Kuřim of the Crop: Kuřim 6-0 Líšen B

Despite always being against B-Teams in professional leagues and cups, I have to confess having seen two local B-Teams in successive games - Zbrojovka Brno and Líšen. The former earned promotion to the third tier having won their division last season, meanwhile the latter are still in the fourth tier. 

To give you a brief overview of the Zbrojovka Brno B game, see my Bosonohy blog from last week - the game was almost eerie in how identical it was to this game. Both games saw a dominant home side somehow find themselves 4-0 down to a more clinical side yet to register a win, before pulling a consolation goal back in return. 

The only difference was that Strani hadn't earned a single point, and scored all four goals before half-time, whereas Bosonohy only went in at half-time a goal down. Even so, it's unusual to see two 4-1 away wins in the same weekend.

In today's fixture, Líšen B travel the short distance to fourth tier new boys Kuřim, and so do I from my new flat in Zabrdovice. Kuřim was a ground I'd been meaning to tick off for a while now, but the kick-offs were always early. Combine that with general laziness, and there you have it. Now of the fourth tier (Divize D) having won promotion as champions of Přebor Jihomoravského kraje (the regional fifth tier).

They won their division at a canter last season, and have largely picked up from where they left off, winning three of their first four, losing only 2-4 at home to current leaders Velka Bites. Those victories included a 3-0 home success against relegated Brno rivals Tatran Bohunice, a resounding 7-0 win at fellow promoted side FS Trebic, as well as last weekend's 1-0 win at Humpolec.

As their new division is one of six regionalised fourth tiers, there is only one promotion spot, though should Kuřim continue to trouble to top end, they could find themselves in one of the three regionalised third-tiers - the MSFL - next season. Given that the club haven't tasted third-tier football since the sixties, it would be quite historic. In fact, their last stint in the fourth tier was back in the nineties.

Opponents Líšen B meanwhile have had an average start - a win, a loss, and two defeats. If the formbook is to be trusted, then one imagines that Kuřim will continue their excellent start at the expense of the B-Team of a side they'd certainly love to emulate the recent rise of.

The ground, the game, and any other business

The journey to the big smoke (Kuřim translates to 'I smoke' in English) was a relatively easy one to make - a walk to Zidenice station, then a train straight to Kuřim, via the various Brno stations. 

I arrived to be greeted by glorious sunshine (perhaps too glorious as far as the sunburn was concerned), and silence that could accomodate a pindrop. The wonderful thing about football in this part of the world is the wonder of exploring a random town that you'd otherwise never experience the beauty of on a random Saturday morning.

The ground was some twenty minutes or so from the station, and on walking past the Kaufland, it's relatively easy to find from there. That said, I had some issues, firstly walking past what appeared to be a new stadium under construction just next to the current Stadion Kuřim. From all I'd seen, the club are supremely ambitious, so it's perhaps not surprising to see such long-term aspirations if said stadium is for the football club.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with the current stadium, but it's on the small side. This makes sense when considering the recent promotion from the fifth tier. If the club do continue on an upward trajectory, they'll need to start thinking bigger at some point. The backdrop for a game of football is stunning, which is something I've grown used to in the Czech lower divisions. 

As for the game, it was incredibly one-sided by full-time, despite Líšen being on an even footing for most of the first-half. It only took two moments of excellence from Kuřim to get them two ahead at the break. After half-time, Kuřim really started to strut their stuff. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth goals were in fairly quick succession, even if the fifth was questionable as to whether it had crossed the line.

In any case, Kuřim were phenomenal, and I would genuinely say one of the best footballing sides I've seen in Czech Republic, relative to the level in question. A bold prediction to end on - they'll be in the second tier by the end of this decade.

Five things you didn't know about Kuřim

1. In June 1961, Kuřim played host to the Czechoslovak national team in preparation for a friendly against Argentina in Brno. The hosts gave a good account of themselves, only losing 3-2 to a Czechoslovak side featuring the renowed Josef Masoupust.

2. Back in the 17th Century, Kuřim was badly destroyed by none other than the Swedes. During the Swedes' 'great power era', they looked to control of the Baltic sea. Kuřim just happened to be one of many obstacles in its wake during the Thirty Years' War.

3. The town is most known for its machine toolmaking industry, which still stands strong today, thanks to the establishment of TOS Kuřim in the 1950s. 

4. Kuřim only received town status legally in 1990, with the town rapidly expanding its population over the last century. 100 years ago, the village only had around 2,000 people. Today, its population is almost 11,500.

5. Kuřim is also home to the first Czech centre for Shi'ite Muslims, despite a relatively small Muslim population within the Czech Republic. Shia Muslims in the country primarily come from Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran, with Islam only registered as an official religion in the country in 2004.