Spiridon Niculescu
.jpg) Niculescu with Dinamo București in 1968 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 April 1943[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Vidra, Romania[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper[1] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1961–1962 | Dinamo București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1966 | Dinamo Pitești[a] | 48 | (0) |
| 1966–1968 | Dinamo București | 15 | (0) |
| 1968–1974 | Argeș Pitești | 80 | (0) |
| 1972–1973 | → Rapid București (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1975–1976 | FC Brăila | ||
| Total | 145 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1976–1977 | Celuloza Călărași | ||
| 1984–1985 | Corvinul Hunedoara (assistant) | ||
| 1985–1986 | Dunărea Galați | ||
| 1990 | Flacăra Moreni | ||
| 1994 | Dunărea Galați | ||
| 2007–2008 | Dunărea Galați | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Spiridon Niculescu (born 8 April 1943) is a Romanian former football goalkeeper and manager.[1][2][3]
Playing career
Niculescu was born on 8 April 1943 in Vidra, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1961 at Dinamo București.[1][3] One year later, he joined Divizia B club Dinamo Pitești, helping them earn promotion to the first league after one season.[1][3] He made his Divizia A debut on 25 August 1963 under coach Ștefan Vasile in a 2–1 home victory against Știința Cluj.[1][4] The team reached the 1965 Cupa României final where coach Virgil Mărdărescu started him, but after conceding an 11th-minute goal from Remus Câmpeanu, he was replaced in the 17th minute by Constantin Matache in the eventual 2–1 loss to Știința Cluj.[1][5]
In 1966, Niculescu was transferred from Dinamo Pitești to Dinamo București in exchange for fellow goalkeeper Narcis Coman.[3] There, he played in another Cupa României final in 1968, with coach Bazil Marian using him the entire match in the 3–1 win over Rapid București.[1][3][6][7][8] Afterwards Niculescu returned to Pitești, and the team was now named Argeș.[1] He started playing in European competitions during the 1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup second round, appearing in both legs of the 5–3 aggregate loss to Göztepe.[1][9] In the 1971–72 season he won the league title with Argeș, but played just one game as coaches Titus Ozon and Florin Halagian preferred Vasile Stan as first-choice goalkeeper.[1][3][10]
In 1972, Niculescu was loaned to Rapid București for half a season, playing only two league games.[1] He then returned to Argeș where he made one appearance in a 1–1 draw against Fenerbahçe in the first round of the 1973–74 UEFA Cup edition, but they failed to qualify, having lost the first leg with 5–1.[1][11][12]
On 29 September 1975, Niculescu made his last Divizia A appearance in a 2–0 away loss to Politehnica Iași, totaling 145 games in the competition with 216 goals conceded.[1] He ended his career in 1976 after one and a half seasons spent in Divizia B at FC Brăila.[1][3]
Coaching career
After he ended his playing career, Niculescu worked as a coach in the Romania lower leagues for clubs such as Celuloza Călărași and Dunărea Galați.[3] He was also Ion Nunweiller's assistant at Corvinul Hunedoara.[13] Niculescu had a short spell in the first league at Flacăra Moreni during the 1989–90 Divizia A season, leading them in nine games, winning only two, which resulted in the team's relegation.[14][15]
Gallery
-
Niculescu in action during a Divizia A match against Progresul București in 1963 -
Niculescu (front row, first from the right) with Dinamo Pitești in the 1964–65 season -
Niculescu (pictured) following Remus Câmpeanu's first goal during the 1965 Cupa României final -
Niculescu (back row, third from the right) with Dinamo București in 1968
Honours
Argeș Pitești
Dinamo București
Notes
- ^ The statistics for the 1962–63 Divizia B are unavailable.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Spiridon Niculescu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- ^ Spiridon Niculescu at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Un portar din anii 60, Spiridon Niculescu" [A goalkeeper from the 60s, Spiridon Niculescu] (in Romanian). RomanianSoccer.ro. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "FC Arges vs Universitatea Cluj 2-1". Labtof. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Romanian Cup - 1964-1965". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Romanian Cup - 1967-1968". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Povestea unei fabuloase finale de Cupă" [The story of a fabulous cup final] (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Narciz Coman- Dincolo de sport, de fotbal, de carieră, am ales libertatea. Nu am lăsat capul jos niciodată!" [Narciz Coman- Beyond sports, football, career, I chose freedom. I never put my head down!] (in Romanian). Giurgiu-tribune.ro. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Spiridon Niculescu. Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1968/1969". WorldFootball. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "FC Argeș – Fenerbahce 1-1 (Cupa UEFA – 3 octombrie 1973)" [FC Argeș – Fenerbahce 1-1 (Cupa UEFA – 3 October 1973)] (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Spiridon Niculescu. UEFA Cup 1973/1974". WorldFootball. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Cronica sentimentală. Legendele Hunedaorei: Primul fotbalist campion național!" [The sentimental story. Legends of Hunedoara: The first footballer national champion!] (in Romanian). Zhd.ro. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Spiridon Niculescu". Labtof.ro. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Divizia A - 1989-1990". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
External links
- Spiridon Niculescu player profile at Labtof.ro
- Spiridon Niculescu manager profile at Labtof.ro