FK Železnik
 | |||
| Full name | Fudbalski klub Železnik | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Nedeljini Lavovi (The Lions) | ||
| Founded | 1930 | ||
| Dissolved | 2015 | ||
| Ground | Stadion Nikola "Nedelja" Nedeljkovic | ||
| Capacity | 6,900 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serbian League Belgrade, 8th | ||
|
| |||
Fudbalski klub Železnik (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Железник) is a defunct football club based in Železnik, Belgrade, Serbia.
History
Early years (1930–1992)
Founded on 28 May 1930,[1] under the name of Železnički SK, the club became more organized during the 1950s. Subsequently, in 1961, they changed their name to FK Železnik, following a merger with FK Napredak, which was originally created by the Ivo Lola Ribar Institute.[1] Between 1963 and 1967, the club competed in the Serbian Republic League (Group North), the third tier of Yugoslav football. In 1965, they lost to Sloboda Užice in the promotion playoffs to the Yugoslav Second League.
Rise to the top (1992–2005)
The club continued to participate in the regional leagues without much success until 1992, when Jusuf "Jusa" Bulić, together with his associates, took over the club. In the 1994–95 season, Železnik won the Serbian League (Group North), thus gaining promotion to the Second League of FR Yugoslavia. In the 1995–96 season, the club was promoted to the First League of FR Yugoslavia (IB League). They finished second in the IB League in the 1996–97 season, which gave them a spot in the IA League in the 1997–98 season.[2]
After the death of his father, Dragan "Aca" Bulić took over the club in May 1998.[3] Led by the youngest president in the history of Serbian football, Železnik continued with the rapid progress, finishing in a higher league position every season. Likewise, the club reached the semi-finals of the national cup in two consecutive seasons (2002 and 2003; they were eliminated by Sartid Smederevo both times).[4][5]
In the 2003–04 season, the club achieved its best league performance by finishing in third place, thus securing a spot in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup. They were eliminated by Romanian club Steaua București in the second qualifying round (4–5 on aggregate). Despite only finishing ninth in the league that season, their worst result in six years, Železnik made the biggest success in the club's history by winning the Serbia and Montenegro Cup.[6][7] During this time, numerous Železnik players were selected to represent the country at both senior and youth level.
New beginning and ceasing (2005–2015)
In June 2005, due to the bad financial situation, Železnik was forced to withdraw their participation from the 2005–06 UEFA Cup,[8] before merging with another Belgrade-based club Voždovac, which continued to compete in the 2005–06 Serbia and Montenegro SuperLiga.[9][10]
The club was later refounded as FK Železnik Lavovi and started competing in the Belgrade First League, the fifth tier of the Serbian football league system. In the following two seasons, they progressed through two divisions. Firstly, the club won promotion to the Belgrade Zone League after the 2010–11 season. In addition, they were promoted to the Serbian League Belgrade following the 2011–12 season.
In the summer of 2015, after finishing in eighth place in the 2014–15 Serbian League Belgrade, the club again ceased to exist, following a merger with Radnički Beograd.[11]
Honours
Seasons
| Season | Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Cup | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 |  First League |
24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 29 | 43 | 26 | 13th | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 1999–2000 | First League |
40 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 55 | 47 | 54 | 8th | Quarter-finals | |
| 2000–01 | First League |
34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 49 | 56 | 44 | 8th | Round of 16 | |
| 2001–02 | First League |
34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 41 | 42 | 49 | 6th | Semi-finals | |
| 2002–03 | First League |
34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 56 | 37 | 62 | 5th | Semi-finals | |
| 2003–04 | First League |
30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 48 | 20 | 58 | 3rd | Quarter-finals | |
| 2004–05 | First League |
30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 38 | 45 | 38 | 9th | Winners | UEFA Cup – Second qualifying round |
UEFA competitions
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | UEFA Cup | Second qualifying round |  Steaua București |
2–4 (H), 2–1 (A) |
Notable players
- National team players[12]
For a list of all Železnik players with a Wikipedia article, please see: Category:FK Železnik players.
Managerial history
| Date | Name |
|---|---|
 Cvijetin Blagojević | |
| Aleksandar Trifunović | |
 Josip Duvančić | |
| Dževad Prekazi | |
| Baja Marić | |
| 1999–2000 | Slobodan Dogandžić |
| 2000 | Saša Milanović |
| 2000 | Dževad Prekazi |
| 2001 | Goran Milojević |
| 2001–2002 | Goran Stevanović |
| 2002–2003 | Saša Nikolić |
| 2003–2004 | Mile Tomić |
| 2004 | Branislav Novaković |
| 2004 | Saša Nikolić |
| 2005 | Miloljub Ostojić |
| 2005 | Čedomir Đoinčević |
References
- 1 2 "FK Zeleznik – Early History". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ "RAT, RASPAD SFR JUGOSLAVIJE, SANKCIJE" (in Serbian). FSG Zrenjanin. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ↑ "Porodica Železnik" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. 5 December 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Déjà vu for Zvezda and Sartid". UEFA. 9 April 2003. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ↑ "Oklop tvrđi od zuba" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. 10 April 2003. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ↑ "Famous first for Železnik". UEFA. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Železnik do trofeja sa igračem manje" (in Serbian). Sportska centrala. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Železnik’s European dream dies". UEFA. 15 June 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ↑ "Spajanje Železnika i Voždovca" (in Serbian). B92. 26 June 2005. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ↑ "Železnik merger solves crisis". UEFA. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "BULIĆ PONOVO OSNIVA ŽELEZNIK: "Lavovi" će opet osvajati trofeje!" (in Serbian). Informer. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ↑ "Železnik Beograd". National Football Teams. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
External links
- Club page at Srbijasport