It was a reasonable match, the home side winning 2-0, and thoroughly enjoyable, on a cold but bright Saturday morning.
Not a place I would usually visit, but it tied in nicely with my evening match destination of Mlada Boleslav.
Here is the entrance to the ground.
Mestsky means 'city' or 'town' I believe, and many Czech grounds are called this, I suppose we would translate it as 'Municipal Stadium', or something like that.
Yhis was the ticket booth, where you paid your admission, & there was also a small black & white photocopied programme.
3o Kc is just over a pound!
The buildings on the right are part of the bar & changing rooms, entrance round the other side. The pitch is straight ahead.
Immediately behind us is a small training area.
Turning right, toward the pitch, this is the view, as we look over it, with the stand in the background.
To the left is a childrens' play area, which seems to be not that unusual at lower division Czech grounds.
We are turning right though, & heading toward the warmth of the clubhouse, pre-match, the sun slowly rising and thawing out the ground frost.
Here we see the bar, & the changing rooms further along. note the club crest on the side of the building at the end.
Before we do a circuit of the ground with camera we are round the other side as the teams enter the pitch.
The usual shaking of hands. Look at the dark shirts of the visitors on the left...
And clock the very similar dark top of the referee as the game kicks off...
While the game has started it's time to head back round the other side, where we first came in, to start our photo compilation, going round the ground in a clockwise direction. Here we look at the game in the pitch rails, where the team enter the field of play.
On three sides the spectators are set back from the pitch, from an old, now long disused, running track, I would guess. But on this side a perimeter fence has been erected to put you close to the action; with a row of benches set a fair way behind.
Getting close to the barrier w see over the pitch from this corner.
There is no hard standing down this side, just grss underfoot, so warm shoes & thick socks must be needed as you get closer to the mid-season 'winter shutdown'.
Stepping back we see down this side from the benches area.
Directly over the pitch, to the main stand.
Here we see the linesman. No reason to snap, except to see his badge.
You can see here how it has thawed out, as the morning sun rises.
A bit more frosty still, as we stand back in the shade.
Here we see the 'old' perimeter on this side, back when there was an athletics track in use, presumably.
Moving along, we glance back down the 'close to the action' side.
Now we are at the next corner, & you can clearly see the steep grass banking, where the stand is, opposite.
Now we are moving behind the goal, and we look over to the main stand.
Moving further back, this is how far from the action you are, from behind the pitch railing!
The grass slope starts behind this corner, and this is the view from the top of it.
Moving a bit closer to the stand side.
A similar view, but down by the railings.
Looking down the side now, you can clearly see how far back the pitch is, where the old track used to be.
The grass bank is fiarly steep along the side, and you can see there is a 'double' pitch rail at the front, with the training goals stored inbetween.
Moving closer to the stand, the other side of the barriers.
Almost there!
A row of benches & seats in the front part, with an other single row of plastic seats at the back of the covered part, making it a 'mix' of covered terrace and seating.
The dugouts are in front, set down into the ground, old fashioned 'traditional' style.
Here we look at the dugouts from the other side of the pitch, with the scoreboard in view as well.
A close up of one of the dugouts, at half time.
A front view of the stand, pitchside.
Back under it, we look along it, from the back.
From the centre we look over the pitch, between the dugouts.
Then we turn to our right, where we can clearly see where the grass slope starts behind the goal we have come from.
And then down the rest of the stand, to our left.
Old fashioned stretcher, & indicator board. A 'must' at all Czech football matches, I presume it's in their FA rules & regulations to have them.
Still in the middle of the stand, we are looking down the front section. The nearest young man has his laptop with him, I am guessing he must be connected to their website; & the person next to him was reading out the announcements over the tannoy system.
I'm not one to list teams, and had a programme, but I asked to take a snap of the line ups on their official sheet.
Moving along to the back of the stand once more, we glance over the pitch once more.
At the other end of it now,the upper part...
& the lower section.
Past the stand is the grass bank, to the corner.
Same area, but down by the railing.
Turning round, we look back at the stand.
Set way back from the pitch, the railing curves behind the goal. Note the benches set up on the slope.
A good vantage point for one fan.
I climb up the slope to see what the panoramic view is like from up here.
The stand, through the trees.
Moving on...going round the bend, so to speak!
The slope fades, as we head toward the main club buildings.
It really is a long way from behind the goal, behind the fence, to the action!
Behind thhis goal is a banner from the local town council.
We are now heading toward the outdoor refreshment hut, in the corner.
Various Czech sausages on sale.
I plumped for a delicious klobasa, without mustard! Can't stand the stuff...but the sausage is lovely!
Tables to enjoy your snacks & beers at.
This is the view, where the players' enter the pitch.
And here we are, back at the corner where we began.
Looking down the hard standing arrea, in front of the clubhouse, with various noticeboards on the wall.
The players come off the pitch at half time.
This is the inside of the clubhouse.
What I'd call a 'typical' Czech non-league bar. Note the beermats in the holders on the table. Another one to add to my collection, which I am in the process of listing, as if this blog didn't take up enough of my time!
There are some old team posters on the wall.
Now back outside, & some photos of the game, to finish off. Remember that 'colour clash' I mentioned earlier, mentioned earlier, regarding the referee & the visitors. In the first half he signalled for a bib...
As someone else went back to the changing rooms to get his alternative red one, stopping the game again to change once more!
That's better!
The rest are some action photographs from the match, a few more than I would usually include, but why not, as I'm never going to return here?
The final score..
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