From the Retz to the Rubble: Hopping Over the Austrian Border

Through the mill - the beautiful Retz windmill

 One of many advantages to living in Brno is being within range of three or four national borders. The likes of Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, and even sometimes Germany are no more than a few hours away. With that in mind, and a fairly limited football schedule given the international break, I decided to take the hop over the border at Znojmo to third tier Retz of Austria.

It always struck me as worth visiting given its proximity to Brno in terms of Austrian clubs outside of Vienna - as far as I could tell it was among the closest, with Austrian clubs between Brno and Vienna seemingly few and far between. Following a promotion from the fourth tier last season, Retz are enduring a fairly wretched time of things, with just the one win to their name all season, and also coming off the back of five successive defeats for the second time this season already. 

Their opponents Sportunion Mauer from Vienna are already 13 points better off, and yet they only sit six places above Retz. Incidentally, Retz aren't even bottom, with the only club they managed to beat this season, TWL Elektra, propping up the division.

Put simply, if I'd come to Retz solely to watch the football club win, I'd probably be in for a rough time of things. A brief glimpse into the town itself, however, revealed much to be explored, particularly the windmill which was only a 25-minute walk from the centre. Given that I'd only really spent time in Vienna when visiting Austria before, the chance to see another part of the country was most welcome.

Retz v Sportunion Mauer - A sixth straight loss for Retz, or a turning point?

I set off for the bus station, aiming to catch the 9.55 express to Znojmo, which only got there seven minutes after the 9.25 bus which made stops all along the way. From there, it was then only a short wait and walk to catch the 10.57 to Retz - a mere 17 minute hop over the border. I was thankful there were no delays, as trains to Retz were every two hours, which wouldn't have been a disaster given Znojmo had plenty to do, but it wouldn't have been ideal.

Nevertheless, I still walked briskly  toward the station to catch the train to Retz, which was an all stations service to Wien Meidling. I looked up the other stations on the route for future groundhopping purposes, and there were a few, though this region of Austria isn't a particular hotbed for football.

On arriving into Retz, I headed straight toward the windmill, which was only around 20 minutes' walk from the station, with the final part traipsing through some gorgeous countryside. It was foggy and a little chilly, but the windmill was magnificent to behold and sit in front of for a good while. On the way back toward the centre of Retz, I was greeted by air raid sirens which I assume were some kind of test. Nonetheless, it was more than enough to stir me from the relative tranquillity of the morning.

I was back in good time for lunch, so I took my lack of German into Pizza Al Capone. I was the only customer in a fairly sizable restaurant, as I had an enjoyable salami pizza accompanied with a Schremser - not the worst beer I've ever had, but I'm still yet to find an Austrian beer that really hits the spot. 

With plenty of time until kick-off, I headed towards the Retz Stadt Cafe for a coffee, which I was surprised to find had a Czech speaking owner, as well as a few Czech speaking patrons. It was a lovely place to kill an hour with my copy of Italo Calvino's brilliant If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler. But by the time I'd finished my coffee, I still had another hour or so to kill. I did find a random box of VHS tapes, which included Titanic. I perhaps should have taken it home with me...

Some parts of the centre of Retz.

I decided to take the slow amble to the ground, it not being too cold to do so. It was actually right next to the station, so I was surprised at not having noticed it on arrival. My arrival seemed to coincide with that of the Sportunion Mauer players, so I made my way in after them, only to find the price was 14 euro. Annoyingly, it was two euros more than I had in cash, so I walked back to the city centre to hit the cashpoint for a third time.

I was mildly annoyed that Retz had failed to advertise the price anywhere. I even messaged them on Instagram to no avail. It's especially frustrating if paying by card isn't possible. It seemed also washing one's hand after using the bathroom wasn't possible either, given the lack of sinks. Anyway, enough of the gripes about Austrian football, and onto the...errm...Austrian football.

The game got off to an unusual start, with the ref ordering a Retz player off the field for reasons unclear - it may have been to change his shorts. In any case, he was quickly back on within a minute or so. Perhaps this is why Retz have struggled - they've always started with someone wearing the wrong shorts and handicapped themselves from the off.

The first half was one of few chances, with Mauer unsurprisingly edging proceedings. Both teams had one gilt-edged chance apiece, and it was clear why Retz were struggling - their finishing was pretty abysmal. Every time they got into a positive situation, the ball would end up by the corner flag or in the stratosphere. That said, Mauer's finishing wasn't much better.

SC Retz v Sportunion Mauer

In a rather surreal half-time moment, 'Football's Coming Home' began playing over the tannoy. If we're being honest, it's not coming to Retz anytime soon. Mauer started the second-half very brightly, though failed to take advantage, before Retz began to have chances themselves. As mentioned, the finishing was horrific from both sides, though defensively both teams put in an excellent performance. Both goalkeepers were worked hard, and both passed the test.

Come full-time, it remained goalless - a point which both teams will be frustrated by. Mauer will feel they should have beaten a side well adrift in the relegation zone, whereas Retz will have seen Mauer as there for the taking. That said, they can be pleased with a rare point and clean sheet going into the winter break, but it's a long way back for them if they're to stay in the third tier at the first time of asking.

Despite the football, taking the trip down to Retz was incredibly worthwhile. It's a little pricy, as you might expect in Austria, but it's a gorgeous part of the world, particularly if you like windmills and random boxes of VHS tapes available to take on the street. 

VHS tapes anyone?