Under the Koš: A trip to Slovakia's second city

One of Košice's many fountains.

In many ways, Czech and Slovak football are incredibly similar, perhaps unsurprisingly given the joint history of both nations. One reason I point this out, however, is that until very recently, neither second city had a club in the top flight, or at least neither city had a stable, prolonged presence in the top flight. Zbrojovka Brno have famously yo-yo'ed between the two, where FC Košice have technically only existed since 2018.

From a legal point of view, FC Košice are a new club, though they are the unofficial follow up of VSS Košice, founded in 1903 and dissolved in 2017, at least as far as the fans are concerned. As a result, promotion to the First League in 2023 meant that Košice finally had a team in the top flight for the first time in almost a decade.

It goes without saying that the new iteration of Košice don't have a lot of history, but to summarise it briefly, their first season saw them get promoted immediately from the third tier. Four seasons in the second tier followed, with 10th, 5th, 5th, and 1st placed finishes in each respective season. After narrow survival in their first season in the top flight, they finished a highly respectable 5th last season - something they're certainly looking to build on.

As for their previous iteration, VSS Košice, they've won the Slovak Cup on three occasions, as well as the Slovak league twice. Perhaps unsurprisingly as a second city club, they were a force to be reckoned with back in the nineties when the Slovak League was in its infancy. With a new stadium and a seemingly progressive football club in tow, there's no reason to think they can't eventually get back to being that force.

That said, if we look at how Košice did on the European stage this season (technically their first season in Europe, but not if we take VSS Košice into account), they absolutely stunk the place out on behalf of Slovakia, courtesy of an extremely poor loss over two legs to Belarussian side Neman Grodno. It was certainly a kick in the teeth after all the optimism of last season, as well as a middle finger to DAC whose European place they took.

Ultimately though, ticking off one of Slovakia's easternmost grounds was top of the to-do list following Thursday night's trip to Prešov to watch Polissya Zhytomyr and Fiorentina. There was a tempation to squeeze in Zemplin Michalovce's game at home to Slovan Bratislava, but my attempts to save money won't allow an extra night of accomodation. Plus, any excuse to return to this absolutely gorgeous part of the world is always welcome.

This weekend, Ružomberok took the trip east, which for them isn't as painful as it might be for the likes of Spartak Trnava and Slovan Bratislava. We passed through Ružomberok on the train, and it was roughly the halfway point from Bratislava. One thing was clear - both sides were desparate for the points following dreadful starts.

Košice's new stadium

Košice 3-1 Ružomberok

As far as Ružomberok were concerned. that dreadful start was very much ongoing, with the club still pointless at this early stage. Košice meanwhile get their first points of an equally disappointing campaign. For a game between two early strugglers, both teams put on a reasonably decent display, with Košice getting off to a good start via Roman Čerepkai's 13th minute tap in.

 A contentious penalty for the away side levelled the score after half an hour, as Ondřej Šašinka duly converted. It took two wonderful goals from the Hungarian midfield maestro Mátyás Kovács, who came on as a substitute and turned the game on its head. The scoreline was slightly harsh on Ružomberok, who weren't that terrible, but if you don't take your chances, you often get punished.

As for the day in Košice itself, we'd arrived on the Friday and hit up a couple of pubs that evening. On the Saturday, I went to the East Slovak museum which was well worth the five Euros, before grabbing lunch and gradually making the long walk to the stadium via whatever pubs we could find. It was a struggle, as there isn't much beyond the city centre, but we found a nice little spot called Snack Bar Linda and also had a lovely chat with who I assume is Linda...

The ground was brand spanking new having only opened last year, just in time for Košice's first tilt at top flight football, as well as the U21 Euros I certainly would have attended but for that bloody kidney stone ruining my life. It wasn't too bad a ground - 12,000-odd capacity, with an attendance of apparently 3,000-odd (it didn't seem that many). That said, for whatever reason, I found Tatran Prešov's new stadium had a little more charm.

Despite limited numbers, the ultras with whom we'd been sat were certainly making a noise throughout, and it seemed the players were definitely responding in kind. I was particularly impressed by Osman Kakay at right wing back, though it was a solid team performance all 'round.

After a quick beer at Pivovar Golem after the game, we made our way back to our accomodations, for which I have to say, mine was pretty amazing. It had a shower with a radio, as well as a balcony. I guess I'm easily impressed. In any case, I'm excited for my next trip east, whenever that may be, even if the journey time is something of a ballache from Brno.

Five things you didn't know about Košice

1. The original VSS Košice were founded in 1903 as Kassai AC, first competing in the Hungarian league, even winning the second tier in 1909. After World War II, three Košice clubs merged to become Jednota Košice, eventually becoming the VSS they were last known as before dissolution in 2017. 

But what does VSS stand for, I hear you ask? Well, it's a good queston. It stands for vychodoslovenske strojári, which stands for East Slovak Engineers. 

2. In 1997-89, VSS became the first Slovak side to reach the Champions League group stages, becoming record breakers in the process. They were the first team in the Champions League group stages to record zero points. In their defence, they were grouped with Manchester United, Feyenoord, and eventual runners up Juventus. 

3. Arguably one of Košice's best players of all time was none other than Nemanja Matic, who was sold for a club record 1.5 million to Chelsea in 2009. He only made two appearances before being loaned to Vitesse, then sold to Benfica. As we all know, however, he came back with something of a bang in 2014, becoming a key part of Chelsea's title success.

4. Košice is renowned for its steel industry, with US Steel Košice the largest employer in the city. It eas also the European Capital of Culture in 2013, and a mere walk around the city centre is enough to show you why that's the case. From the musical fountains to the beautiful churches, it seems crazy that for many Košice slips under the radar.

 

5. On the contrary, Košice is unfortunately home to one of the largest slums in Europe. Originally built for 2,500 inhabitants, it is thought that there are three times as many people living in Lunik IX. Services like gas, water, and electricity are often cut off, with bus services limited, and any bus drivers that drive through Lunik IX offered hazard pay.

The reason for the rise of this slum is complex, but stems from the demolition of a Romani village in 1979, with residents moved into Lunik IX. In 2021, Pope Francis visited the borough in an attempt to offer hope to the residents, as well as push the need for integration and co-operation.