Friday, April 24, 2009

April 19/09 - Olomoucký kraj - IV třída Prostějov Skupina A - Hrubčice 0 Sokol Kladky 5







April 19th, 2009
Olomoucký Kraj - IV Třida (10th level) skupina a

FC Hrubčice 0 Sokol Kladky 5 (0-0)
Attendance: 60
Admission: Free
Game rating: 6.5/10

Welcome to the lowest level of football in Czech pyramid. Hrubčice is a small village of around 800 people located 6km southwest of Prostějov. Getting to the village on a Sunday was slightly more difficult as buses are so infrequent to villages on weekends. So, I had to take a train to Bedihošt´ and then walk 2km to Hrubčice. The village is surrounded by flat farmland, and it also has a chateau, which is in need of renovation.

As for the ground of FC Hrubčice. It is located on the edge of the village. As to be expected, the pitch was slightly bumpy, and the facilities were quite old. A few benches were placed on the slope of a hill, which served as the main seating area. There were also picnic tables behind one of the goals.

The game itself was decent, especially given the level of play. In the first half, both teams played to a 0-0 draw, but it was the visitors who enjoyed much of the play. If luck went their way, they could have scored two or three goals. The second half was much the same, but this time Kladky took full advantage of their chances and ran out 5-0 victors. A few of the goals were well taken, and would not have looked out of place at a higher level.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

April 5/09 - Olomoucký Kraj - II. Třida - Velká Bytřice 2 FK Lužice 0






April 5, 2009
Olomoucký Kraj - II. Třida (8th division)

Velká Bystřice 2 FK Lužice 0
att: 100
Game rating: 7/10
admission: 15kc

Velká Bystřice is a small town of a few thousand located about 10km north of Olomouc.  It was established in the 13th century as a road side stop.  Today, it is perhaps more well known for its handball rather than football, as the local handball team plays in the 3rd division of the Czech league.

The football pitch is a short 5 minute walk from the Velká Bystřice zastávka train station.  Right beside the pitch is an indoor/outdoor handball facility.  As for the football ground, it was pretty simple.  A few picnic tables and benches behind the goal.  A stand for beer and sausage and three or four benches lining one side of the pitch.

The hosts are pushing for promotion, and a win was certainly expected as FK Lužice sit at the bottom of the table.  As for the game itself, it was a little better than I expected.  The visitors pushed hard and didn't sit back, which frustrated the hosts.  In the end, the Velká Bystřice got the goals they deserved and were full value for the three points, but it was not as comfortable as they had probably hoped.