Preview of games in Olomoucký Kraj this weekend

Krajský Přebor (5th tier)
Four rounds left, and in all honesty, there isn't much to play for at the top of the table.  Hranice are running away with first place.  After their 5-1 win last weekend over HFK Olomouc B, they sit 9pts clear of Určice.  Hranice is an amazing 22pts ahead of 3rd place HFK Olomouc B.  For their part, Určice have clinched 2nd place, and have a very small chance of catching Hranice.  However, we all know that won't happen.

Určice travels to Želatovice on Saturday for the traditional 1630 kickoff.  Meanwhile, Hranice make the short trip to Ústí, which is very much a local derby.  At the bottom of the table, Loštice will be looking for a win at home against Troubky, while Dolany will be looking for the same against Litovel.  Currently, Loštice is four points behind Dolany.

1 B třída, skupina A (7th tier)
Haná Prostějov came away from Vrchoslavice last weekend with a hard fought 2-1 win.  The win keeps them four points clear of 2nd place Lipová.  3rd place Mostkovice slipped up at home when they drew Všechovice 1-1, which puts them 8pts behind Haná.  Prostějov plays on Saturday at home against Všechovice, who are maknig another long trip to the south western part of Olomoucký Kraj.  Haná must win, because Lipová are away to last place Hustopeče.

Okresní Přebor - II třída - Prostějov (8th tier)
Protivanov are looking good to bounce back up to the 7th tier after their relegation last year.   They defeated Hvozd 1-0 last weekend, and Čechovice B lost 2-1 away to Kralice B, which means Protivanov have opened up a 5pt lead. 3rd place Přemyslovice lost an excellent opportunity when they went down 2-0 at Otinoves who are in last.   This weekend Protivanov hosts Otinoves while Čechovice B hosts Brodek u Prostějova.  Přemyslovice will hope to keep close with a win at home against Vrahovice.

May 20th, 2012 - Olomoucký Kraj - 1 B třída, skupina A - Vrchoslavice 1 Haná Prostějov 2

May 20th, 2012
Olomoucký Kraj - 1 B třída, skupina A (7th tier)
Vrchoslavice 1 Haná Prostějov 2
Attendance: 80
Admission: 15kc
Beer - Zubr 22kc

Vrchoslavice is a village of 593 people located to the south of Němčíce nad Hanou.  The football pitch is located in the southern part of the village.  Basically, you can find it on the only main road which runs through the village.  I had been to Vrchoslavice two years ago to watch Haná play.  It was during this season that Vrchoslavice were relegated, but they bounced back up last season to take their place in the 7th tier again.  They are doing much better this year, and for awhile were battling for promotion again.

Waiting for the bus in Prostějov to the train station

To get to Vrchoslavice, I left the Prostějov train station for a short 20 minute trip to Nezamyslice.  From there, I hopped on the waiting osobní train headed towards Přerov.  I got off at the first stop after 5 minutes, which was Němčice nad Hanou.  Walking straight south from the train station, I reached Vrcholsavice after about 15 minutes.  There isn't much to see in the village, but there is a pub.

The ground has a stand which probably has seating for 50 people or so, but can hold a little more with others who stand.  Just beside it there is a grill with the usual sausages and mackerel.  Most people seemed to be enjoying the mackerel.  I am not sure how they went about eating it, as mackerel does have quite a few bones.

I arrived early, and there were only a handful of people around, so I decided to find some beer.  Zubr isn't normally my favourite, but it seems better on tap like most beers.  Gradually, more and more people came.  Although, when I say more, I really just mean about 80.  I would suspect the biggest crowds Vrchoslavice get is when they play Němčice, but they are now two tiers apart, so the derby game won't be happening any time soon.

Haná needed to get three points in this match, because it was expected that second place Lipová would win their home match against Radslavice.  It was important for Prostějov to stay four points clear of Lipová with four matches left.  The game started slow and really had no feel to it until Haná won a penalty before half-time.  The resulting goal gave them a 1-0 lead after 45 minutes.  The second half didn't start much better with both sides struggling to get anything going.  It wasn't until Haná scored their second that the game picked up.  From here on in, the game was much more entertaining. This had much to do with the questionable referring.  All of the calls seemed to go against Haná, and it wasn't long before the home side scored to make it 2-1 with about 20 minutes left.  The questionable calls continued, and Haná picked up a few yellow cards for arguing.  Prostějov managed to hang on for what could be a crucial win.  Lipová also won, defeating Radslavice 4-2.

Olomoucký Kraj weekend preview

We are getting down to the last few rounds in the 5th to 10th tier of football.  Promotion and relegation spots are still up for grabs in many leagues, but who knows what will happen with the reorganization of the leagues this summer?  It is quite possible that more than one team will get promoted, or relegated.  I haven't heard much about it lately, but the Czech FA wanted to do away with reserve clubs from the first and second division sides playing in the 2nd and 3rd divisions.  If anyone has further clarification, please post a comment or send me an e-mail.  However, I'm sure everything will become more clear over the next month or so.

