A few hours before the First Team will take on Hapoel Asheklon at the Netanya Stadium, the Under-19 side will get back to action after a break for pitch winterization throughout they Youth Ligat Ha’Al as they will head down to play Hapoel Beer Sheva at Wassermil Stadium at 12:00. The young Yellow & Blue have won three games in a row and want to pick up where they left off.
After a stuttering start to the season, Maccabi “Shachar” find themselves in fourth place and in good form. One of the terrific stats for the side is that they have given up the least goals in the league so far this campaign, allowing only four goals over 8 Matchdays. One of the responsible parties is 18-year old shot stopper Omer Kats who is a familiar face at Kiryat Shalom. Kats spent six seasons at the Club’s Youth Department and following a season away on loan at Ramat HaSharon, has now returned to the services of the Yellow & Blue replacing Haviv Ohayon.
“I know Haviv and he is a great keeper. Maccabi is my home and it wasn’t strange for me to come back to the Club as I know plenty of the players from prior years. I also wasn’t worried to return because I am confident in my abilities. I was in touch with our keeper coach Chen Abdu even when I was on loan as he is like a father for me. I’ve received good feedback from the coaches and my teammates from the beginning of the season and I work with Chen on the parts of my game that needs improvement. I know what my abilities are and what I need to do to help the Club.”
About his loan spell at Ramat HaSharon:
“It was a big change for me and honestly it was vey hard for me to do, but at the end of the day it was an amazing experience and one that was very eye-opening. I was part of the First Team squad for 8 matches plus I was with the Youth Club and we were promoted at the end of the season. It’s very different than Maccabi but it was a lot of fun and I toughened up as well.”
Coming back after a long break and having a tough match right away:
“We prepared very well during the break with a lot of practice matches and training sessions against the First Teams of Hapoel Ramat Gan and Beitar Tel Aviv/Ramle which were both at a very high level. We are about to have a run of some pretty difficult games coming up against some tough teams, but I believe you’ll really get to see what we are made of. This Saturday you’ll see that we are ready to go against Hapoel Beer Sheva.”
They say that keepers need to be a bit “crazy”, but you look like someone who breaks that stigma:
“I agree with that. Today, keepers need to really use their head and not just rely on their physical abilities. To just be a “crazy” keeper is just not enough to succeed today.”
Looking ahead to the future:
“I really want to continue my progress and make it to the First Team at Maccabi. I had a chance to train with them and had the privilege to work with Shura, from whom I learnt a lot. Just being able to train with players at the highest level in the country is something totally different. Last season I had the opportunity to practice with Ramat HaSharon’s senior side and you can really feel the differences.”
