Tikves beats Vardar 3-1 at FFM stadium

Tikves produced a statement win over Vardar, beating the reigning side 3:1 at the FFM stadium on October 28, 2026 — another concrete step in a project that has surprised many in the domestic league.

The result underlines the rapid impact of the club’s summer appointment of Oliver Bogatinov as head coach and the influx of players selected by the club’s new management. The move to hire a coach with experience and formal schooling abroad has given Tikves tactical structure and a coherent player mix.

Management, scouting and a clear plan

Interest around the appointment started in June, when Bogatinov’s name first circulated quietly; Slovenian contacts reacted with praise: "Uff, you've gotten a doctor of football...", one of them said, summing up how outsiders read Tikves’s choices. The Turkish manager Cesar Bravo, who agreed with the Kavadarci municipality to invest in and run the club, has so far seen his plan take shape.

Tikves’s formula pairs experienced foreign reinforcements with local young talent, a combination that clicked again against Vardar. The same team had previously beaten Shkendija 3:1 at the FFM ground, showing consistency in results and selection.

By contrast, Vardar look depleted. Their squad lacks the summer signings from Argentina that had been expected, and their form now relies largely on individual quality from Goran Zakarić and two or three other players. Coach Božović — widely nicknamed "Grof" — is praised for extracting the maximum from that roster, but without stronger 'killer' players the team is thin.

Vardar had earlier announced a complaint about an improper appearance by a Tikves player. For now, however, Tikves’s project is growing momentum: better scouting, a coached game plan and clearer investment have brought results and a fuller belief that the club can keep rising in the domestic championship.

By Ognen Dojcinovski

Photo: press material from the event