I go back to Bla...nsko

A quaint spot just outside the ground.

 When considering the title for this blog, it was essentially a choice between an Amy Winehouse reference, or an AC/DC reference. Naturally I went for the former, as I much prefer Winehouse to a band whose singer legitimately sounds like Elmo. In any case, it's still perhaps a little too subtle, especially for those unfamiliar with Winehouse's seminal 2006 album.

All that said, after a disappointing and dull trip to Vienna last week, I was staying a little more local this week via the half hour train up to Blansko, and things weren't looking so rosy so far this season. Before the game, only Polánka, Karviná B, Slovácko B, and Hlučín are keeping Blansko off the bottom of the MSFL, with the former of these actually having beaten their kind hosts 3-1 a couple of weeks back. That said, there have been three wins so far - at the aforementioned Karviná B (1-2), at home to Vsetín (2-0), and a huge one at Unie Hlubina (0-4). 

As far as every other game goes, Blansko have conceded at least two in all of them, which inevitably means points have been few and far between. Having said that, Blansko haven't had the best of times in the MSFL following relegation in 2021, with 2023's 9th placed finish marking their highest placement since then. Two subsequent 14th placed finishes with an identical points total (and a worse goal difference by three last season) seem to show Blansko as a club in a difficult transition period.

Their opponents Frýdek-Místek are down in 6th, though a couple of wins in their games in hand would take them up to 2nd, a mere three points behind leaders Třinec going into the game against Blansko. A 1-0 win at home to Vitkovice last weekend got them back to winning ways following a four-game winless run (which included a valiant defeat to Pardubice in the cup after extra time). Before a loss to Vrchovina a month ago, however, FM were very much unbeaten.

As for head-to-head battles between the two sides, the last three have all finished level. Blansko, however, have to go all the way back to October 2021 for their last victory over FM (a 5-1 home success). FM managed to win the next four prior to the aforementioned run of three straight draws between the two sides.

In any case, it was hopefully to be an interesting occasion. Despite having watched Blansko edge a 1-0 win over Zlin B in March 2023, I never managed to write a blog on that game at the time, but it was an excellent way to spend a Zbrojovka-less international break with some thoroughly good people. Moreover, this game was to be played on the other side of town at Stadion na Mlynske for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. Although this time was solo, I was still hoping for an enjoyable few hours.

Blansko v Frydek Mistek - 3pm - 11/10/2025

Much like my trip to Olympia Raječko the other week, this game was only a half hour train to Blansko Město from Židenice station, which was about a ten minute walk from the flat. I took the slightly early 13.34 train, which got me in just under an hour before kick-off - 70kc a ticket and programme, 44kc a reasonable beer, and 80kc for a klobasa that wasn't too bad.

It was pretty much a case of heading to the ground without really doing anything in Blansko beforehand, it being the weekend prior to payday and all. I'm not saying I'd have blown the bank in Blansko had I been paid, but nevertheless it was pretty much a visit solely based around the match, then a quick train back home after the game. 

In comparison to Na Údolní, the ground really did pale in comparison, with just the one seated stand, the dreaded running track, and barely anything else beyond a very small beer and klobasa tent and a bathroom. I will give kudos to the backdrop, as well as the mysterious abandoned building next to the main stand beyond the fence, but as far as places to watch a game go, it left a lot to be desired.

What could be hiding in this abandoned building...?

There was also a skatepark nextdoor, which for 75 minutes provided a great deal more entertainment. After last week's awful game in Vienna, I feared I'd be cursed to watch crap games until the end of the season, perhaps even beyond that. Both teams could only really muster up half-chances, with neither side really looking superior.

As mentioned, it was around the 75-minute mark where something finally happened, as Blansko's excellently named Ghanaian 19-year old Wisdom Krapa won his side a penalty. It was duly dispatched by Štěpán Kolařík to put Blansko deservedly ahead. It looked for all concerned as if Blansko were to snatch a vital win from one of the league's frontrunners. 

That was until a hugely dramatic stoppage time, in which a set piece scramble allowed Tomas Kohut to tap home an equaliser in the 95th minute. But just as I was likely to put the full time score as 1-1 on Futbology, Frydek Mistek weren't done yet. A carbon copy set piece was turned into the net by a despairing Blansko defender Premysl Severa. The ref blew the whistle immediately after the goal, sending the points north.

As a result, Blansko drop perilously down to 16th - the dreaded relegation zone. Meanwhile, Frydek Mistek move up to 4th, nine points beind leaders Trinec, though they carry a game in hand over the side on the Polish border. Should Sigma Olomouc B win their games in hand, it could well be shaping up to be a battle for promotion between them and Trinec. As for Blansko, they'll be encouraged that it's still early days, and the fact that the performance was so close to being where it needed to be.

The dreaded racetrack at a football ground...

Five things you didn't know about Blansko

1. Despite being based in a relatively populated town compared to its surrounding area, Blansko have only been in existence for 21 years, with the club starting out in the 2004/05 sixth tier. Promotion was won the following season, followed by two more in succession, but then the club dropped two divisions over the next three seasons. In recent years, the club is maintaining third tier football for the first time in its history.

2. The Blansko region is renowned for the Punkva Caves, which includes the Macocha Gorge - the deepest sinkhole of its kind in Europe at 138.5 metres deep.

3. Throughout the 19th Century, Blansko Ironworks became the largest producer of cast iron in Moravia and Austrian Silesia. You can take a tour of the museum to find out about this chapter of Blansko's unique history - sadly I imagine tours would only be in Czech.

4. Caroline Meineke is perhaps one of Blansko's most well-known residents, having resided in the chateau (and having died there in 1815). She was the wife of future King of England, William IV.

5. Right next to Stadion na Mlynske is Strawberry Field - home of Olympia Blansko, who are one of the many baseball sides throughout South Moravia.  We're talking sooooftball.