The official website of UEFA did a feature on the great turnaround of Vardar for this season after a tough year in 2010/11.

UEFA highlighted Vardar’s turnaround this season which featured comments from manager Ilco Gjorgjioski and captain Filip Ivanovski.  After finishing second from bottom on the table last year, Vardar was facing an uncertain future but the club escaped relegation and has bounced back this season.  Vardar currently tops the table with 44 points after 18 rounds and has yet to lose a game.  Vardar has compiled 13 wins and 5 draws in those 18 league games and has the best goal difference of +24.

The 40-year-old Vardar manager Ilco Gjorgjioski told UEFA.com, “Our primary goal was to get this organization back on its feet, and only then could we think about pushing for trophies.  Our main title rivals – Shkendija, Metalurg, Rabotnicki, and Renova – have been building their teams for years and have settled lineups; our squad was put together just three weeks before the campaign started.  However, those teams were inconsistent, which was not the case with us.”

Meanwhile, Filip Ivanovski, the top scorer in the Macedonian top league with 14 goals, also commented on the Vardar success this season.  Filip joined the club in the summer as a free agent after his contract was terminated by Cypriot club Ethnikos Achnas.  Ivanovski stated the following to UEFA.com, “We have a winning mentality and that’s what separates us from the rest of the clubs.  I’m happy with my performances and the fact that I am the league’s top scorer, but the credit goes to my team-mates.  Our squad has a great mix of quality individuals.  We also brought a few excellent foreigners and that brought much-needed stability into our game.”

Gjorgjioski closed by saying that nothing has been decided yet since titles are not handed out during the winter break.  He thinks the title will be settled in May as Vardar’s closest competitor, Metalurg, is only five points behind the table leaders with the conclusion of the first half.