This is Sparta (again): A Brno double-header, and a look at the jump between the Czech fourth and fifth tiers

Sparta Brno

Having won promotion from the South Moravian fifth tier last season, it would be fair to say Sparta Brno have adapted reasonably well so far. In many ways, it's fortunate that they occupy one of the six fourth tier divisions in which only there's only one relegation place - Divize D. For whatever reason, only D and E have one relegation spot, which thankfully for Sparta is occupied by a seemingly hapless Havlíčkův Brod who are already seven points adrift without a win going into the weekend's action.

But before I go into another return visit to Sparta Brno a year on from my last, I thought it might be interesting to look into how all the previous victors of the JMKP (the South Moravian fifth tier) have made the step up. Just how great is the step up from the fifth to the fourth tier in Czech football?

The class of the JMKP - where are they now?

2024/25: Sparta Brno

We'll start with the runaway winners of last season's JMKP, and the focus of today's blog, who've had an okay start to life back in the division they last played in back in 2012. It took three games for them to pick up their first win at Tatran Ždírec (0-1), and since then they've picked up a couple more impressive home wins in Komarov over Trebic (5-1), and Tasovice (4-0). Last week, they won a local derby at league leaders Artis Brno B 1-0, which leaves them in 12th going into the weekend, though at this early stage, the league is quite tight. Their win over Spartak Velká Bíteš at the weekend (more on that below) moved them up to the lofty heights of 7th, with a game in hand on some of the surrounding teams.

2023/24: Kuřim

Promoted to the 4th tier last season, Kuřim have started this season okay, and they currently sit in the middle in 9th place. Last season, however, they were only five points off what would have been an incredible second successive promotion to the third tier. Having visited a couple of times, it's definitely a club very much on the up, and it's only a matter of time before we see them in the third, or even the second tier.

2022/23: Líšeň B

To my knowledge, Líšeň B are the last B-Team to play in the JMKP, having won the division in 2023. Now of course, they go under the name Artis Brno B, and are leading the way in the fourth tier despite a loss to Sparta Brno last week. Given the huge investment put into the team in the last year or so, a promotion to the MSFL would be no huge shock, and they very much bounced back over the weekend with a 4-0 win at Žďár nad Sázavou.

2021/22: Tatran Bohunice

The club from the Eastern part of Brno were a fifth tier mainstay since Czech independence until promotion in 2011. Two 14th placed finishes were followed by relegation in 2014, but after eight seasons, Bohunice finally returned to the fourth tier, despite finishing 1st on three occasions in those eight seasons. They went on to earn a second successive promotion to the third tier, but this proved a step too far, as they dropped back down in 2024. Though currently in third, their game in hand could put them in a good position for promotion this season.

2018-19: Start Brno

We have to go all the way back to 2018-19 for the last promoted side from the JMKP, due to COVID having curtailed both seasons from 2019 to 2021. Start Brno were able to win the division at a canter by 12 points on their meteoric ascent from the tenth tier in 2008 to the third tier where they play today. Though yet to break into the top half of the MSFL, it's surely a matter of time.

Game One: Sparta Brno v Spartak Velka Bites

Now onto the weekend's action, of which there were a couple of games to sink my teeth into without having to even leave the city limits of Brno. The first of those was down in Komárov (or Mosquito as it roughly translates for some reason), which meant a quick hop on the 2 from Tkalcovská to the main station where I'd catch the 12 to the end of the line. From previous experience, it's a lovely walk from the Riviera, which perhaps I should have done again in hindsight.

I arrived with around ten minutes to kick-off, with a few fans in attendance, including one or two from the away side. It looked as though it could be a dream start for Sparta, after an excellent corner from Isheanesu Mhundwa was headed toward goal, then handballed off the line, resulting in a red card and a penalty for the away side. Sadly the penalty was missed from the talismanic Tomáš Selinger around ten minutes in. They would only have to wait another three minutes to take the lead though, as Jakub Pojsl took advantage of a the rebound from an initial good save.

It was a deserved lead, and suggested it could have been a long morning for Spartak, though somehow they found themselves clean through just before half-time, as Adam Macek took advantage of some lax Sparta defending. 

Not a great deal happened after the break, but with the match nearing its conclusion, Tomáš Selinger atoned for his penalty miss with a lovely finish from just outside the box to give Sparta a deserved three points. Though there was a late flurry from Spartak, they couldn't quite find the target, though they can take plenty of positives from a game in which they'd essentially played the entirety with ten men. Once the whistle went for full time, I headed back home for some brief respite before the day's second game; Zbrojovka Brno v Banik Ostrava B.

Game Two: Zbrojovka Brno v Banik Ostrava B

Having watched this game back in April, I expected very little in terms of quality, as Zbrojovka edged a poor game 1-0 with almost the last kick of the match via Dennis Granečný. In fairness, the season was very much winding down with Zbrojovka very much achieving mid-table obscurity by this point. This season, however, Zbrojovka are a different beast.

Currently top of the table after twelve games with only one defeat to their name, Zbrojovka have been a real force this season, and this is without having played amazingly yet.  It didn't take Zbrojovka long to take the lead in a fairly tedious first half via Tadeáš Vachoušek, who arguably enjoyed his best game in a a Zbrojovka shirt. He added a second just after the break before Jakub Janetzky popped up for the third three minutes later.

Though Emmanuel Ogbu pulled one back for the away side, Curacaoan Riginio Cilillia was able to put the game firmly to bed via the penalty spot with his first goal for the club. It was a comprehensive victory - the club's third three goal win of the season already. A win against Opava tomorrow in Zbrojovka's game in hand could put them six clear at the top and very much in the driving seat for promotion after three long seasons in the second tier.