Cypriots end our pre-season

Last updated : 07 July 2007 By Tony Scholes
Apollon Limassol (or Απόλλων Λεμεσού to give them their correct Cypriot name) are not much over fifty years old. They were founded on 13th February 1954 on a day when Burnley's goalscorer at St James Park against Newcastle was Jimmy McIlroy.

They were accepted into the Second Division by the Cypriot FA for the 1955/56 season but they weren't there for too long. They struggled in their first season, but prior to the start of the following season virtually the whole playing staff of First Division AEL Limassol moved to the new club and helped win them promotion at the first time of asking.

They joined the top league in 1957, fifty years ago, and have been there ever since and not without success, although it was a few years coming. It was in the mid-60s that they started to make a name for themselves, reaching the cup final in three successive seasons and winning it in the latter two.

But it was the 1980s when things really started to improve and in total they've won the league three times and been runners up on four other occasions. To add to that they have now been cup winners no fewer than five times along with six final defeats. Their last league title in 2005/06 came without a single defeat and they were the only team in Europe to remain unbeaten that season.

Their home ground is the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol which they share with two other clubs, AEL and Aris Limassol, but Apollon are far the biggest. It has a capacity of under 15,000 but is the premier venue on the island. It was opened in 1975 by England who beat Cyprus 1-0 in a European Championship Qualifier with a goal from Kevin Keegan.

Current Apollon manager is Siniša Gogić, a Serb who has spent virtually the whole of his football career in Cyprus and played eight full internationals for Cyprus between 1994 and 1998. He's recently taken over and this is his first management job.

He joins some well known names on the list of Apollon managers. It includes Ilie Dumitrescu who moved to Greece in 2003 after leaving his job with FC Braşov and there's also a familiar name from English football. Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland international Ronnie Whelan moved to Cyprus after managing Southend in the 1990s and Apollon were one of two clubs he managed on the island.

They are very much a multi-national team and during their all conquering 2005/06 season that squad included an English player, one well known to Burnley fans and one who gave us a magical Turf Moor moment back in 2002. It's none other than former Blackburn midfielder Craig Hignett who spent a year with them after leaving Darlington, and before returning to English football with Spennymoor and then Hartlepool.

Apollon's first choice kit is all white and are expected to play in those colours when we bring our pre-season to an end in Bad Goisern, before returning home and a date with West Brom.

Apollon in action last season against local rivals AEL
The Apollon fans at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol