From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Apr 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Poltava
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad3 Apr 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Apr 2028
30 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ryan Cowley and Poltava agree another 4 years.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Poltava know it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Mar 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market27 Mar 2028
He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Samuel Beldenti and Poltava agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Oleksandr Piatov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market27 Mar 2028
The João Vialle story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until João Vialle signs something — a contract at Poltava or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match20 Mar 2028
Poltava are in real trouble now
Position 15, 20 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market20 Mar 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Mahmudu Bajo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Danylo Serbinov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Oleksandr Piatov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market20 Mar 2028
Poltava have let the market know Denys Halenkov can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Mar 2028
Illia Ukhan hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Mar 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Pressure builds in the Poltava boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market6 Mar 2028
Poltava say no — this time
The offer from Polissia for Andrii Pustovit was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dmytro Plakhtyr and Poltava agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad6 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch6 Mar 2028
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Kryvbas runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Mahmudu Bajo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market28 Feb 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Poltava have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad28 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Yevhen Misiura
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dmytro Matsapura and Poltava agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market28 Feb 2028
The João Vialle story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until João Vialle signs something — a contract at Poltava or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Feb 2028
Poltava are in real trouble now
Position 15, 20 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market21 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Feb 2028
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market21 Feb 2028
The fee is $480.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Kolos drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Market21 Feb 2028
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Kudrivka moved on, Andrii Pustovit reports back to Poltava, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Squad21 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match19 Feb 2028
Zorya left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
A performance of 8.72 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
Marked 8.65 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Feb 2028
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market14 Feb 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vitalii-Dmytro Teplyi, and the manager let it.
Loan watch14 Feb 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 1 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.
Market14 Feb 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Poltava signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Irakli Lobjanidze and Poltava agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match12 Feb 2028
Poltava and LNZ take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Market14 Feb 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Volodymyr Odariuk’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Feb 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Pressure builds in the Poltava boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
The terraces7 Feb 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Mahmudu Bajo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match5 Feb 2028
A bad afternoon for Poltava against Rukh
2‑3 to Rukh, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings7 Feb 2028
A performance of 8.90 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmytro Plakhtyr, and the manager let it.
Player ratings7 Feb 2028
A performance of 8.46 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad7 Feb 2028
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Poltava pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Jan 2028
Mykola Buzhyn hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match29 Jan 2028
Inhulets made Poltava work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Marked 8.99 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad31 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Denys Halenkov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Poltava know it.
Market31 Jan 2028
The João Vialle story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until João Vialle signs something — a contract at Poltava or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Jan 2028
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
21 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Match24 Jan 2028
Poltava sink to position 15
16 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market24 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad24 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match22 Jan 2028
Polissia left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Jan 2028
20 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 20, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Market17 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings17 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Mahmudu Bajo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match15 Jan 2028
Kryvbas left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Diego Celis
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Stanislav Sotnichuk and Poltava agree another 3 years.
Loan watch17 Jan 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 Jan 2028
19 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 19, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Squad10 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match8 Jan 2028
Karpaty left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vitalii-Dmytro Teplyi, and the manager let it.
Loan watch10 Jan 2028
“I did not go to Kryvbas to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 Jan 2028
The wait goes on for Poltava
18 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad3 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Arsentiy Doroshenko, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match1 Jan 2028
Shakhtar left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad3 Jan 2028
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Poltava pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Dec 2027
17 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Match27 Dec 2027
Poltava are in real trouble now
Position 15, 16 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market27 Dec 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Mahmudu Bajo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match25 Dec 2027
Oleksandriya left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The terraces27 Dec 2027
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Poltava, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Dec 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market20 Dec 2027
Illia Ukhan hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mykola Buzhyn, and the manager let it.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.61, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Poltava are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Loan watch20 Dec 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Feniks runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Match18 Dec 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Dec 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
15 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Market13 Dec 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.50, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad13 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Danylo Serbinov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Loan watch13 Dec 2027
“I did not go to Kryvbas to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Match11 Dec 2027
It needed João Vialle to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Kolos, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
The terraces13 Dec 2027
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Dec 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
14 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 39 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
A defender's afternoon for Mahmudu Bajo
Defensive actions: 29. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market6 Dec 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Mahmudu Bajo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Maksym Marusych and Poltava agree another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Nov 2027
The wait goes on for Poltava
13 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market29 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Match29 Nov 2027
Every point is an argument now for Poltava
Position 14 and 13 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
A defender's afternoon for Mahmudu Bajo
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Poltava know it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
A defender's afternoon for João Vialle
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Ruslan Buriak knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ruslan Buriak trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match20 Nov 2027
The wait goes on for Poltava
12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market22 Nov 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Poltava may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad22 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Marked 8.49 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Loan watch22 Nov 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Nov 2027
11 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Market15 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Nov 2027
24 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vitalii-Dmytro Teplyi, and the manager let it.
