Banik Stations: From Europe to the Second Tier in a year?
Suffice to say, Banik were riding a high they hadn't ridden for a long time before, during, or after that game, sitting pretty comfortably in 3rd with no danger of falling out of a European place. They would end the season there and finish in their highest ever league position since 2010. Moreover after this Bohemians game was a semi-final at home to Sigma Olomouc, and a chance to make even more history in reaching a first cup final since 2019, when Banik finished runners up to Slavia Praha (0-2).
The dream died in a fesity 3-2 defeat, as Banik spurned the opportunity to give themselves a chance of picking up a first piece of silverware in twenty years. The crowd may have been smaller, but midweek kick-offs will always shave a couple of thousand off the attendance. Was this perhaps the beginning of the end for Banik?
By sheer coincidence, Banik hosted Bohemians almost exactly a year later in front of 8,902 supporters, this time falling to a 2-0 defeat and, after their subsequent defeat, finishing bottom prior to the split. Earlier in the season, the club had manage to knock Austria Vienna out of the Europa Conference League before succumbing to Slovenian side Celje, who close followers of the Conference League will recognise are no mugs.
Now as we hurtle toward the following summer, and Banik hurtle towards possible relegation, the question remains: how on earth has this happened? Anything other than a win at home to Zlin and it could well be curtains, and a final day relegation winner-takes-all ding-dong at Dukla Praha could become a dead rubber.
But of course there is the small matter of that game against Zlin before that potential six-pointer to end the season - the question is; will Banik give themselves a shot of staying up? Can Teplice do them a favour if they do manage to get that all important win?
Banik on the streets of Ostrava
It felt like an absolutely huge day in the history of Banik Ostrava, and indeed for the city itself - the club and the locals had the kind of bond that would be the envy of many clubs around the world. Support often even extended beyond the Silesia region - I'd noticed supporters getting off at Hranice after the game for example, and the following day, I even spotted a fan at Hodonin, which is closer to Austria than Ostrava.
I myself headed up to Ostrava for around midday, allowing myself the opportunity to explore the fabled Dolni Vitkovice - one of the biggest industrial complexes in Europe which is now a historical relic for tourists to admire. It's something I've always wanted a closer look at when travelling through Ostrava en route to Poland, but to finally have that opportunity was wonderful. To me, there was always an eerie beauty to such manmade industrial structures - even more so when they have no practical use any longer.
I would genuinely put it as number one in terms of things to see in Ostrava - a mere walk around is a heck of an experience, and you can do so for free and feel as if you've done more than enough. That said, there are tours and other related experiences, and I imagine I'll certainly return sometime to partake in the "premium" version of visiting Dolni Vitkovice if you like.
I grabbed some lunch at a place called Uncle Rob's, which did some great chicken wings and seemed to specialise in euphoric rave music. In fact, loud electronic music seemed to follow me everywhere, as there was some kind of festival going on at Vitkovice. The sound of industrial Czech hip-hop as I walked around an abandoned industrial hub certainly added to the uniqeuness of the experience.
I had a little more time to kill in the centre before heading to the ground - a simple hop on the 1 tram to Mestsky Stadion. I did the usual walk before heading into the fanzone and treating myself to a nice cold Radegast in the slightly overcast weather. The first thing I'd noticed was a sea of yellow, though these weren't Zlin fans - rather, GKS Katowice fans with whom the Banik fans have a longstanding friendship. United by working class mining roots and general locality to one another, it makes a lot of sense.
Interestingly, both clubs also share a friendship with Spartak Trnava, which also makes sense when you look into the respective histories of both clubs and cities. The friendship between Banik and GKS allegedly started in the nineties when Banik fans attended the derby game against Gornik Zabrze in Banik colours, which GKS fans mistook for Gornik colours. After the initial misunderstanding, both clubs formed an enduring friendship there and then.
It was a crowd of almost 8,000, which was perhaps understandable given the club's struggles, but they were treated to a cracking affair. Banik opened the scoring after eight minutes via an own goal from Milos Kopecny, and they were well worth their advantage given their early dominance. The game opened up even more for Banik when Jakub Cernin was sent off for Zlin after a handball, though VAR needed to intervene.
To tell the truth, Banik should have repeated their earlier 6-2 win over Zlin, but a hatful of chances went begging. As did a hatful more. In the second half, Zlin had virtually their only chance of the game, but it was probably the best of them all - had they scored it, Banik fans might have started checking how to get to Usti nad Labem for next season. But they somehow conspired not to.
Then something happened that pretty much summed up the game, and Zlin scored - though once again at the wrong end! If Banik couldn't finish any of their chances, Zlin were more than happy to gobble them up courtesy of a couple of comical own goals. It was pretty clear Zlin were on the beach, though many Banik fans would have been concerned that Teplice may have taken the same attitude at home to their relegation rivals Dukla.
Thankfully for them, Dukla seemingly capitulated courtesy of two red cards, and subsequently lost 2-0, meaning that for the final day when Banik travel to Dukla, their safety is in their own hands. Only a loss would send them crashing to the second tier for the first time in a decade. No pressure lads...
Five things you didn't know about (Banik) Ostrava (!!!)
1. Perhaps something you'll only know if you've been to Ostrava, but the markting logo of the city is simply three exclamation marks, which apparently stand for dynamism, energy, and self-confidence. This was decided in 2008 to modernise the city's industrial reputation.
2. The industrial units of Lower Vitkovice were first put into operation in 1830, when a smelter was built. This was followed by a coke oven, a blast furnace, then a mine. The last tapping of the mine was carried out on 27 September 1998, and now the unit stands as a testament to the city's industrial heritage.
3. Ostrava got its name from the Ostravice River, which separates the city into its Moravian and Silesian parts. The root of the town's name, ostry, translates as 'sharply flowing river'.
4. As well as Banik, the city also boasts one of the historically most significant hockey teams in the country, Vitkovice Ridera. That said, they are still yet to win a title in the Czech league system, having only won two when the country was Czechoslovakia in 1952 and 1981. The arena, however, is a stonesthrow from Banik's stadium.
5. As for Banik, they date back to 1922 when they formed as Slezska Ostrava (Silesian Ostrava). Banik has been a part of the name since 1952, and they were even Banik Ostrava Tango in 1994. The fans are known as chachar, which is local slang for someone from Ostrava. As for history, the club have won one league (2004) and one cup (2005) since the foundation of the Czech league. Milan Baros is probably their most famous former player, and surprisingly he only retired from all levels of football a year ago aged 43.
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