ŠK Slovan Bratislava B (Slovakia)

ŠK Slovan Bratislava B, also known as the Under-21 side, is the reserve and junior side of the most famous club in Slovakia, which plays at Štadión Pasienky. Slovan’s history and description of the new Tehelné pole stadium can be read about here.

The team competed in the 2. Liga in 1994-95, a year after the country became independent. Slovan B went down to 3. Liga, despite reaching the last eight of the Slovenský Pohár, the Slovak Cup before going out to Tatran Prešov.

The team remained in the third tier before winning promotion in 1997-98, going on to finish fifth in the 2. Liga season of 1998-99. A tenth spot the following season meant demotion to 3. Liga. Promotion was won at the first attempt prior to Slovan B finishing ninth in 2. Liga in 2001-02. 2002-03 saw the side relegated once again, followed. 

A change of league titles in the summer of 2006 led to the top flight being renamed Super Liga, which meant that Slovan B were in the third tier 2. Liga. In the 2006-07 Slovak Cup, Slovan B defeated their first string 2-0 before going out in the third round to FC Vion Zlaté Moravce.

‘Belasí’ B ended the 2010-11 campaign in sixth place, which was matched twelve months later before ending as runners-up in 2012-13. Fourth place in 2013-14 was enough to win promotion to the once again renamed second tier 2. Liga.

The league was split into two geographical sections, with Slovan B placed in the Western Group. The team avoided relegation under coach Jozef Majoroš while playing home games at Štadión FK Rapid Ružinov, while Slovan’s first team was in residence at Štadión Pasienky.

The team coached by Ján Kozák and skippered by Marcel Oravec finished fourth in the Western Group in 2015-16, going on to eleventh in the Championship Round. With Adam Laczkó as captain in 2016-17, the side ended in the Relegation Round from Group West before eventually going down.

In the regional 3. Liga Bratislava, the goals of Dávid Hrnčár and Illia Tereshchenko fired Slovan B to fourth place before the title was secured in 2018-19, prior to the team moving into Štadión Pasienky. Goals from skipper Martin Hubert couldn’t prevent the side coached by Szilárd Németh from ending in the relegation spots in 2019-20, before they were reprieved.

Stanislav Moravec was given the role of head coach before being replaced by Vladimir Gala for the 2021-22 campaign, which saw the side go down a level. Promotion was achieved a year later to return the team to the second-tier, where Elvis Isaac scored the goals as Slovan B continued to struggle in the league table while developing its young players.

ŠK Slovan Bratislava B will play 2. Liga in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Monday 9th March 2020

I’d crossed the border from Vienna on the last day of a fantastic long weekend and had been kindly allowed inside the new Tehelné pole stadium of Slovan. It added to a brilliant day in which I’d also unexpectedly got to see the inside of Rapid Wien’s Allianz-Stadion.

Hans, my Viennese font of knowledge, had suggested that I’d have a good chance of seeing inside Štadión Pasienky. I crossed Bajkalská and walked down Junácka, noting the tempting Šport Pub U Belasých before the majestic stadium floodlights came into view.

My discipline kicked in as I continued around to the open gates to the complex, where two old boys were sitting. I expected to be challenged in some way, but it seemed they were keeping an eye on the car park that ran right around the outside of the arena.

Intermittent steps led up the bank to the top of the seating tier. The entrance at the top was fenced off, but I still got a great view of the single bowl with a cover over the east section and a fantastic old communist style scoreboard at the near end.

I’d been mistaken in thinking that the stadium had staged what seemed like a catastrophic England defeat at the time to Czechoslovakia in 1976, only to realise after research that the game was held at the old Tehelné pole over the road.

The game was a reflection of how the English media have probably overreacted for many years. The magnificent Czech side that day went on to win the European Championships with a team including Slovan and Inter players.

As well as staging matches for ŠK Slovan Bratislava between 2009 and 2019, and the B side matches, Štadión Pasienky also hosted much more football, athletics, and concerts since FK Inter Bratislava moved in upon its opening in 1962. Inter remained there until 2009, when owner Ľubomír Chrenko sold Inter's licence to FK Senica. 

While residents at the stadium, the club was crowned twice as Slovak champions, as well as finishing second in the Czechoslovak First League on a couple of occasions. FC Petržalka were residents for a year when their Štadión za Starým Mostom was demolished in 2009, as the club went into financial freefall before folding prior to being resurrected in 2014.

Štadión Pasienky was home to the Slovak national team when they played eight internationals in the arena between 2010 and 2012, including Euro and World Cup qualifiers as well as four matches in the UEFA U-21 Championship of 2000. The stadium has also echoed to the sounds of Depeche Mode, KISS, Metallica, and Carlos Santana from 1993 to 2017.

My intention was to head into the old town for a relaxing few hours, tasting local beers and sightseeing. I thought it was a good idea to walk around the perimeter car park and leave at the other end to catch a bus where I’d earlier alighted.

I felt a bit of an idiot when all the gates were locked down the far side, meaning I did a full lap, going past Slovan’s training ground while sporadically gawping at the floodlights. I did get a closer view of the pitch as the entrance used by the club at ground level was open.

My Google Maps app came to the rescue as I found a better route into town. The MiÚ Nové Mesto tram stop on Vajnorská, near a modern shopping precinct, would do the job with the number 4 service taking me to the SND stop. Bratislava was a real mixture from what I had seen up to then. 

Some areas were stuck in the communist age, while newer buildings and complexes were springing up. However, I was to be blown away by the stunning architecture in the old town. I found it not dissimilar to Prague, albeit quieter and smaller. Most impressed, I decided that it was beer time in Lochness Scottish Pub and then The Dubliner Irish Pub. 

 

Both served excellent local beer, sandwiched between more sightseeing and photography.

The music was good, as was the extremely cheap beer. It would have been easy to sit and become very merry. That would have been too easy. Instead, I headed to see the venue of FC Petržalka, which can be read about here. Click here to read all about ŠK Slovan Bratislava.