P.O. Atsaleniou

Atsalenios

Full name	Παναθλητικός Όμιλος Ατσαλένιου Panathlitikos Ómilos Atsaléniou (Pan-athletic Club of Atsalenio)
Short name	POA
Founded	1951; 73 years ago (1951)
Ground	Atsalenios Stadium
Capacity	1,500
Chairman	George Lelekas
Manager	Minas Pitsos
League	Gamma Ethniki
2022–23	Heraklion FCA, 1st (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours

P.O. Atsaleniou, short for Panathlitikos Omilos Atsaleniou (Greek: Παναθλητικός Όμιλος Ατσαλένιου, translated Pan-athletic Club of Atsalenio) and also known simply as Atsalenios or POA, is a Greek association football club based in the suburb Atsalenio of Heraklion, the largest city on the island of Crete. The club's short name Atsalenios can literally be translated made of steel (Greek: ατσάλι, being the Greek word for steel). The club currently competes in the Gamma Ethniki, the third tier of the Greek football league system.

History

Atsalenios was founded in 1951 as the Pan-athletic Club of Atsalenio by Asia minor refugees occupying the Atsalenio suburb, located in the southern area of the city of Heraklion, Crete. Since 1960, the club hosts its home games at the Atsalenios Stadium, a privately owned football stadium with a capacity of 1,500 spectators.^[1]

In 1964, the club competed in the Beta Ethniki, the second tier of the Greek football league system for the first time in its history. Since 1976, Atsalenios has consecutively competed at national competitions, either as an amateur or professional club playing in the Delta Ethniki, the fourth tier of the Greek football league system. In 2003, Atsalenios was promoted to the Gamma Ethniki, featuring in seven consecutive seasons before being relegated in 2010.^[1] The club has since briefly resurfaced in the 2013–14 Gamma Ethniki, where it was relegated to Heraklion FCA regional competitions for the first time in 38 years, after finishing 8th in the Gamma Ethniki Group 5.^[2] Then it once again achieved promotion to the Gamma Ethniki during the 2015−16 season, when the club was crowned champions of Heraklion by finishing first in the regional league, and eventually placing first in the 2016 FCA Winners' Championship.^[3]

Atsalenios currently holds the record for most Heraklion FCA Cup trophies won since the competition was established in 1971, with a total of 12 wins.^[4] The club has also claimed 9 Heraklion FCA Championships, second-most behind modern Superleague regulars OFI.

Atsalenios maintains its own football academies, having produced a number of players that have since moved on to more prestigious clubs in Heraklion, such as OFI Crete and Ergotelis, as well as other Greek Superleague clubs.^[1] Some of the most renowned players to emerge from Atsalenios' infrastructure segments include Michalis Sifakis (former Greek champion with Olympiacos, 15 international caps with the Greece national football team), his father Myron (1986−87 Greek Cup winner with OFI Crete), Manolis Roubakis, Petros Giakoumakis and others.^[1]

Players

Current squad

As of 30 January 2020

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  GRE Georgios Giagiozis — GK  GRE Giannis Roubakis — DF  GRE Anestis Anastasiadis — DF  GRE Georgios Gialytakis — DF  ARG Abel Masuero — DF  GRE Panagiotis Nistikakis — DF  GRE Thanasis Patiniotis — DF  GRE Manolis Panagiotakis — DF  GRE Michalis Annitsakis — DF  GRE Manolis Roubakis — DF  GRE Panagiotis Volonakis — DF  GRE Manolis Savouidakis — MF  GRE Manolis Vorrias

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  GRE Nikos Samouilidis — MF  POR Marco Meireles — MF  GRE Dimitris Romanakis — MF  GRE Stavros Tsiroudis — MF  GRE Andreas Chatziandreou — MF  ALB Leonard Senka — MF  GRE Michalis Xylouris — MF  GRE Nikos Kermenidis — FW  GRE Leonardo Nikoli — FW  ALB Emanuel Gjeloshani — FW  POR Miguel Oliveira — FW  ALB Leonardo Nikoli — FW  GRE Fotis Kaimakamoudis

Honours

Domestic

• Delta Ethniki
  • Winners (2): 2002−03, 2012−13
• FCA Winners' Championship
  • Winners (2): 1988, 2016

Regional

• Heraklion FCA Championship
  • Winners (10): 1962−63, 1965−66, 1970−71, 1973−74, 1984−85, 1987−88, 1994−95, 1996−97, 2015−16, 2022-23
• Heraklion FCA Cup
  • Winners (12) (record): 1974−75, 1977−78, 1983−84, 1985−86, 1986−87, 1990−91, 1996−97, 1997−98, 2000−01, 2002−03, 2014−15, 2018–19

Notable former players

Greece

• Michalis Sifakis
• Manolis Roubakis
• Michail Fragoulakis
• Petros Giakoumakis
• Giorgos Giakoumakis
• Grigorios Athanasiou
• Dimitris Hasomeris
• Dimitris Karademitros
• Stefanos Vavoulas
• Thanasis Patiniotis
• Anestis Anastasiadis

Europe

• Miguel Agostinho Oliveira
• Marco Meireles

Africa

• Ebus Onuchukwu
• Rasheed Alabi
• Edouard Oum Ndeki

America

• Fernando Benitez
• Abel Masuero

Managerial history

• Rajko Janjanin (1996–2002)
• Pavlos Dermitzakis (2002–2007)
• Ioannis Taousianis (2007–2008)
• Thanasis Kolitsidakis (2008–2009)
• Manolis Patemtzis (2009–2015)
• Vasilis Krasanakis (2015–2017 )
• Manolis Soutzis (2017–2018 )
• Manolis Skyvalos (2018–2020 )
• Antonis Androulakis (2020-2021)
• Anestis Anastasiadis (2021- )

References

This page was last edited on 5 September 2023, at 14:47