16 Czechoslovakians: # 13 1.FC Slovácko
Unlucky thirteen in this series naturally returned the dreaded goalless draw I had probably been overdue, having not yet seen one in a regular competitive fixture this season – Stevenage’s second string away to Peterborough Sports in a July friendly doesn’t count here. The Uherské Hradiště side played host to Sigma Olomouc in a game between two fairly solid defences. The result should have been no surprise really on that basis alone.
Offensively,
neither team offered a lot, with the hosts dominating the ball without really
creating a clear cut chance. Sigma thought they’d had the lead just before HT,
only for VAR to rule out the only moment of interest in the whole game. It was
drab, lifeless, and Baltic weather-wise. The half-time flurry of snow, brutal though it
was, happened to be the highlight of the whole game, in that the pitch became white instead of green.
I regret to
say, dear reader, that it was one of those. Even the half-time klobasa
was ruined by that random flurry of snow, seasoning the generous portions of
bread and sausage with ice. Other than the match, however, the trip south was certainly
worthwhile, with Uherské Hradiště the smallest city to host a top tier side in
Czech Republic certainly carrying many points of interest - friendly locals included.
Though the
trains to and from Brno took their sweet time, stopping at seemingly every
village between the two cities, the two hours passed relatively quickly both to
and from UH. We arrived, desperate for a slash given the záchod nefunguje
according a woman sat just outside the only available bathroom on the train. I
momentarily felt proud at having understood some Czech, before realising we still
had another hour of the journey…
We found a
placed called U Bláznivé slepice (At the Crazy Hen in English), which was
perfect for both urinary and culinary needs. The first smažený sýr I’d had this
year really hit the spot, with triple cooked fries among the top tier of fries I've eaten. The beers were
going down pretty well too, all over UH in fact. Even the generic unbranded pivo
in the ground wasn't too bad.
We picked up
our tickets and headed inside Městský fotbalový stadion Miroslava Valenty, and
it was certainly a ground befitting of the European nights it had been blessed with this season. The
fans made a hell of a noise throughout, even if the game gave them little to
sing about. As far as Czech atmospheres go, it had to be among the best so far
for me.
Then we come to some the strangest floodlights I’ve ever borne witness to, with all four corners bearing floodlights resembling whale tails. It’s a quirky thing of beauty, and a minor detail perhaps, but one that makes all the difference to an excellent stadium well worth visiting. It still doesn’t quite beat the toweringly bizarre and beautiful floodlights of Andrův Stadion in Olomouc, but they’re beauties nonetheless.
Once we’d
had our fill of beer, defensive football and hypothermia, we went to the bar
just outside the ground for a couple, before heading to Beer Bar Brothers for
some final snacks and beers before our train home. The crowd and Slovak barman couldn’t
have been any friendlier, which topped off a worthwhile visit to a great club
and city. The random Slovácko fan that had seen us three times throughout the day also offered us some great chat about the club and particularly the unforgettable recent European nights.
Who are
ya?
So how did
such a fascinating and well-supported club come to be? Well, it all started at
the turn of the millennium with the merging of two clubs bearing the FC Synot
moniker – one from nearby Staré Město and the other from UH.
The former
of these two clubs was founded in 1927, with four clubs active in the city by
the 1930s. A few name changes occurred over the coming years and decades, with
the club competing primarily in regional competitions, often competing in the
3rd tier. Promotion to the 2nd league was gained in 1997, with the
side finishing 4th and 3rd in their final seasons. They do also still have another side currently playing in the 7th tier
following the merger.
Then we come to the other side of the club – the
side from UH, Slovácká Slavia Uherské Hradiště. The club were formed around the
beginning of the twentieth century, with the club similarly undergoing constant
name changes throughout its history. The club gained promotion to the 2nd
league in 1961, lasting four seasons, before spending 28 seasons in the 3rd
tier.
They were
back in the 2nd tier in 1994, with an incredible successive
promotion to the 1st league following in 1995. Financial issues saw
an immediate relegation the following season though, which eventually led to
the aforementioned merger of the two clubs.
Together,
the clubs have shared a fairly decent 23 years or so, from early mid-table
beginnings in the 1st league to the most recent cup win and
successive 4th placed finishes. They spent seven seasons in the top
flight initially, before finishing bottom in 2007.
They would
bounce back two seasons later in 2009, somehow gaining promotion while
finishing 10th in the 2nd league. FC Zenit Časlav
finished in 2nd place, selling their place in the 1st
league to the South Moravian side, despite them having finished nearer the bottom than the
top with a -4 goal differential.
Despite this
unusual part of their story, they have remained a top tier side ever since,
enjoying considerable success in the early stages of the current decade. A 4th
placed finish in 2021 was their highest ever, which was duly followed up the
following season with a successive one, and a 3-1 cup final victory over Sparta
Prague – again, a first for the club.
As a result,
Slovácko have experienced their first taste of European football since the
Intertoto Cup days of the early 2000s. They narrowly lost on penalties to
Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the 2021-22 Conference League. But their
cup win meant they were guaranteed European football this season if they could win at least
one preliminary tie.
As it
happened, they lost 4-1 on aggregate to Fenerbahce, so the Europa League was out of the window. They then dispatched of Sweden’s
AIK 4-0 on aggregate to advance to their first ever European group stage - the Conference League. Their group contained Partizan Belgrade, FC Koln and Nice, and Slovácko didn’t
disgrace themselves at all. They drew with Partizan twice, 3-3 at home and 1-1
away. They even grabbed a historic away win in Nice, emerging 2-1 victors
having gone a goal down.
With the league table still incredibly tight around the middle, there’s every chance Slovácko could
find themselves back in the European frame. They also still have the chance to
defend their MOL Cup crown, which offers another route there. In any case, it will hopefully be slightly more
entertaining a journey than their game against Sigma was…
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