Match13 Nov 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad15 Nov 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Loan watch15 Nov 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match6 Nov 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Match6 Nov 2027
The cup run ends for Poltava
1‑3 against Zorya, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market8 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad8 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Marked 8.35 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad8 Nov 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad8 Nov 2027
At 20 years old, Oleksandr Vasyliuk became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match30 Oct 2027
The wait goes on for Poltava
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match1 Nov 2027
Poltava sink to position 14
11 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market25 Oct 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match23 Oct 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” João Vialle commits to Poltava for another 3 years.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Mahmudu Bajo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match23 Oct 2027
Beaten 2‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
A performance of 8.54 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Poltava are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yevhen Misiura, and the manager let it.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad18 Oct 2027
Ruslan Buriak: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Poltava have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market18 Oct 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match16 Oct 2027
6 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad18 Oct 2027
57 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match16 Oct 2027
0‑1 to Inhulets, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Loan watch18 Oct 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Kryvbas runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match9 Oct 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad11 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.70, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match9 Oct 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Polissia leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Ruslan Buriak asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The terraces11 Oct 2027
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market4 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match2 Oct 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Volodymyr Odariuk commits to Poltava for another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Mahmudu Bajo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match2 Oct 2027
Kryvbas left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Poltava know it.
The terraces4 Oct 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Mykyta Kononov
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market27 Sep 2027
Illia Ukhan hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Volodymyr Odariuk, and the manager let it.
Match25 Sep 2027
A bad afternoon for Poltava against Karpaty
0‑1 to Karpaty, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Loan watch27 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Feniks to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Mykyta Kononov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Poltava, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
5.50 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
5.53 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad20 Sep 2027
There were 10 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Poltava may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match18 Sep 2027
0‑2 to Shakhtar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mykyta Kononov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Mahmudu Bajo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maksym Marusych, and the manager let it.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Poltava, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The terraces13 Sep 2027
The spotlight tightens on Mahmudu Bajo
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
4.59 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Sep 2027
There were 12 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market6 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A defender's afternoon for Mahmudu Bajo
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A defender's afternoon for João Vialle
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 9.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match4 Sep 2027
Epicentr made Poltava work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ruslan Buriak, and the manager let it.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Aug 2027
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Valerii Voskonyan: 3 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match25 Aug 2027
Poltava march on in the cup
Veres are out and Poltava go through, 0‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match28 Aug 2027
Nowhere to hide for Poltava
0‑3 against Kolos, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad30 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market30 Aug 2027
The fee is $99.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Feniks drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
A defender's afternoon for Illia Ukhan
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad23 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market23 Aug 2027
Kolos paid $230.0K and Poltava took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market23 Aug 2027
Prykarpattia pay $47.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valerii Voskonyan, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market16 Aug 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Poltava is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad16 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match14 Aug 2027
Three points for Poltava, 2‑1 the final word against Veres in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.92 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Marked 8.52 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Yevhen Misiura
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad16 Aug 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Poltava have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market9 Aug 2027
The fee is $280.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Prykarpattia drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Bohdan Liedniev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.72 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match7 Aug 2027
Three points for Poltava, 1‑0 the final word against Chornomorets in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Maksym Marusych and Poltava agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Market9 Aug 2027
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Match31 Jul 2027
4 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Market2 Aug 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market2 Aug 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market2 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Valentyn Kryvtsov is back at Poltava, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad2 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match31 Jul 2027
0‑1 to Dynamo Kyiv, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Loan watch2 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Feniks to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Oleh Veremiyenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Jul 2027
Poltava have let the market know Alexis Sinisterra can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market12 Jul 2027
Vorskla paid $600.0K and Poltava took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market12 Jul 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Volodymyr Odariuk’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Poltava, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market12 Jul 2027
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market5 Jul 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Mykola Buzhyn was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Jul 2027
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market5 Jul 2027
Poltava have let the market know Mykola Buzhyn can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market28 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market28 Jun 2027
Vadym Pidlepych has left for Chornomorets in a $180.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market28 Jun 2027
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Mykola Buzhyn has his answer from Poltava; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladyslav Danylenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Jun 2027
Poltava say no — this time
The offer from Melbourne Victory for Volodymyr Odariuk was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market21 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market21 Jun 2027
Kolos pay $280.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market21 Jun 2027
The name of Ihor Kotsiumaka has come up in conversations Poltava were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad21 Jun 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Dmytro Plakhtyr keeps the shirt for now, at Poltava's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market14 Jun 2027
