Boing Boing Bohunice: Bouncing back to the third tier?

Arguably the best place to watch a game in Brno!

 A couple of week's ago, I had a look at just how sizable the jump from the fifth to the fourth tier was, at least in terms of the South Moravian region. One of said teams in that discussion was Tatran Bohunice, who were one of two teams in the last five years to make the jump to the third tier. Based in the eastern part of the city, Tatran's stay in the third tier was all too brief, as they dropped immediately back to the fourth tier in 2024.

Prior to the weekend, however, Bohunice were in an excellent position, with only Artis Brno B ahead of them by a couple of points. Having won a midweek game in hand against Pelhřimov 1-0, it's looking like a three-horse race between Artis, Bohunice and Znojmo for promotion to the third tier, although there are a few teams lurking on the outside who could put a run of form together and trouble the top three. 

Looking at goals scored in Divize D, Artis B have scored a staggering 36 in 13 games, which is 10 more than anyone else - Velká Bíteš and Velké Meziříčí are closest. With a goal difference of 23, Artis essentially have the equivalent of an extra point on their rivals, which could be handy if Znojmo win their game in hand a draw level on points with them.

In any case, today's focus is on Tatran Bohunice, who I realise I've visited on three occasions but have never written a proper blog on them, nor have I seen them win. Well, this weekend is the weekend for me to do that, as Bohunice kick off November's fixture calendar with a game against the aforementioned Velké Meziříčí .

It would be fair to say October wasn't a good month for Tatran - they only scored three times, winning once, drawing one, and losing the rest, including a 2-1 defeat at bottom side Havlíčkův Brod, and a 4-0 demolition at the hands of Dálnice Speřice. That said, they can perhaps take confidence in the fact the aforementioned midweek win got them back on track, as well as the fact they've already beaten VelMez in the cup this season, 4-2.

With Zbrjovka hosting Kroměříž later on in the day, it felt like another two fixture Saturday was just the ticket following a relatively disappointing trip to Podgorica. That said, even the trips that you consider bad are taken for good reason, especially when it comes to finding inspiration from those dark places. For now, the home comforts of Brno were calling.

Bohunice to see you, to see you...

Okay, ignore the fact it's not pronounced that way - I'm just having fun. The fact Bohunice was a mere 20-minute tram ride away from Tkalcovska on the 7 tram meant that I didn't need to sacrafice any additional sleep in order to make the 10.15 KO. In fact, as an earlybird, I often welcome the early kick-offs, particularly somewhere like Bohunice. You can even hear the sound of a cockerel from someone's garden, amidst the tower blocks and rolling hills.

The football wasn't much to write home about, particularly in the first-half with both sides cancelling each other out, reducing one another to long range shots. Annoyingly, both sides have often seemed to share goals with one another, with the aforementioned 4-2 in the cup following on from a 4-1 win for VelMez back in May, as well as a 6-2 home win for Tatran just over a year ago. A goalless draw would have just been typical.

Following some complimentary dad rock at half-time (Foreigner and The Eagles), the second half got under way, as I pondered the concept of Foreigner being out of place and how that could somehow be relatable. In fairness, I'm always wanting to know what love is, but I'm not sure how Tatran Bohunice would show me, with the greatest of respect to them.

Anyway, the second-half was a little livelier, as Tatran started to turn the screw a little more, reducing VelMez to very little in the way of chances. It was the excellent Adam Krejčí who really stood out for the hosts, and it was also his shot from outside the box that gave Tatran a deserved lead. They could and perhaps should have extended that lead, with Krejčí clean through on goal at one point, but 1-0 it remained come 12.15pm.

With Artis B also winning, things are pretty much as they were prior to the weekend, with Tatran two points behind in second. Znojmo could close the gap on Artis B completely should they win both games-in-hand. In any case, it's one of many intriguing Czech fourth tier promotion races.

Five things you didn't know about Bohunice

1. Bohunice is situated in the eastern part of Brno, with a population of around 14,000. One interesting part of Bohunice is that many of the street names are named after former Soviet states - Armenska,  Gruzinska (Georgia Street), Ukrajinska, and Moldavska for example.

2. Bohunice is also home to Nemocnice Bohunice - one of the largest health facilities not just in Brno, but the whole of the Czech Republic.

3. Bohunice is home to the Czech Pomological Institute. But what on Earth is Pomology,? Well, it's the science of fruit growing. The instutite was given protected historical status in 2010.

4. As well as being home of the Brno University Hospital, Bohunice also has a campus for Masaryk University - one of Czech Republic's best universities, and arguably the best outside of Prague.

5. As for Tatran Bohunice, their history begins in 1929, often competing in the lower divisions until that aforementioned promotion in 2023. By insane coincidence, the club have had exactly the same cup draw for the last two years - Velké Meziříčí in the First Round, and Zbrojovka Brno in the second round.