The new head coach of Rudar Prijedor, Goran Kecman, who has taken the helm of the First League club in challenging circumstances, stated for Glas Srpske that he is not afraid of the challenge and will try to continue the work of his predecessor, Vule Trivunović.
Kecman was Trivunović’s assistant since his arrival at Rudar Prijedor in October 2023, and now, following Trivunović’s departure, he has been entrusted with leading the first team, marking his first independent coaching role. He emphasized that he had an excellent collaboration with the former coach and hopes to continue along the same path.
“We all know what happened, and it’s clear that the rest of the season won’t be easy for anyone at the club. Even though we finished the first half of the season in second place, it is already evident that we won’t be competitive in the title race for first place,” Kecman said.
Despite starting the season with championship ambitions, after the resignation of the previous management, Rudar Prijedor lost seven players during the winter transfer window. Alongside coach Trivunović, the following players left the club: Đani Salčin, Lazar Jovanović, Vladimir Silađi, Nemanja Raković, Amar Tahrić, Marko Šebez, and Edin Kesić.
“We all understand that after losing so many players, things won’t be easy, but we will still enter every match aiming for victory. So far, we have not signed any new players, and it’s almost certain that things will stay that way,” Kecman pointed out.
Youth players stepping up
Around ten younger players from the club’s youth academy have now joined the first team, and it is increasingly likely that many of them will get a chance to prove themselves at the First League level.
“With the players who have stayed and the younger ones joining, we will still have a team capable of achieving good results. Our current goal is to work on team cohesion and be as prepared as possible for the second part of the season,” Kecman stated.
In their first friendly match, Rudar Prijedor defeated Rudar Kamengrad 4-1.
“I’m satisfied with this first test. It showed that we are on the right track. Things will only improve when Mihajlo Savanović and Mihajlo Marinović return to the squad, as they missed this match. We also expect Nemanja Dragutinović to return to the pitch after recovering from a leg fracture, along with Dragan Živanović and Milorad Bilbija, who are still recovering from injuries. With them back, we will have a highly competitive team again,” Kecman added.
Upcoming friendlies
Rudar Prijedor will play three more friendly matches before the official season restart:
- Brdo Hambarine (February 8)
- BSK (February 15)
- Sloboda, Novi Grad (February 22)
Objectives for the season
The new management of Rudar Prijedor, led by president Aleksandar Savić, has set key objectives for the remainder of the season.
“The goal is to promote as many young players from our academy as possible while continuing with the stadium reconstruction project. The floodlights are currently being installed, and I hope that in the spring, we will begin laying a hybrid pitch on the auxiliary field,” said head coach Goran Kecman.
Source: Glas Srpske
