Big Prospect in Small Team

2003. Szeptember 8. 14:37

A goalkeeper to watch: Daniel Illyes

Newly promoted FC Dabas is currently tenth in the Hungarian second division. Opposite sides scored only two goals in four matches against them, thanks first of all to their young and talented goalkeeper, who is considered to be one of the most promising prospects of the game in the country: Daniel Illyes.

FC Dabas visited Kaposvar in the fourth round in the I/B division of the Hungarian Football League last Saturday. The visitors had a clear chance to grab the lead just seconds after the kick-off, but it was Kaposvar’s Balazs Toth, who scored the first and only goal of the match on a one-on-one situation after 52 minutes. Still, the man of the match was Dabas’ goalkeeper, the 21-years-old Daniel Illyes, who saved the homes sides penalty in the second half. Illyes kills Kaposvar's penalty Illyes was signed by FC Ujpest, one of the country’s most prestigious clubs a year ago. The talented and hard-working goalie became the team’s second goalkeeper for good by the winter-break, but could not make his debut in the top class of Hungarian football due to the great form Geza Vlaszak showed in the goal all year. During the first 12 months Illyes spent at Ujpest there were four different head-coaches working at the first squad. It meant, by the time he proved himself to be good and reliable enough to play in league games, the coach had been already gone. Considering these circumstances it was good news, that Ujpest gave him to the newly promoted second division (I/B) side Dabas on loan. Illyes established himself as the number one goalkeeper of the team soon after his arrival and the first four games of the young season proved the coach’s decision right. Illyes in action against Kaposvar on September 6 Dabas, who has one of the smallest budgets in the league, has got the least goals in the league due to the excellent performance of Daniel so far. On the first game-day Dabas beat Dunaujvaros 3-1 and followed this result with two 0-0 draws. There were more than 300 minutes opposite players could not beat Illyes during the span between the goal by Dunaujvaros and the one by Kaposvar last weekend.