The end of a difficult and demanding season, with widespread anxiety that did not allow PAOK B to perform at their best, wrapped up on Wednesday. All ended well, however, with the Double-headed Eagle winning 4-2 against Anagennisi in Karditsa on Matchday 10 of the Super League 2 Play Outs, and finishing in first place in the mini-tournament with 34 points.

And so, from Group A, Levadeiakos are preparing for life in the Super League, while Aeolikos, Kozani and Anagennisi Karditsa were relegated to the National League 3rd tier.

The game had a special emotional interest, as it was the last in the career of Stefanos Athanasiadis and indeed against PAOK. A player cut from the cloth of his beloved Double-headed Eagle, said goodbye to active playing life, with the people of PAOK honoring him. The two teams made a guard of honour for the former PAOK man as he entered the pitch, with Kostas Iosifidis handing him a black and white jersey with the number 33 on the back.

PAOK B finished the regular season with 30 points, nine wins, three draws and 10 losses. The team scored 31 goals and conceded 27. In the Play Outs, they started with 15 points and finished with a total harvest of 34 points from ten games (six wins, one draw, three losses).

The key takeaway is the fact that our young players managed the demands well, and that our young players were given playing time, that when we were «liberated» we had the luxury to work on our permanent philosophy, that of training and promoting our players. Coach Alexis Alexiadis and his team dropped the average age, already preparing the ground for the team’s summer training, in which other youngsters from the Under-19’s will obviously also step up.

In th event of the match, PAOK B opened the scoring in the eighth minute through Goumas, after Panidis’ cross, while in the 14th minute Smyrlis made it 2-0 to teh visitors, taking advantage of Tsopouroglou’s center. PAOK B scored a third goal in stoppage time at the end of the first half again via Goumas, after Grosdis’ assist. It should be noted that in the 31st minute, Rumiantsev’s direct free-kick hit the post.

The first appearance of Nader in goal for the black and whites was also noteworthy, as on two occasions, in the 29th and 47th minutes, he denied Konilios and Athanasiadis.

In the second half, the hosts started with more intensity. Stasinopoulos reduced the deficit for Anagennisi in the 50th minute with a header and two minutes later Konilios made it 3-2. However, in the 56th minute, Rumiantsev took advantage of Gekas’ mistake and sored to make it 4-2. Then Alexiadis proceeded with all his second half changes, giving the opportunity to Adam and Pasakhidis to make their professional debuts.

All was far from calm, however, as the situation after the match was full of tension and bitter feelings for the hosts, given that with this defeat, in combination with the away victory secured by Kabaniakos against Triglia, Anagennisi bid farewell to the division.

The game ended with PAOK B winning 2-4 and Stefanos Athanasiadis hitting the crossbar with a header in the 86th minute, in a last chance to … sign off with a goal.

Team lineups:Anagennisi Karditsa: Gekas (70′ Tselios), Doumanis (46′ Stasinopoulos), Golias, Skondas, Andrikopoulos, Bouzas, Salamouras (79′ Kokkinis), Bernardos, Konilios, Xydas (46′ Kerthi), Athanasiadis

PAOK B: Nader, Tasiouras (70′ Pasachidis), Deligiannis (57′ Sinanai), Kottas, Giaxis, Tsopouroglou, Grosdis, Rumiantsev (59′ Tsikos), Smyrlis, Goumas (59′ Adam), Panidis (70′ Gitersos).