Is a new force being born in Moldova? What does Petre Grigoraș rely on in the fight for promotion
Article by Ovidiu Minea – Published Friday, 09 January 2026 21:41 / Updated Friday, 09 January 2026 21:44
Finalist of the Romanian Cup with Farul Constanța (2005) and runner-up of Romania with Pandurii Târgu Jiu (2013), coach Petre Grigoraș (61 years old) will return this year to a club with more daring goals, after working for the last three years at Axiopolis Cernavodă, which only aimed to stay in the third tier.
The former striker of Bacău and Stela will train Cetatea Suceava, the vice-leader of Serie I from the third echelon.
Cantonment at Putna
Although the team from Suceava, which has been coached so far by former international Dorin Goian, is eight points behind the series leader, the Gura Humorului Eagles, Grigoras, who was “the hottest in town” in Galați, after taking Oțelul to the Intertoto Cup in 2007, wants to attack the promotion.
For this, “Grig” called the assembly since Monday, in Suceava. After a week, the technician will take his students to a camp in Putna, where he will stay until January 30. “We will spend many days together. I need to get to know my players quickly, but also to load them well, especially since in League 3 they need to excel physically,” explained the coach.
Valentine's Day match in the city of first love, transfer from Poli Iasi
For homogenization, Grigoraș has already perfected several friendly matches, with teams from the area. The most important one will be in Bacău, on February 14, with second division FC.
“I will spend Valentine's Day in the city of my first love, in Bacău, where I played for five years, at Aripile and Sport Club,” jokes the one who was born in Poduri, Bacău.
The coach also announced that his team has started the transfer campaign: “We have registered Ferhaoui, who left Poli Iași. We also want to build a new core, with a goalkeeper, a stopper, a central midfielder and a striker, some more well-known players could also appear. In terms of transfers, the management has a decisive word, she knows the team's potential better than I do”.
Big plans for Suceava
Grigoraș says that he was not disturbed by the fact that a few weeks after he had signed with Cetatea, the Suceava group announced the failure of the merger negotiations with Gura Humorului: “I understood that the discussions by which the owners of both teams wanted to collaborate to make a single team in Suceava, discussions that had been open for several months, had been closed before I was contacted, only the announcement was made after I signed.”
The technician announces that he has big plans for Suceava: “Although we are far from the Falcons, and now – even in the 3rd-4th places of the series if we take into account the results that will count in the play-offs, I am thinking about promotion this season. This although the official target is to reach the 2nd League next year. I understand that there are some serious patrons around the team, the money is up to date, the conditions are good, I am thinking about League 2, either directly or through the barrier. I want to make a good team in Suceava, as it was in the past”, said Petre Grigoraș.
