16 Czechoslovakians #17 First Vienna

With a week off in which to spend more time travelling, it provided the perfect opportunity to attempt a four-game, two-country weekend (technically three if you include travelling to and from Brno). This weekend would see a Friday night in Vienna, a Saturday afternoon in Trnava, and a double header in Bratislava on Sunday. More on the latter three games in future blogs though. First, Vienna…

 

Having finished work around 10:30, I packed my few belongings and headed to Benesova to catch the 2pm bus down to Vienna. The plan was to take in a game in Budapest on Monday too, but funds were regrettably lacking in the days prior to payday.

 

I was reminded again just how vast the city was, especially in comparison to Brno. I took the tram to my hotel, which was essentially a hostel with a boarded up bed (advertised as a ‘pod’), which also had a few bugs on the floor. It served a purpose though…

 

Kick off wasn’t until 8:30 for whatever reason, which gave me plenty of time to head back to the majestic Schloss Belvedere and Mezzaluna, a fantastic pizza place around 11 minutes’ walk from the main station. I also got to practise my non-existent German, and naturally struggled to resist the urge to reply in Czech the whole time.

                

I decided to head toward the ground with about an hour and a half to spare, before reaching the ticket office and finding it would be cash only for tonight’s game at home to Grazer AK. After a mad dash for a cashpoint, an ambiguous queue, and a strict security search on entry, I was in.

 

The ground was absolutely insane – among the strangest and best I’ve had the fortune of visiting. Okay, so 14 Euros is a bit steep for Austrian 2^nd tier football, but the ground and the atmosphere made the hefty fee worth paying. Grazer AK fans in particular would not stop singing for a second. I would easily file them among the best supporters I’ve ever seen at any ground.

 

They had good reason to sing too, with their side running out 2-0 winners fairly comfortably. I only saw the first goal, having chosen to queue for a weird Austrian beer for a good ten or fifteen minutes, missing a lot of the first half. As far as Austrian beers go, Ottakringer is definitely the least worst option though.

 

As for the ground itself, it’s hard to describe, but I’ll try my best. On the one side, you’ve got the First Vienna ultras in the seated section, Opposite that, however, is the most unreal terrace in any ground.

 

You have the conventional terraces that hold the away and home fans side by side. Behind that, however, is a grass bank that used to seemingly hold a bigger terrace. That said, even without the conventional terrace, it’s the best seat in the house to watch the game from. I can honestly say I’ve seen nothing like it. Words don’t do it justice. so hopefully the pictures here will.

                

Some honourable mentions should also go to the left-leaning stickers that dominated the bathroom – my favourite being the Love Dogs Hate Racism one. I’m sure we can all get on board with that one.

Who are ya?

They should currently call themselves Fifth Vienna given their position in the second tier, but bad jokes aside, they have an incredible history that leads them to where they currently sit. They were first in the Regionalliga East last season, earning promotion and subsequently starting their season fairly impressively for a newly promoted side. They also lay claim to being the first team in Austria, having formed in 1894.

 

Though perhaps an oversimplification of their formation, the club were essentially formed by Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild in order for his employees to stop damaging his flowers playing football. They played their first game against Vienna Cricket and Football-Club, losing 4-0 to a team that would become their bitter rivals. The Cricket club folded in 1936, however, giving First the last laugh.

 

The early years saw the club jump between the top two tiers, maintaining a steady mid-table consistency in the twenties. They won two Austrian Cups before the thirties; a decade that saw a Mitropa Cup (the European Cup of its day), another Austria Cup, and two league titles.

 

During the annexation of Austria in 1938, First Vienna competed in the Gauliga Ostmark – Austria’s highest division at the time. Not only did they compete in it, but they won it three times in a row until the league’s dissolution in 1945.

 

After the war, First wouldn’t pick up another league title until 1955, finishing ahead of city rivals Wiener Sport-Club. They would be consistently top three until the sixties came along, seeing First dropping into the second tier in 1968. They did bounce back, but they were far from the title challenger they had once been.

 

They bounced between the divisions throughout the seventies and eighties, with even the introduction of a sixteen team league not enough to save them from relegation in 1982. They did, however earn a UEFA Cup appearance in 1988, only to lose in the 2^nd round to Finnish side Turku. A year later, they would be knocked out by Greek giants Olympiacos at the same stage. Agonisingly, both losses were a result of the away goals ruling.

 

They dropped again in 1992, though the nineties saw the club reach a cup final. They did, however, lose to Sturm Graz 2-1 in the 1997 showpiece. They dropped down to the third tier in 2000, rising back up to the Erste League in 2009. They would struggle again, only staying up in 2010 due to FC Kärnten having their licence withdrawn.

 

Disaster hit in 2013/14, with the club finishing last due in part to a 13 point deduction for licensing reasons. They were declared bankrupt in 2017, meaning their Regionalliga Ost title was withheld. Instead of promotion, they had to drop into the fifth tier. The club have finally risen back to the 2^nd tier after just five years, and at this rate, the glory days could well be coming back.