Maccabi Ashdod Set for Historic League Debut with Full Squad

Maccabi Ashdod is poised to play its first-ever game in the Winner League on Thursday at 8:15 PM against Nes Ziona. For the first time this season, and unlike in the Winner Cup, the team will field a full roster. Augustine Rubit, who has been sidelined by injury, is not fully recovered but will play, as will Ben Calhoun Gold, who missed the game against Maccabi Ramat Gan due to illness, and Sean Dawson, who was absent from the initial games.

The team is making a significant effort to attract fans to the Kirya Arena, including a visit to the Ratamim school where players met children and distributed invitations with ticket purchase codes. Ahead of the game and his team's Premier League debut, coach Dan Katzir expressed excitement, stating, "It's exciting to start a season, regardless of the league. Obviously, our story makes it a bit more special." He added that the team has prepared for this moment over the past month and a half and emphasized the need for fan support, calling them the "sixth player."

Katzir acknowledged that this is the first time he will have a full squad since training began, viewing it positively. "Every team goes through these things, and it's no excuse. I take it as a positive, that we are worth more than what we've shown." Experienced player Augustine Rubit also shared his feelings, "I feel great. This is what we train for during the preparation period. It's a great opportunity to show ourselves to our fans, and we will come prepared."

Rubit commented on the opposing team, noting he knows some players personally. "They are a good team with an impressive roster. I've played against some of their players elsewhere, and I'll be playing against Freddy Gillespie tomorrow, whom I played with at Bayern Munich. It will be interesting to compete against him in the same position. We'll need to be ready to beat a really good team. We've had a complex preparation period, and we only trained together for the first time on Saturday because Sean got injured initially, then I did, and we are still building our chemistry."