Krajský Přebor (5th tier)
First place is all but decided with Hranice 9 points clear of Určice.  Hranice plays a tricky home match against 3rd place HFK Olomouc, but I fully expect them to win.  At the bottom of the table, Loštice makes the short trip to Litovel needing three points to try to find a way out of last place.

1 A třida, skupina B (6th tier)
First place Opatovice-Všechovice face one of their longest away trips of the season this weekend when they head to Jesenec.  The journey is about 90km, which is quite far for this level of football.  Opatovice are 7 points clear, and an away win would all but set them up for a first place finish.  Jesenec are in last place, and they need a miracle to get out of their current position as they sit 10 points back of Plumlov.

1 B třída, akupina A (7th tier)
As usual for this division, I will start off with Haná Prostějov.  After a successful weekend, which saw them win and Lipová lose, they sit four points clear.  On Sunday afternoon Haná travels to Vrchoslavice, who were promoted last year.  However, they are having a decent season, and a win would put them 7pts behind Haná.  Meanwhile, second place Lipová have a home match against mid-table Radslavice.  At the bottom of the table, there is a crucial match between last place Želatovice B and second to last Hustopeče.  A win for Želatovice would see them pull within 3pts of Hustopeče.

Okresní Přebor (8th tier)
First place is coming down to a battle between three teams, Protivanov, Čechovice B, and Přemyslovice.  Protivanov (1st place) have potentially the most difficult game of the three when they travel to near-by Hvozd (5th place).  That being said, Čechovice B (2nd place)  makes the very short trip to face Kralice B (4th place) in another difficult game.  Who stands to benefit from these two games?  It has to be Přemyslovice, as they travel to Otinoves hoping to pick up a win, and to see the first place and second place sides lose.  If this happens, Přemyslovice would be in a tie for first place with Protivanov.

The future of SK Prostějov up in the air? 108 years of tradition ...

* update 12:00 - FK could merge with SK which means the SK name will remain *

SK or FK, what is in a name?  Well, one has a 108 years of tradition, and the other is a franchise purchased at the last moment and parachuted into the 4th division.  SK stands for what is right in football these days, and FK is what is completely wrong with football.  The sad reality is that money talks, and 108 years of tradition doesn't really mean anything to some.

Both are technically from the same club, but they couldn't be further apart in terms of support from the city etc.  First, SK had to go play in Mostkovice because there wasn't anywhere in the city for them to play.  The pitch in Mostkovice isn't in the best condition, so SK will play their remaining few home games in Kostelec na Hané.  It seems that only a few people in this city still care about SK, and to me, it looks like FK just wishes that they would go away.

Unfortunately, this might happen, as I've heard that this could be the last season for SK.  It is possible this summer that all teams under the SK name will become FK.  To some this doesn't mean much, but to others, it could be the death of their football club.

SK has a long and proud tradition, but what does FK have?  They have nothing.

A review of some games from last weekend in Olomoucký Kraj

On Friday I picked a few matches to look out for, and here is what happened.

Krajský Přebor (5th tier)
2nd place Určice won 3-1 away to Ústí, which was a must win.  However, the bad news for them was that Hranice won 1-0 away to Kralice na Hané, which gives them a 9 point lead in first place with 5 games left in the season.

1 A třída, skupina A (6th tier)
Leaders Šternberk extended their lead to 9 pts thanks to a 4-0 home win against Štíty, who slipped up and lost 3-1 away to Šumvald.

1 A třída, skupina B (6th tier)
Opatovice won an easy match at home, 3-0 against Dub nad Moravou.  The match was 3-0 at the end of the first half, and was basically already over.  Second place Kojetín could not keep pace, and lost 2-1 away to Čechovice,  Opatovice have a 7pt lead with 5 games left to play.

1 B třída, skupina A (7th tier)
Haná Prostějov won a vital match 1-0 against third place Horní Moštěnice.  Thankfully, second place Lipová stumbled in Pivín and lost 2-0.  This means that Haná now has a four point lead with 5 games left to play.

Okresní Přebor (8th tier)
Čechovice B dropped out of first place thanks to a 5-1 home thrashing by Vrahovice.  Protivanov took full advantage of this and won their match against Držovice 4-0, which gives them a two point lead.  Přemyslovice is hanging around after a tight 1-0 win over Hvozd.  They sit three points back of Protivanov.

Blowout of the weekend in Olomoucký Kraj
We head north to the Okresní Přebor - Jeseník to find a 18 goal match.  Javorník B defeated Mikulovice B 14-4.

May 13, 2012 - Olomoucký Kraj - 1 B třída, skupina A - Haná Prostějov 1 Horní Moštěnice 0

May 10th, 2012
Olomoucký Kraj - 1 B třída, skupina A
Haná Prostějov 1 Horní Moštěnice 0
Attendance - 35

Matches don't get any bigger, at least at this level.  On Saturday, Horní Moštěnice came to Prostějov needing a win to keep pace with Haná.  A classic three pointer, a loss would see them drop 9 points back of first place, and a win would see them three points back.  A loss would effectively end their season, but stranger things have happened.

