“The East Bohemian Derby: A Rivalry Rekindled at the New Pardubice Stadium”

For two years now, the highest Czech competition, the East Bohemian Derby, has been graced by the two regional rivals, Hradec Králové and Pardubice. But it wasn’t until this spring that the prestigious match was welcomed by the stadium in the East Bohemian region, because until then both teams played in exile (Pardubice at Bohemians Prague and Hradec Králové at Mladá Boleslav). The new stadium in Pardubice finally accommodated the derby. The last time this happened was in 1959/1960, when it was played in Hradec Králové.

It was a very different year for the East Bohemian representatives. As a rookie, Spartak Hradec Králové became the champion for the first time in its history. At that time, the military team from Pardubice, which has nothing to do with the current club, finished in last place with a formidable distance of ten points from Jednota Košice, which was also relegated.

However, the derby was not an easy task for the home team, even though Hradečtí attacked the highest ranks and Pardubice were hopelessly last. In addition, the opponents had to return the autumn defeat 1:3. Given that Pardubice won only four times in the entire year, it was a very unpleasant result. And with the necessity of retaliation…

A single goal in the 72nd minute, when striker Bohuslav Tomášek, who came (there is no shortage of coincidences) from Pardubice, decided the slimmest victory of the favorite 1:0.

He didn’t leave a big mark on the championship, it was his only goal not only in the year, but also in his entire league career – a balance of 13/1.

“Sometimes he played for B, sometimes he went with us,” Ladislav Pokorný, who ended his league career in 1969 in Pardubice…

Even in terms of football, the rival cities are therefore closely connected. After all, this is proved by the scorer of the only goal in this year’s derby, Pavel Černý, a member of the strong generation from Hradec Králové. His grandfather Jiří (born in 1932) belonged to the championship team of 1959/1960, when he was of course in the starting line-up against Pardubice.

Father Pavel (born 1962), a four-time Czechoslovak representative, was the pride of Hradec Králové football at the turn of the 1990s. With Sparta Prague, to which he transferred in 1990, he celebrated two championship titles, and also experienced foreign engagements in Hiroshima, Japan.

And he also boasts of membership in the prestigious League Gunners’ Club of the weekly Gól, which is intended for scorers of at least 100 league goals (his number is 108).

The youngest of the generation, Pavel (born in 1985) is a student of Hradec Králové, he played for them in the league, and now he is doing exemplary service for rivals Pardubice. He significantly helps in the effort to maintain the highest competition, in the derby he knocked down a big sap with his intervention.

Source: Fortuna League, FK Pardubice