A third tier Praha derby: Admira v Aritma

 When you think of football in Prague, it's likely the first name that pops into your head is that of either Sparta or Slavia. Those of a more hipster distinction may think of the likes of Dukla, Bohemians, or  Viktoria Žižkov. But of course beyond these five relatively big dogs is a whole world of footballing history in the Czech capital.

Beyond the B teams (and rather farcically, the one C team in Slavia Prague C), the third tier A division has four Prague teams - Loko, Admira, Aritma, and Motorlet. For today's blog, we'll be visiting Admira, with the aim of visiting the others at some undefined point in the future. Though an early start would likely have me questioning my sanity, there was an end goal in that I'd be visiting friends in Prague, and hopefully seeing the Optical Illusion Museum I'd been meaning to visit for a while.

As for the football, Admira are enjoying the better season of the two sides up in sixth, though promotion is highly unlikely for either side. Kladno are currently fourteen clear of Admira at the summit. Meanwhile, Aritma are down in twelfth, though the gap between them and Tabor's B-Team at the bottom is currently eleven points. Put simply, neither side are having the most spectacular of seasons, though the second-half of the season is a long enough time to potentially change things.

With regard to the third tier of Czech football, it's divided into three regions, with two teams eligible for promotion to the second tier. There are two Bohemian Leagues (CFL A and B), and a Moravian-Silesian league (the MSFL) - one team is promoted from the Bohemian section via a play-off, with the other team automatically granted promotion from the MSFL. 

As we approach the long winter break, this season looks good for Kladno, who are in pole position to make this play-off from Divize A, with Arsenal Česká Lípa (no relation to Dua) also building quite a gap in Divize B. Meanwhile, Třinec lead the way in the MSFL, but only narrowly over Hodonín, with Uničov and Zbrojovka B not a million miles away.

Disappointingly, last season's play-off was a formality, with Domažlice not eligible for a licence, meaning Usti Nad Labem were given promotion automatically. That said, after a dominant season, it was probably the right outcome, and they've adapted superbly to life back in the second tier. Kroměříž meanwhile have struggled, and it looks likely they'll drop back to the league they keep winning.

The Black and White Horses of Kobylisy

It was an early start, with the alarm set for 5.15 - the earliest possible train to Prague that got in prior to kick-off with enough time to navigate Prague's public transport was the 6:39, which was thankfully quiet and on time. I felt surprisingly upbeat and alert, which perhaps cements the notion that I've truly evolved into an early bird at heart. I was born at 5.15 in the morning, and the idea of waking up past 9 renders the day a write-off for me.

Anyway, it was smooth sailing, as I spent the journey reading through Margaret Atwood's excellent Oryx and Crake, which may be my favourite thing that I've read this year. Despite struggling with some of Atwood's other work, this has reignited some interest which I'm sure I'll follow up on in the coming years. On getting to Prague, it was simply a short walk to Jindřišská, then a 3 tram to the end of the line at Kobylisy, followed by a short walk to the ground.

I arrived with a good ten minutes or so to spare, impressed at the set up, with a terrace on one side (featuring some mini-pitches for the kids to enjoy), and a seated stand on the other. Behind the goal as you enter is an assortment of bars and refreshment stands, from one of which I enjoyed a beautiful horká švestka (hot plum tea - very christmassy). 

I took a seat for the first-half, with Admira enjoying the better of the first-half despite it being a relatively quiet game initially. The opener came firmly against the run of play, however, from the away side. A few Aritma fans made themselves known in different spots around the ground, given the lack of segregation. It was something of a daisy cutter from Jan Mareš, though he shouldn't be confused with the 79 year old former goalkeeper Jan Mareš who played for Slavia Praha in the 60s and 70s. If it was the same one, he's looking fantastic.

It didn't take long for Admira to respond, which they did ten minutes later in the 35th minute via Matyáš Lána's header. I assume it was a header, though sadly my back was turned at the exact moment the ball went in. It was certainly no more than the hosts deserved. Just after I'd enjoyed my hot plum tea, I went into the bathroom and found the best football sticker I've ever seen. I'm not even going to comment further, but as you'll see below, it's absurd and hilarious.

Not a great deal happened in the second-half, but Admira were still very much the better side. They got exactly what they deserved midway through the second-half via Nikolas Dobiáš, and were able to see the game out without too many scares. The Aritma 'keeper did go up in stoppage time, but it wasn't to be their day, and the Black and White Horses went into the mid-season break the much happier of the two sides.

Following the game, I went to meet some friends in Prague 7 for a beautiful pizza at San Carlo, before heading to the Museum of Fantastic Illusions, which was fun, but incredibly touristy, and therefore, very crowded. That said, it was a fun way to top off another enjoyable day-trip to the capital - when the next one will be, I won't know until the third tier fixtures are out for the second-half of the season, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later.