Hlib Ziniar told to find a new club
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Hlib Ziniar has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Poltava.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Oleh Veremiyenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market14 Jun 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Volodymyr Odariuk’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad14 Jun 2027
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Poltava that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Jun 2027
14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad31 May 2027
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Mykola Buzhyn, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad31 May 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 May 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ruslan Kotchenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market31 May 2027
Poltava have made Vadym Pidlepych available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad31 May 2027
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at Poltava the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch24 May 2027
“I did not go to Obolon to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 41 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad17 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at LNZ runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad17 May 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market17 May 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Volodymyr Odariuk’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Market17 May 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Denys Halenkov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch10 May 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Metalurh Zaporizhzhia runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 May 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I did not go to Epicentr to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 37 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Apr 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch26 Apr 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Obolon runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Apr 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at LNZ runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
“I did not go to Metalurh Zaporizhzhia to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Diego Celis and Poltava agree another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch29 Mar 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Obolon runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladyslav Danylenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hlib Ziniar commits to Poltava for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Volodymyr Odariuk and Poltava agree another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch8 Mar 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrii Savenkov, and the manager let it.
Squad8 Mar 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Poltava has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Market22 Feb 2027
Rukh come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Poltava did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad22 Feb 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad22 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oleh Veremiyenko, and the manager let it.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
“I did not go to Obolon to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.
Squad22 Feb 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Poltava pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Match20 Feb 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match13 Feb 2027
Epicentr left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Marked 8.49 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad15 Feb 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Valerii Voskonyan knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Oleh Veremiyenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market8 Feb 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” João Vialle commits to Poltava for another 3 years.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Dmytro Plakhtyr was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch8 Feb 2027
“I did not go to Epicentr to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Vladyslav Danylenko will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market1 Feb 2027
The paperwork is done: João Vialle joins from Polissia in a deal worth $560.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market1 Feb 2027
Polissia paid $110.0K and Poltava took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Marked 9.02 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match30 Jan 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Oleksandr Vivdych’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Poltava.
Market1 Feb 2027
The phone has started ringing about Andrii Pustovit again, and this time the name on the line is Livyi Bereh. Poltava are listening politely and promising nothing.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladyslav Danylenko, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Jan 2027
There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market25 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Match23 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad25 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
Marked 8.97 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad25 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Mykola Buzhyn
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.54, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Loan watch25 Jan 2027
“I did not go to Obolon to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
Match23 Jan 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Polissia leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Jan 2027
Every point is an argument now for Poltava
Position 14 and 17 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market18 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Match16 Jan 2027
5 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match16 Jan 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexis Sinisterra, and the manager let it.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
A mark of 5.76 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
5.80 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market11 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match9 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad11 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Jan 2027
A bad afternoon for Poltava against Karpaty
1‑2 to Karpaty, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
A performance of 8.81 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market4 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match2 Jan 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yevhen Misiura, and the manager let it.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Obolon runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Dec 2026
35 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad28 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.69 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 116% of everything Poltava earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Loan watch28 Dec 2026
“I did not go to Obolon to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match26 Dec 2026
It needed Denys Halenkov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against LNZ, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Dec 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Dec 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Illia Ukhan: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Poltava have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Mazinho
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Dec 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Ihor Kotsiumaka: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Poltava have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.35, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
A performance of 9.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match12 Dec 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Arsentiy Doroshenko. 2‑0 against Kolos, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Marked 8.31 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Loan watch14 Dec 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maksym Marusych, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Daniil Yermolov: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Poltava have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Oleksandr Vivdych was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match5 Dec 2026
Metalist left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Mykola Buzhyn
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Daniil Yermolov and Poltava agree another 3 years.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Nov 2026
Poltava sink to position 14