The weather felt more like mid-October than May, with a strong wind, grey skies, and rain.  Haná does not normally get the biggest crowds anyway, so I knew not many people would show up.  Only about 35 came to watch, and a few came supporting the visitors.  It really is too bad that so few people want to come out and watch local football.  Haná plays decent football, and they are battling for promotion.  Unfortunately, Haná seems like much of an after thought for football fans in this city.

As predicted, the match was quite played at a fast, and physical pace.  Quality goal scoring chances were few and far between.  Haná had one or two quality chances, and managed to put one away in the 68th minute.  A deflected ball bounced high into the air, and a Haná player blasted it home from about 6 yards off of a full volley.  The visitors tried to get a few things going, but just could not find the goal scoring chance they needed.

With the loss by Lipová, Haná now sits four points clear in first place.  Next weekend they travel to Vrchoslavice, which should prove to be another difficult match.

A look at a few games in the Olomoucký Kraj this weekend

Krajský Přebor (5th tier)
Former third division side, SK Hranice, look all but certain for promotion with six games to go in the season.  They are 9 points clear of second place Určice, but Hranice face a tricky away tie at Kralice an Hané who have not played up to their potential this season.  Určice meanwhile travel to Ustí for an early 1015 kickoff on Sunday morning, and they desperately need three points.  With all this being said, the proposed restructuring of the leagues could lead to more than one promotion for next season.

1 A třída, skupina A (6th tier)
Leaders Šternberk were relegated last year from the Krajský Přebor, but they are hoping to bounce right back up.  Currently, they sit in first place with a six point lead over second place Štity.  This weekend Šternberk hosts Jeseník, another club with promotion aspirations.

1 A třída, skupina B (6th tier)
Opatovice-Všechovice continue to hold a four point lead over Kojetín.  This weekend Opatovice hosts Dub nad Moravou while Kojetín travels to Prostějov area club Čechovice.

1 B třída, skupina A (7th tier)
For me the obvious games which holds most interest this weekend is between Haná Prostějov and Horní Moštěnice.  Kickoff is set for 1630 on Saturday, and first place Haná face another must win, as they only sit one point ahead of Lipová.  Horní Moštěnice have kind of been quietly hanging in and sit in third place , only six points behind Haná.  Clearly, their season is riding on this match, and they will probably come out and look to frustrate Haná with physical play.

Okresní Přebor II třída (8th tier)
After slipping up last weekend, first place Čechovice B will be looking to get back on the right side of things with a win against Vrahovice.  Meanwhile, Protivanov hosts Držovice.

Review of matches played this weekend in Olomoucký Kraj

This past Friday, I picked out a few matches to watch out for in the Olomoucký Kraj this past weekend. Down in the 6th tier (I A třída, skupina B), Kojetín won a crucial home match 4-2 against third place Bělotín,  This win keeps them in second place, four points behind leader Opatovice who won 3-0 away to Klenovice.  Down at the bottom of the table, Jesenec won 2-1 against Dub nad Moravou, but they still sit a massive 9 points behind the 13th place team.

Taking a look in the Prostějov region (8th tier - Okresní Přebor), there were a few important matches over the weekend.  First place Čechovice B lost a stunner 2-0 away to last place Otinoves.  Luckily for them, second place Protivanov could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Dobromilice.  Protivanov currently sit one point behind.  These results opened the door for third place Přemyslovice who won 3-1 away to Držovice.  They now sit four points behind Čechovice B.

One level below saw SK Prostějov win 2-1 away to mid-table Tíštín.  The win keeps them six points ahead of 2nd place Smržice who won 3-1 away to Kostelec na Hané B.

A preview of a few matches in the Olomoucký Kraj this weekend

Olomoucký Kraj - 1 A třída, skupina B (6th tier)
In what could very well be the best game in the region this weekend, 2nd place Bělotín hosts 3rd place Kojetín.  Both sides sit one point, and four points respectively behind first place Opatovice-Všechovice.  Kojětín and Bělotín were both promoted recently, and will be looking to make the next big step to the Krajský Přebor.


Okresní Přebor - Prostějov (8th tier)
In an interesting twist in the schedule, the first place team plays the last place team, while the second place team plays the second to last place team.  Both games have huge implications at opposite ends of the table.  Čechovice B travel to the far end of the county to play Otinoves who have played a little better recently, and should give the first place side a good match.  Protivanov sits two points behind Čechovice B, and travel to the village of Dobromilice.  All four teams need three points, so it should make for an interesting weekend.

III třída - Prostějov (9th tier)
SK Prostějov sit a comfortable six points ahead with seven games left, and they look good for first place. They travel to Tištín, a mid-table side who could cause problems.  A draw wouldn't be a disaster for SK.  Second place side, Smržice make the short trip to Kostelec to play their reserves, in what is a local derby. Again, the visitors will be looking for full points to keep pace with SK.  Nezamyslice B have kind of creeped up on everyone and sit within six points of first. They make the short trip to Němčice nad Hanou this weekend.