PFC Montana

Montana
Full name Професионален футболен клуб Монтана (Professional football club Montana)
Founded March 20, 1947
as SC Hristo Mihaylov
Ground Ogosta Stadium,
Montana
(Capacity: 7,000)
Chairman Zamfir Zamfirov
Manager Atanas Atanasov
League A PFG
2010–11 A PFG, 10th
Home colours
Away colours

PFC Montana (Bulgarian: ПФК Монтана) is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Montana, currently playing in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the top division of Bulgarian football.

The football club currently plays its home matches at the Ogosta Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,000 spectators. Montana's colours are blue, white and red. In the recent years, the club was propelled back into professional football with the help of some experienced and talented footballers, including the current captain of English Aston Villa and Bulgarian international Stiliyan Petrov.

PFC Montana was founded on March 20, 1947, when the few amateur sports clubs and organizations in the city decided to merge into one club. The new club was named SC Hristo Mihaylov after the Bulgarian communist party activist Hristo Popmihaylov, who was born in the town. So far, Montana has played a total of 3 seasons in the Bulgarian A PFG and 39 seasons in the Bulgarian B PFG.

Contents

Honours

Bulgarian A PFG:

  • 9th place (1): 1996

West B PFG:

  • Champions (1): 2009

Bulgarian Cup:

  • Semi-final (1): 1995

Bulgarian League Cup:

  • Runners-up: 1996

History

PFC Montana was founded on March 20, 1947 under the name SC Hristo Mihaylov, after a union of a few sports clubs from the city. From 1957 to 1990 the sports club wears the name of FC Septemvriyska Slava. Since 1990, the club uses the name PFC Montana.

Until 2009, Montana has played three seasons in the top flight, between 1994 and 1997. Montana joined the division in 1994, and the same year the club finished thirteenth out of sixteen clubs in its first season. The same season, Montana reached the semi-final of the Bulgarian Cup. Montana's best season in the A PFG was in the 1995-96 season - 9th place. In this campaign, the team led by Anatoli Tonov, Todor Pramatarov, Rumen Panayotov and Angel Chervenkov, the club reached the final of the currently folded Bulgarian League Cup tournament, but was knocked out by Neftochimic Burgas. In the 1996-97 season, Montana finished in the 15th place and was relegated to the second division. A part of the squad was then the talented seventeen year old Stiliyan Petrov, which was sold the same year to CSKA Sofia. Otherwise according to the fans, Boyan Gergov is Montana's most prominent figure, being the club's top goalscorer with a total of 157 goals in 364 matches. The following 1997-1998 season, after a financial collapse, Montana was relegated to the Bulgarian V AFG. However, after an 7 year stay in the V AFG, the club finished in the 2nd position in the North-West V AFG, and Montana returned in the West B PFG for the upcoming 2004-05 season.

In 2008, the chairman of PFC Montana appointed Ivan Marinov as a manager of the club. The following year, with the financial support of the mayor of the city Zlatko Zhivkov, the club finished the season in the West B PFG in the first place and therefore Montana gained promotion to the top flight for the upcoming season. The same year, Montana's striker Ventsislav Ivanov became the top goalscorer of the division with the impressive 19 goals.

Recent seasons

Year Division Position
2010–11 A PFG 10th
2009–10 A PFG 11th
2008–09 West B PFG 1st ↑
2007–08 West B PFG 7th
2006–07 West B PFG 10th
2005–06 West B PFG 11th
2004–05 North-West V AFG 1st ↑

Stadium

PFC Montana's home ground is the Ogosta Stadium in Montana. The stadium was built in 1965, but the ground underwent a total reconstruction after 41 years, in 2006. It has approximately 8,000 seats, spread in two opposite stands, with pitch dimensions of 105×68 metres. The record attendance at the stadium is 11,500 spectators and it was achieved at a game between CSKA Sofia and Montana. The stadium's name is derived from the river Ogosta, which passes nearby the town. Currently there aren't any new plans for renovating the stadium.

Current squad

As of 15 July 2011 (2011 -07-15) Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Hristo Ivanov
2 DF Georgi Mechedzhiev
3 DF Emil Koparanov
4 DF Radoslav Bachev
5 DF Dimitar Koemdzhiev
6 DF Tihomir Trifonov
7 MF Yordan Todorov
8 DF Dimitar Vasilev Iliev
9 FW Luiz Eduardo
10 FW Dimitar Vodenicharov
11 DF Aleksandar Dyulgerov (on loan from CSKA Sofia)
12 GK Atanas Arshinkov
No. Position Player
13 DF Georgi Ivanov
14 DF Anton Lichkov
15 MF Georgi Avramov
16 MF Vladimir Michev
17 FW Dimitar Krasimirov Iliev
18 MF Yanko Sandanski
19 FW Boris Kondev
20 MF Nikolay Chipev
21 MF Daniel Gadzhev (captain)
22 MF Svetlan Kondev

For recent transfers, see List of Bulgarian football transfers winter 2011–12.

Former players

The following players, which are included were either playing for their respective national teams or left good impression among the fans.

  • Mihail Gyonin
  • Plamen Prodanov
  • Aleksandar Yanakiev
  • Veselin Mihaylov

Former managers

External links