The good, the bad, and the ugly: a Saturday double-header in Brno

Following on from last week's attempted four-game weekend in Brno, of which only 50% had been completed, Saturday at least brought with it a chance to get a couple of games in on Saturday, both within the city limits. I had mixed levels of excitement for each game given the form of Zbrojovka, but I attended in hope rather than expectation. 

The Good: Tatran Bohunice 2-2 Blansko

The wonderful thing about football in the Czech Republic is that, particularly in and around the major cities, you can easily get to a couple of games in a day. In this case, the schedule gave me the chance to return to Tatran Bohunice in the South West of the city, as they faced Blansko.

As is often the case at Bohunice, the game kicked off at 10.15, meaning a slightly earlier start than usual was required. At this point in my Czech life, I'm more used to the earlier kick-offs. Tatran's ground is undoubtedly one of the most unique in the division, if not the country. The pitch is surrounded by an incredibly hilly terrain, atop which many cheapskate fans watch on, amusingly still bearing the scarves of Tatran colours.

The first half was a fairly end-to-end affair, despite the scoreline remaining goalless. Both teams probably hadn't woken up just yet given the earliness of the kick-off. Midway through the second-half, however. Blansko finally woke up and took the lead.

It wasn't long, however, before Tatran equalised from the penalty spot, before taking a lead soon after very much against the run of play. That lead only lasted a few minutes though, as Blansko earned a point, which was the least that their efforts deserved. It will, however, feel like two points dropped for both sides, especially Tatran who still occupy the relegation zone.

The Bad, and the Ugly: Zbrojovka Brno 1-2 Prostějov 

The word disgrace is thrown around a lot these days, but it's fair to say that Zbrojovka Brno are a case in point. Since the previous blog on Zbrojovka, things have improved off the pitch at the very least, with a deal now struck between the controversial Václav Bartoněk and prospective owner Pavel Svoreň, who I hear at least has something of a plan in place for Zbrojovka. It would be fair to say this is more than can be said of the current regime.

Saturday's game against Prostějov was case in point - a chance to get some points on the board against the league's lowliest side. Despite it being one of Prostějov's most local away games, no away fans made the trip. It goes to show that Czech fans can be quite fairweather if things aren't going their way. That said, they may well regret not taking the trip to witness a memorable victory over the most hapless football team I've ever seen.

Zbrojovka were hopeless in the first half, despite creating the better of the chances. As usual, they couldn't convert and subsequently found themselves a goal down at the break from what was probably Prostějov's first shot. They came on strong second half, even winning a penalty which last season's top scorer Kuba Řezníček could only put into the grateful keeper's arms.

Denis Alijagić, who at least looked lively from the bench, did eventually level, but what followed was a hatful of chances spurned. Then, naturally, Prostějov won a penalty in stoppage time, which they duly converted. Now Zbrojovka find themselves a mere six points from the drop zone, with their 'easiest game' on paper now behind them. Make no mistake, they are in real trouble right now.

So how are things looking in the FNL?

It wasn't just Prostějov's 2-1 win at Zbrojovka that put the Brno side in danger, but a surprise 1-0 win on Friday night for Žižkov in Vlasim also helped close the gap. This was followed in the morning by a 2-1 win for surprise high-flyers Chrudim over Jihlava, before leaders Dukla Praha threw away a lead to lose 2-1 at home to Pribram. 

Despite this, Dukla still lead the way by 4 points after Vyskov's 5-2 loss to Sparta B on Sunday. Tabor now only find themselves five behind Dukla having dispatched of strugglers Varnsdorf 4-1 on Saturday. Sunday's other fixture saw Sigma B edge past Opava by a goal to nil, with Saturday's other fixture seeing a 1-1 draw between Lisen and Kromeriz.

As for the coming weekend, Opava host Sparta B, with the hosts beginning to look over their shoulder at the bottom two as well. Elsewhere, Pribram will hope to keep their faint promotion hopes alive at home to Sigma B, while Jihlava will look to stave off similar relegation fears at home to Vlasim.

Saturday morning will see Vyskov look to rediscover some remnant of pre-break form at home to Chrudim, while Tabor will look to send Prostejov back down to earth. Leaders Dukla meanwhile will be looking for a response in Lisen in the afternoon.

Sunday sees Zizkov host Kromeriz in a massive battle at the bottom, while a beleaguered Zbrojovka make the long, long trip to Varnsdorf. Worst case scenario, Zbrojovka could find themselves a mere three points above the drop zone.