1988 FC Guria season
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| 1988 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Mikhail Fomenko |
| Stadium | Guria stadium, Lanchkhuti |
| First League | 4th of 22 |
| Soviet Cup | 3rd round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Viktor Khlus (21) All: Viktor Khlus (24) |
| Highest home attendance | 20,000 (four games) |
| Biggest win | 5–0 v Zvezda (away, 20 July) 6–1 v Zvezda (home, 28 October) |
| Biggest defeat | 0–4 v Kuzbass (away, 5 November) |
The 1988 season was the 64th year in Guria's history and 1st season in the 2nd tier of Soviet football after being relegated from the Top League the previous year. In addition to the league season, the team also participated in the 1988–89 Soviet Cup.[1]
Following their relegation from the 1987 Soviet Top League the previous year, Guria returned to the 2nd division with several new players such as midfielders Gocha Gogrichiani, Nugzar Kakilashvili and Otar Korgalidze and striker Grigol Tsaava, all signed from Dinamo Tbilisi. Before the team managed to get back to winning ways, it experienced a major setback in the opening period of the season. After round 8, Guria were sitting 16th, just two points above the drop zone, which significantly damaged their title ambitions. But they gradually improved performance to move up to the 6th place by mid-season.[2]
At the end of the summer Guria, advanced into the top five, putting more pressure on the league leaders. Amid a tight competition with other four teams, the Gurians played their crucial ties in the second half of October. First, they shared points with Rotor, followed by an unexpected draw at Dinamo Batumi. Still, Guria reached the 2nd promotion spot with two thumping home wins by late October, but yet another loss to CSKA and a consequent fiasco at Kuzbass ended their season in the 4th place.
In the cup, Guria brushed aside two lower-division sides before taking on Dinamo Kiev. After a 2–0 away loss, they fought back at home, taking a two-goal lead in the first half. Although Guria eventually failed to produce a miracle against such powerful opponents, a narrow victory over them in the return leg became one of the major cup upsets of the year.[3]
Striker Viktor Khlus finished the season as Guria's main goalscorer with 21 league goals in addition to three more scored in the cup.[4]
Guria continued their strong home record with 19 wins in 21 league games in contrast with another poor away performance (four wins in 21 games).
