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Andronic ambition gives Zimbru drive

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Still just 19, everyone in Moldova is talking about FC Zimbru Chişinău striker Oleg Andronic, with the youngster already looking set to fulfil his target of "becoming the league's top scorer" this season.

Oleg Andronic is showing real promise at Zimbru
Oleg Andronic is showing real promise at Zimbru ©FC Zimbru Chisinau

Season target
Andronic made his debut last term, scoring his first goal from the penalty spot in a 7-0 win against FC Olimpia Balti, and he has already scored eight goals in eleven league appearances this time around. "Before the start of the league, our coach Ion Caras told me I had to set myself a target," said Andronic. "I replied that I already had one – becoming the league's top scorer. My dad taught me to my sights high."

Sensible position
The striker is certainly not arrogant about his skills. "I get enough chances to score in every game but I have problems with finishing," he conceded. "That is why I sometimes miss from good positions." Caras, however, is inclined to forgive such lapses. "To begin with, he missed a lot of chances but I was still happy enough because he created almost all of them himself," said the coach.

Helpful move
Andronic owes his surge to prominence at the club to the departure of Aleksei Zhdanov, who scored 12 goals last season, to FC Nosta Novotroitsk. "When our best scorer Aleksei Zhdanov told me he wanted to move to Russia at the start of the season I had nothing against that," said Caras, whose side lie third in the league. "Oleg Andronic was given a chance to take his place in attack and he has taken it very well."

Promising youngsters
FC Sheriff's eight-season run of national titles has seen Zimbru overshadowed at home, and even their reputation as an academy club has not always paid off. The likes of Alexandru Epureanu and Serghei Dadu have become big names in Moldovan football, but only after failing to make the grade at Zimbru. However, the last couple of campaigns have seen more promising signs for the club's youngsters. Last season, 16-year-old defender Alexandr Beliuga made his first appearances for the club, while homegrown talents like midfielder Andrei Cojocari, goalkeeper Nicolai Calancea and defender Igor Armas are now regulars for the club.

'A bright future'
Andronic will now look to join those team-mates, and indeed his cousin Valeriu Andronic, in the national team. Caras certainly rates him. "He knows how to put himself into the thick of things," he said. "He is always looking to score goals and very aggressive, which is sometimes better than being technically refined. He still has many weak points but he understands that and works tirelessly in training. If he carries on like this, he has a bright future ahead of him."