1. FK Svidník are sixth in the local Svidník League after the first half of the season

1. FK Svidník 2-2 (1-2) FK Topl'an Kalnište

Klučár 15', Frederik Cina 76' - Horbaj 6', J. Cauner 35'.

Sunday, 26 October 2025, 2 pm local time (1 pm UTC), Mestský futbalový Stadium, Svidník, Slovakia, the 11th round of Svidník League (7th tier).

Despite being the main favorites to win the Svidník League after they withdrew from the 4th League and were relegated to the lowest existing tier, 1. FK Svidník struggle even in this local Svidník League where they compete against teams from the nearby villages. The town is unable to have a better team than the surrounding villages, that's the conclusion after the first half of the season, and they are classified only sixth (exactly mid-table, out of 11 teams) after 10 games, of which they only won 4, drew 5 and lost one.

The home game against Topl'an Kalnište (which were leaders before the game) was not too different from the others they played against teams classified in the upper half of the table, and 1. FK Svidník had to be content with a draw, although they could have actually won the game if we look at the last 10 minutes, but they could have also lost it, if one takes into account the big opportunities the visitors had throughout the whole match.

It started pretty badly for Svidník, because the visitors scored early, by means of Damián Horbaj: 0-1 (6'). The equalizer came rather quickly, as Tomáš Klučár scored for the home side: 1-1 (15'). Topl'an Kalnište had however the upper hand for large portions of this game, and they were once again in lead after a beautiful goal scored by Jozef Cauner: 1-2 (35').

The second half was very much disputed. 1. FK Svidník tried to equalize, but their chances were few, as their game was mainly based on long passes above the opposite defense, which rarely reached the strikers, and on set pieces which seldom gave any result. On the other hand, the visitors could have increased their advantage, missing two important chances, after swift counterattacks (61' and 72').

1. FK Svidník finally found the net after a beautiful shot by Tobias Frederik Cina, which first touched the far post and then went in: 2-2 (76').

Tobias Frederik Cina (1. FK Svidník, in white shirts) scored the equalizer in the 76th minute. Photo source: capture from Youtube video of the second half

In the final minutes, both teams looked to score the winning goal, to no avail. The home side was closer to win the game, as they pushed harder. They also benefitted from two consecutive rough tackles by Jozef Cauner (Kalnište), in 87' and 89', for which he received two consecutive yellow cards, and therefore he was sent off (89'), so Svidník had the numerical advantage in stoppage time. Tobias Frederik Cina missed the biggest chance for Svidník (90'+3'), all alone with goalkeeper L'uboš Varganin, whose save was decisive for the final result of the game: 2-2.

Svidník: Janošík - Ščerba, Dáv. Hnát, Karala, Dam. Hnát, Baran, Vaškanin (Husák 53'), S. Haluška (Kamenický 90'), Klučár, Rogoš (Z. Haluška 46'), Frederik Cina. Manager: Róbert Škurla.

Kalnište: Varganin - Lechman (Kokolík 67'), Jurč, Sabolčík, Halek, Šoltys, Peržel', P. Cauner, Pankuch, Horbaj, J. Cauner. Manager: Ján Kokolík.

Referee: Ladislav Košč. 

Yellow cards: Klučár 25', Frederik Cina 38', Husák 79', Dáv. Hnát 89' - Jurč 25', Šoltys 82', J. Cauner 87', 89', Varganin 90'+1'.

Red card: J. Cauner (Kalnište) 89'.

The second half of the season is scheduled in spring 2026. Until then, hopefully the Svidník team will be reinforced, as they are only 5 points away from the top of the table, and they still have some chances for promotion, despite being classified sixth.