psychology department, which were also very impressive. One of the players, who had the opportunity to experience this week at the José Manuel Llaneza Training Ground, Dénes Szakál, agrees with his mentor: “They help both players and coaches to improve individually and they focus on that and take care of us”, but he believes that the best part of his stay here “are the training sessions because the sensations and the environment are spectacular.”

The guests from Debrecen were able to attend the match between the Submarine and Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de la Cerámica. For some of them, it was the first LaLiga match, which they consider to be the best regular competition in the world. “It is obvious that Spanish football is the best in the world and we are very happy to learn from them because the level is very high,” Herczeg underlined.

DVSC is the first foreign club to join the Villarreal family in this kind of cooperation.

In the last auction of this season, supporters can bid on the dedicated shirts of our players, worn during the match against Fehérvár. Supporters can easily create an account on the www.matchwornshirt.com website and follow the auctions of Debreceni VSC.

The auction starts at the same time as the match does, at 7.30 pm. on May 12 and lasts until 2 pm. on May 18. Fans can bid on the red jerseys of the players and the black jerseys of the goalkeepers HERE!