Goti: «In the first round I had a bad time and now I am going to fight not to leave the eleven»

Asier Goti was one of the most famous signings of Sestao River last summer market. The winger has great records in Second B and it was a luxury addition, which provided a lot of experience to the black-and-white squad. However, the Biscayan winger has been marred by injuries, which have kept him away from the pitch for two months. He himself acknowledges that “in the first round I had a bad time.” Once these physical problems have been overcome, he now has the regularity he expected and last Saturday he was able to debut his scoring account and give victory to his team. “Hopefully I can help the team by scoring more goals,” he wishes.

– It is your thirteenth season between Segunda B and Segunda RFEF. Do you maintain that motivation to jump the field every game?

Well, there are many years in the category, I already consider myself a veteran. Although I still have the same enthusiasm as when I was an 18-year-old boy and I made my debut. That is the key to continue where I am and I maintain the same ambition. A large part consists of that, of enjoying the day to day, of each training session and the matches. Then you also have to take care of yourself.

– How are you now at 32 years old?

Well, the truth is that physically I feel very well. I think I have enough rope for a while and I hope to fight for a few more years.

– He has already played 372 games between Segunda B and this new Segunda RFEF in which he has scored 44 goals. What are the biggest thorns that have been stuck along the way?

One of the biggest thorns was when I was at Bilbao Athletic. I was in the second team and you always have the illusion of seeing if the first team calls you and they pull you. I wish they had made me debut. Another is the promotion with Bilbao Athletic, which ultimately eliminated Hurricane Valencia on penalties. The third would be in the first experience I had away from home, when I went to Compostela. It was an ambitious project with its sights set on moving up to Second Division and it ended up being a disastrous year, we went down and it was a very tough year.

– Have you never been bitten by the bug to make the jump to the Second Division?

Yes, a player always aspires to play in higher categories, but I have never had the option of playing in the Second Division. I’ve always wanted it, but they never called me. It’s true that when I was at Bilbao Athletic, Mirandés tried me, but I wasn’t thinking about leaving Lezama, but about trying to make the leap to the first team.

– With the brilliant CV you have in Segunda B and also playing a great role in Leioa last season, did you have offers to play in Primera RFEF?

Yes, but I’m 32 years old, my girlfriend has a permanent job here and now we’re going to be parents, so we prioritize having stability and staying close to home. I had an offer from Linense, so that option was totally ruled out. If it had been from Logroño or Calahorra, I would have thought more about it. In the end, Sestao River called me, introduced me to the project, I really liked it and I’m very happy here. I decided to come here and it has worked out very well for me.

– Now the leadership is closer than ever. Should the objective be to go for that first place that direct promotion entails?

The objective as such was not to be first, but now seeing that it is so close, we have to dream and go for it. With humility and work, it is possible and we could fight for it. What is an objective that we have to achieve now, yes or yes, is to sneak into the play-offs, although without looking much in the long term. We will go game by game and try to take advantage of this good dynamic.

– It is that they chained five consecutive triumphs. What do you think is the reason for this great moment?

It’s not easy to win five games in a row. There are very good teams in this group and everyone competes with you. After the Christmas break, many of us caught COVID-19 and it was very difficult for us to start. From there, we are in a very good mood and confidence moment. The team works very well and it shows.

– This season is not having the expected continuity, largely due to injuries. Is it being a complicated course on an individual level?

Yes, I have had three fiber breaks. The first was in preseason, I broke again later and then relapsed the first day I trained with the group. Emotionally it was very hard. It had never happened to me and in the first lap I had a bad time. What a player wants is to play and seeing you in the stands is a bit difficult, but now I feel very well physically, I am confident and working hard. These last games, it’s my turn to play and I’m going to fight not to leave the eleven.

– It has always been to record good goalscoring figures. Did the fact of not seeing the door this season worry you?

No not at all. It has cost me a lot to score a goal, that is true. I’ve had chances and I wasn’t right, but I wasn’t nervous. He was clear that he had to continue working and they would end up entering. He had to debut last Saturday and served to give victory, so I’m happy in that sense. I hope to continue marking more now.

– He celebrated that goal in the last game with great anger. In a way, a weight was lifted off your shoulders?

Yes, I wanted. With all the injuries, I haven’t had the continuity that I would have liked and I missed celebrating goals.

– Many times it is said that goals go in streaks and that when the first is scored, then they go all in a row. Do you think this may be the case?

I don’t know if it will, but hopefully. It usually happens that when you score a goal, your mood changes and you gain confidence. Hopefully it will be like that now and I can help the team by scoring more goals. The objective is to try to continue playing, for the coach to count on me, to contribute day after day and, if it can be with goals, then much better.