CZEAUTSVKPOL #3: Trinity Zlín

On Thursday, I arrived into Brno to start probably the most exciting chapter of my life and career. As I write this on Saturday night, I’ve barely had a moment to take a breath, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

On landing, I had one eye on the first of many Saturdays I would spend at various Czech, Slovak, Austrian or Polish stadia (and beyond of course). This Saturday was to be Trinity Zlín v Zbrojovka Brno, and also my first time in with the away fans at a Czech game.

 

The Road to Zlín

A journey that is a lot simpler and quicker by road, the rail and bus route to Zlín takes a bit of a ‘round the houses route so to speak, passing through Břeclav on the Austrian border, right the way back up to Otrokovice, where we’d change trains for the final leg to Zlín.

 

Once in Zlín, I was struck by the behemoth of a power station, as well as the numerous tall buildings that I hadn’t really come across anywhere else in the Czech Republic so far. The cooling towers were giving huge Springfield vibes.

 

It being a Saturday in a small city, it was fairly quiet but for nearer the stadium. As for the tall buildings, we went up to the 16^th floor of one of them to take in some exquisite views of the rolling hills of Moravia, unlike anywhere else I’ve seen.

 

We eventually found a nice restaurant called Potrefená husa for some beers (and some glorious deep fried Gouda and chips), before heading to the stadium, which was only a short walk.

Before the game

Prior to the game, Trinity find themselves in 12^th after seven games – three of which finished goalless. Brno sit three points ahead having played a game less in 7^th, though of course the league table hasn’t really taken shape yet.

 

Trinity were unbeaten in their last four, though they’d only picked up a solitary 2-1 win at home to lowly Pardubice. As for Brno, they’ve had a decent start, though after defeats at home to two of the Praha sides (Slavia 0-4 and Bohemians 1-2 respectively), they’d be looking to get back on track.

 

PREDICTION: This will end up meaning nothing given my (currently) limited knowledge of the Czech game. A win could be key for either side, but I can see Zlín emerging 2-0 winners.

 

After the game

As expected, my prediction amounted to nothing, as the away side ran out 3-2 winners, but they did not make it easy. Despite a pretty poor first half, Brno somehow found themselves in front via Jakub Reznicek. He grabbed a second via the spot after half-time against the run-of-play, which allowed Brno to find their groove and grab a third – an own goal from Joss Didiba.

 

Jakub Janetzky’s 68^th minute goal for Zlín put some life back into the hosts, before a 2^nd from Youba Drame made it an uncomfortable remainder for Brno. But they held firm and saw out a huge win on the road, moving up to fifth by the end of the day.

 

What’s the ground like?

The club play their home fixtures at the 5,898 capacity Letná Stadion, with each distinct stand telling a story of its own. From the forested backdrop of the caged away end to the city and rolling hills visible over the home stand behind the goal. It’s a far cry from the usual soulless bowls that are becoming all too common.

 

There’s also some kind of anonymous office or apartment building in one corner, which I think adds a certain obscure kind of charm that appeals to me for reasons unknown. For whatever reason, it reminded me of Leyton Orient in that respect, with its random apartment building almost inside the stadium.

 

That old Brendan Rodgers’ addage of 'great character' springs to mind, as the city of Zlín and Letná have both in genuine abundance. As for the Brno fans, they made quite the noise in a packed and claustrophobic away section, creating a hugely memorable first away end experience in this part of the world.

Who are ya? (The Artist Formerly Known as Fastav edition)

This might be question many Czech fans are asking given the recent name change from Fastav to Trinity, though it’s slightly less interesting when you realise it’s for sponsorship reasons. The name appears to change every decade or so, with the club going from Tescoma Zlín in 2002 to Fastav Zlín in 2012 to the Trinity Zlín we see now.

 

The club itself is based in the eastern city of Zlín – a city of around 73,000 residents renowned for its shoemaking. The club’s nickname Ševci pretty much reflects this, translating as The Cobblers into English. They’re the Northampton Town of the Czech Republic if you will.

 

The similarities between the two end there, as Zlín don a bright yellow homekit akin to Sweden’s. Founded in 1919, Zlín were playing top tier football from 1938 to 1947 before disqualification on the basis of manipulating results.

 

Following this, they only played in the Czechoslovak League four times before the establishment of the Czech First League in 1993. Overall, they’ve spent the majority of their time in the 2^nd tier, though they are beginning to establish themselves as a First League side. Their only cup success during this period came in the 1970 Czechoslovak Cup.

 

The club were relegated from the First League in 1996, though six years on they sealed promotion back to the top. They would tend to occupy mid-table before another relegation in 2009. Again, it took them six years to return to the top flight.

 

Now they live a fairly stable existence, even winning a historic cup in 2016-17 – a 1-0 win over Opava in Olomouc in which Robert Bartolomeu’s goal placed him in club folklore. They saw off both Slavia and Sparta Prague on the way to this historic first ever Czech Cup success.

 

Thanks to this cup win, they also took part in the first ever Czechoslovak Supercup in 2017, seeing off Slovak Cup winners Slovan Bratislava 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

 

It seems things had peaked for Ševci in 2017, with that cup win and a record high 6^th placed finish. Their European Campaign the following season was one to forget, with only two points amassed from a group containing Copenhagen, Sheriff and Lokomotiv Moscow. Since this peak, they’ve been stubbornly mid-table, occasionally slipping into trouble at the bottom without sinking.

 

Last season, they came close to sinking, avoiding the dreaded relegation play-off by a couple of points and finishing 12^th. Whether they continue staying afloat in the top flight remains to be seen. In the meantime, they drop to 13^th and could probably do with another win sooner rather than later.