12 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market30 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Poltava may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad30 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 64 days on the sidelines for Oleksandr Piatov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad30 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Nov 2026
It finished 3‑2, and it was Daniil Sukhoruchko’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Poltava.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Marked 9.42 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
149% of the income goes out in wages at Poltava
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
14 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Poltava may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match21 Nov 2026
Dynamo Kyiv left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.62, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yevhen Misiura, and the manager let it.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
A mark of 5.41 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match14 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Poltava
13 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market16 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Poltava may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Dmytro Plakhtyr was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match14 Nov 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Match4 Nov 2026
Poltava bow out of the cup
Zorya go through and Poltava go home, 0‑1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market9 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad9 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match7 Nov 2026
0‑2 to Oleksandriya, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Mazinho
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Obolon runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad9 Nov 2026
At 20 years old, Yan Shevchenko became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Oct 2026
10 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Nov 2026
Poltava sink to position 14
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market2 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Dmytro Plakhtyr was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Poltava know it.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
149% of the income goes out in wages at Poltava
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Match31 Oct 2026
0‑1 to Epicentr, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladyslav Danylenko, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Poltava
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market26 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.19, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.28, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match24 Oct 2026
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Poltava
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Oleksandr Piatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad19 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Maksym Marusych
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch19 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Epicentr to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Match17 Oct 2026
Poltava and Obolon cancel each other out
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Obolon came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
5.63 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match10 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Poltava
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Marked 8.94 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmytro Plakhtyr, and the manager let it.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I watch every Poltava game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Obolon runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Poltava, and it is a cruel one.
Match10 Oct 2026
A 1‑1 draw with Polissia leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Poltava that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Poltava can pretend not to have heard.
Match3 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Poltava
6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Oleksandr Piatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 252% of everything Poltava earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ihor Kotsiumaka commits to Poltava for another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Poltava, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match28 Sep 2026
Every point is an argument now for Poltava
Position 14 and 5 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Match26 Sep 2026
5 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Poltava against Karpaty
2‑3 to Karpaty, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.66, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Mykola Buzhyn
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.55, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market21 Sep 2026
Poltava say no — this time
The offer from Metalurh Zaporizhzhia for Andrii Pustovit was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Match19 Sep 2026
4 matches without a win for Poltava
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Poltava are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Loan watch21 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Epicentr to sit and watch. I want to come back to Poltava and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Illia Ukhan, and the manager let it.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market14 Sep 2026
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Mykyta Minchev reports back to Poltava with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Volodymyr Odariuk, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Loan watch14 Sep 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Poltava, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Match12 Sep 2026
Poltava draw a blank against LNZ
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. LNZ defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad14 Sep 2026
At 18 years old, Andrii Pustovit became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Sep 2026
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market7 Sep 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Oleksandr Piatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 9.08 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
274% of the income goes out in wages at Poltava
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.24 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Diego Celis
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match5 Sep 2026
Poltava and Rukh take a point apiece
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Aug 2026
Poltava through in the cup
A 2‑0 win over Obolon, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The medical room confirms 26 days on the sidelines for Dmytro Plakhtyr, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.76, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.78, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.75 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Market31 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Poltava have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad31 Aug 2026
No hiding place for Mazinho
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mazinho, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to Poltava's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Poltava has to find a result from somewhere.
Match22 Aug 2026
Metalist left with the points after a 4‑5 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Oleksandr Piatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.84, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mykyta Kononov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.12 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Marked 8.10 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Aug 2026
Rukh come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Poltava did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad17 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Poltava this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valerii Voskonyan, and the manager let it.
Match15 Aug 2026
A 1‑1 draw with Veres leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad17 Aug 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Poltava have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 Aug 2026
Valerii Voskonyan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match8 Aug 2026
1‑2 to Dynamo Kyiv, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.74, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market10 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Dmytro Plakhtyr’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Squad10 Aug 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Poltava, another week without a signature from Arsentiy Doroshenko.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
A mark of 5.68 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Aug 2026
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad3 Aug 2026
57 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Volodymyr Odariuk commits to Poltava for another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Oleksandr Piatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match1 Aug 2026
0‑2 to Shakhtar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.