Aktobe ready for European return

FK Aktobe will compete in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round next season after securing the Kazakh title with one game to spare to banish the memories of last season when they had to make do with a runners-up spot.

Narrow exit
Vladimir Mukanov's side will be eager to pit their wits against European opposition after playing their part in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round this term - losing 4-3 on aggregate to Austrian side SV Mattersburg having won the first leg 1-0 on home soil. "We did not have the easiest of seasons," said Aktobe captain Samat Smakov. "Aktobe are no strangers to the top three. Any other result beside the title we would have been a failure this season. Our opponents understood that and had extra motivation against us. That is why this title has double value. We managed to prove that we are the Super League's best."

Smakov's fourth
The success was Smakov's fourth championship, having previously won it in the colours of FC Yelimai Semei, FC Irtysh Pavlodar and FC Kairat Almaty. But for coach Mukhanov it was a long-awaited first triumph after finishing third and second with FC Tobol Kostanay before last year's runners-up as Aktobe boss. "Building a team capable of regularly competing in the top three is a process which takes several years," said Mukhanov. "I did not have to start from nothing, but this team still needed some tweaking."

Close contest
Tobol fought Aktobe for the crown all the way and their coach, Askar Kozhabergenov, acknowledged that there was little to choose between the sides over the course of the year. "We met Aktobe in the Kazakhstan Cup and defeated them but they looked fresher during the latter stages of the season. They also only had a couple of games in the UEFA Cup while we had eight games in Europe. I congratulate our opponents, but still think that our teams are more or less even."