FC Struga

Struga
Full nameFootball club Struga Trim-Lum
Founded2015; 9 years ago (2015)
GroundGradska Plazha Stadium
Capacity800
ChairmanArbtrim Qyra
ManagerQatip Osmani
LeagueMacedonian First League
2023–24Macedonian First League, 1st of 12 (champions)
Websitehttps://www.fcstruga.com/

FC Struga Trim-Lum (Macedonian: ФК Струга Трим-Лум, Albanian: KF Struga Trim-Lum) is a professional football club based in Struga, North Macedonia. They are currently competing in the Macedonian First League.

History

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FC Struga Trim & Lum was founded in August 2015 by the renowned company "Trim & Lum," a leader in the construction and real estate sectors. The club emerged as a serious and ambitious project, committed to building a football team that would adhere to the highest standards, even though they began their journey in the Fourth League, also known as the Municipal League. From the outset, FC Struga invested in modern training methods and professional infrastructure, signaling their intent to rise through the ranks of Macedonian football.[1]

Their efforts bore fruit in the 2016–17 season when the club finished first in the Third League, securing direct promotion to the Macedonian Second League. In the same season, FC Struga also clinched the OFS Struga Cup, marking the beginning of their competitive success.

On 28 November 2017, continuing their winning streak, FC Struga triumphed in the Independence Cup held in Korçë, Albania. The club defeated Tirana 1–0 in the semi-finals, thanks to a header from Migjen Sherifi, and went on to win the final against Otrant-Olympic from Ulcinj after a penalty shoot-out (4–1).

Their breakthrough into the top tier of Macedonian football was cemented in the 2022–23 season when FC Struga won the Macedonian First Football League title for the first time. On 7 May 2023, FC Struga secured the championship following a decisive 3–0 victory over FK Sileks.[2] Demonstrating their dominance, FC Struga successfully defended their title in the 2023–24 season, becoming back-to-back Macedonian First Football League champions, further establishing themselves as a rising force in the league.

Honours

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Recent seasons

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Season League Cup European competitions Top goalscorer
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Player Goals
2015–16 OFL Struga 21 18 1 2 52 16 55 1st ↑
2016–17 3. MFL Southwest 26 17 8 1 68 16 59 1st ↑
2017–18 2. MFL West 27 13 6 8 44 30 45 4th R2
2018–19 2. MFL West 27 15 9 3 42 17 54 1st ↑ R1
2019–201 1. MFL 23 6 7 10 19 28 25 10th N/A Hristijan Kirovski 5
2020–21 1. MFL 33 15 12 6 39 24 57 3rd SF Marjan Altiparmakovski 7
2021–22 1. MFL 33 12 11 10 33 33 47 6th SF Conference League QR1 Nemanja Bosančić 8
2022–23 1. MFL 30 20 8 2 53 19 68 1st RU Besart Ibraimi 19
2023–24 1. MFL 33 20 4 9 56 33 64 1st R2 Champions League
Conference League
QR1
PO
Besart Ibraimi
Marjan Radeski
15

1The 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia.[3]

European record

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg.
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR Latvia Liepāja 1–4 1–1 2–5
2023–24 UEFA Champions League 1QR Lithuania Žalgiris 1–2 0–0 1–2
UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica 1–0 4–3 5–3
3QR Luxembourg Swift Hesperange 3–1 1–2 4–3
PO Iceland Breiðablik 0–1 0–1 0–2
2024–25 UEFA Champions League 1QR Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 1–2 2–4 3–6
UEFA Conference League 2QR Armenia Pyunik 2–1 1–3 3–4
Notes
  • PO: Play-off
  • QR: Qualifying round

Players

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Current squad

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As of 23 August 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK North Macedonia MKD Hristijan Stevkovski
2 DF Serbia SRB Nikola Vlajković
3 DF North Macedonia MKD Hadis Tairi
4 DF North Macedonia MKD Kire Ristevski
5 DF North Macedonia MKD Bojan Ilievski
6 MF North Macedonia MKD Stefan Spirovski
7 MF North Macedonia MKD Arbi Vosha
8 MF North Macedonia MKD Flamur Tairi (captain)
10 MF North Macedonia MKD Besmir Bojku
11 MF North Macedonia MKD Bunjamin Shabani
12 GK North Macedonia MKD Raif Mirseloski
14 FW North Macedonia MKD Marjan Radeski
16 DF North Macedonia MKD Besart Krivanjeva
17 MF Japan JPN Masaaki Takahara
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF North Macedonia MKD Shaban Zenku
19 MF North Macedonia MKD Ard Kasami
21 MF Denmark DEN Bekim Kamberi
25 FW North Macedonia MKD Suhejlj Muharem
28 MF Nigeria NGA Effiong Hogan Ukpa
29 FW North Macedonia MKD Hristijan Maleski
31 MF North Macedonia MKD Jusuf Kaba
33 FW Burkina Faso BFA Bassirou Compaoré
45 MF North Macedonia MKD Stefan Jevtoski
55 DF Serbia SRB Sava Radić
90 FW Nigeria NGA Lanre Kehinde
95 GK Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Vedran Kjosevski
99 GK Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Filip Dujmović

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF North Macedonia MKD Jetmir Bauta (at Karaorman)
MF North Macedonia MKD Arion Ziba (at Karaorman)

Personnel

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As of 20 August 2019[4]
Current technical staff
Position Name
Head coach North Macedonia Qatip Osmani
Assistant coaches
North Macedonia Meriton Gega
North Macedonia Stefan Meckaroski
North Macedonia Gjoko Cadoski
Physiotherapist
North Macedonia Erblin Domazeti
North Macedonia Afrim Bojku
Board members
Office Name
President North Macedonia Arbtrim Qyra
General director North Macedonia Besar Isaku
Secretary North Macedonia Miftar Shaqiri
Security director North Macedonia Lum Qyra
Coordinator of football school North Macedonia Eugen Xhila
Information and media officer North Macedonia Ermir Korca

References

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  1. ^ "History of FC Struga Trim & Lum". fcstruga.com. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  2. ^ "Struga is first time champion of Macedonia". Kris Ninkovski. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  3. ^ "Вонредна седница на Управен одбор на Фудбалска федерација на Македонија: Прекин на натпреварувачката сезона 2019/2020". Фудбалска Федерација на Македонија. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  4. ^ "F.C. STRUGA (kryesia e klubit)" [F.C. STRUGA (the club headship)] (in Albanian). FC Struga. Archived from the original on 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
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