Montenegro Game 4 and 5

 My last day in the city and had the chance to see 3 games but the constant rain, wind and the third game on a pitch not on the Futbology App, I ended up just watching the 2 games. The first game was a visit to the ground that Peter Miles had mentioned and no surprise, he was right- a real gem and a club that seems to actually have some fans.

Sunday 1 November - 12 noon
FK Zabjelo Under 19s 1 FK Zeta Under 19s 1
Montenegro Under 19 League, 2nd Division
Stadion Nikola Scepovic

Attendance: 62 h/c

The game was not great- the ground is a gem but the pitch is like a cow field, so not great for football. The visitors were happy to let the home side have plenty of the ball as they did struggle to do anything with it. FK Zeta were far sharper in front of goal and no surprise when they took the lead after 27 minutes. The home team did manage to get back on level terms after 60 minutes. Home side then had a player sent off for a second yellow card on 89 minutes. Not a great advert for Montenegro football.

Great communication from the club on social media, so they let me know the game was on- they did say it was Under 21 but the league stated it was Under 19. The club has a hip/Clapton feel- A group of young ultras arrived 10 minutes after kick off, they walked down the middle of the road holding transport up. Flags around the ground state the local area declared independence from Montenegro 30 years ago! If in the city, try and see them play in either Third Division game or if not their Under 19 or Under 17 side, you will not be disappointed.

It was back to the Stari Aerodrom area and a game at the large sports complex, as it was a Third Division game expected a good crowd and the game to be played on one of the better pitches - I was wring- just 12 wated the game and it was played on an old astro, the training pitch of OFK Titograd

Sunday 1 November - 13pm
FK Karioke Podgorica 0 FK Internacional 8
Division 3 Central Region
OFK Titograd Training Pitch

Attendance: 12 humans and 2 dogs

Karioke may be Third Division but they sound like, looked like and played like a poor pub team - still a great name. FC Internacional, were very good, looked fit and had some quality players, they have played as high as the Second Division, where they used the Montenegro FA pitch at the same complex.

Was hoping it would be on the main Titograd pitch, which has some quirky stands. Titograd had moved here when their ground was built on and borrowed the pitch of FK Stari Aerodrom, before taking it over and the old owners moving to a new pitch next door.

Easy game for the visitors, funny thing one of the 12 spectators gave the visitors the team talk at half time! Guess he is the manager and is either banned or has not got the right coaching badges to sit pitch side.

Only 0-2 at the break but 6 further goals added in the second half

2 Photos of the quirky stands by the main Titograd pitch

Montenegro Game 1 to 3

 Saturday 31 October 2026

First game was a 45 minute walk north from the city centre, buses were around, and only 1 Euro for an hour journey but as had nothing else to do a walk seemed simple enough.

Next issue the game was Pioneer game, I thought this was going to be Under 16, but in fact it was Under 15 - not normally something I would bother with, but with nothing else planned for the morning and unlikely to come back to the city, I took the opportunity provided to see a game.

Saturday 31 October 2026 @ 930am
Crvena Stijena Tolosi Under 15s 2 FK Zabjelo Under 15s 11
Central Region Pioneer League
Training Pitch of FK Kom

Attendance: 14 h/c
A very one sided game, with Zabjelo scoring with ease, 6 -1 up at half time and adding a further 5 goals after the break and just conceding one more.

The main pitch at FK Kom had been dug up and was being worked on, so guess Second Division FK Kom are using another stadium as the training pitch next door was of poor quality astro and inside a cage, with just one small stand on the outside of the cage, however after seeing how poor crowds are in Montenegro, they might play on the training pitch.

The main pitch had 4 UK style floodlight pylons and an open seated stand on one side, on the other side, was a small section of terracing, built on the side of a derelict changing room block. The new changing rooms are part of the club house building, which was open and selling hot drinks.

Saturday 31 October 2026 1pm
FK Podgorica 1 Iskra Danilovgrad 0
Druga Liga (Division 2)
DG Arena

Attendance: Under 200!! Including myself and 3 German hoppers!

My highest level game of the weekend, stadium looked impressive in the photos I had seen. Got a taxi to ground as a few Kms outside the city but a bus could be used. Ground also shared with a 1st Division team. Turned up about 40 minutes before kick off and no one around other than the teams! Only one stand was open and the other stand is not finished, next door is an astro with the clubhouse and changing rooms next to the pitch, clubhouse was not open. So surprised how low the crowd was.

The game itself was very poor with neither team impressing and that was with the home team sat on top of the division, they dd eventually get the winning goal in the 64th minute. Can't complain much as it was free to get in! Walked back to the main road with one of the German hoppers and got a bus back into the city for 1 Euro.

A short walk from when I got off the bus to my next game, this was on the site of the old airfield, now a housing estate with a sports complex on the eastern side, 8 pitches, most were G3, home of the training grounds of the Montenegro FA, plus the biggest club side in the country plus the homes of 2 further clubs- whilst a number of other clubs hire the pitches for their use.

5 of the pitches are on the Futbology app, and when you look at the satellite picture you can see those 5 and 2 further pitches, the newest pitch is not on the satellite picture ( home of FK Stari Aerodrom )

Saturday 31 October 2026 5pm
FK Buducnost Podgorica under 17s 3 FK Podgorica Under 17s 1
Montenegro Cadet League, Division One
FK Buducnost Training Ground.

Attendance: 42 h/c

A competitive game that the home team ( who are top of the table) were always slightly better but the visitors always felt they were in with a chance of getting a goal.
It was 1-0 at the break and the home team then went two up after 50 minutes, the visitors got one back 10 minutes later. The hosts then confirmed the win in the 80th minute.

The pitch was G3 inside a cage, an open seated stand on one side of the pitch and the large Club Headquarters on the other side of the pitch.

Montenegro - Prodgorica, Low crowds but plenty of graffiti!

 Friday 30 October 2026

After 3 games in Albania - it was an early morning bus to Podgorica the capital of Montenegro - easy journey, arrived early and dropped at the main bus station in the capital. No games today, final dates and time for 1st Division fixtures only came out a few days before I arrived, it meant my only 1st Division game planned, was moved till after I had flown home. But the FA website was good for fixtures including U17 and U21 games, plus also got a link to the website for the Central area Third Division.

I was also armed with an article from EFW, written by the legend and my late friend Peter Miles, this helped me spend the Friday seeing all the cultural sites in around the city and also visit the main stadium, only a very short walk from the town centre, 3 sided and used by the main club side and the national team. By the ground was plenty of graffiti for the biggest team in the country - FK Buducnost Podgorica, but soon realised that graffiti was all over the city, not just near the . Most of it was well painted and for some reason the ultras also had a soft spot for Maradona.

Also visited the ground of a third division team that Peter mentioned, looked a great ground and I was lucky to have an Under 21 game pencilled in on the Sunday at the home of FK Zabjelo

An early night with 3 games planned for the Saturday and 2 or 3 on the Sunday

Albania Game 2 and 3

 Game 2 - could have probably got there by bus but all bus stations on edge of city due to congestion in the city plus buses back would have impossible as not many after 8pm - so decided on a taxi- £50 return, reliable and no issue

Wednesday 28 October 2026, 7pm
KF Elbasani 2 FK Partizan 1
Elbasan Arena
Kategoria Superiore

Admission: £10 ( cheaper tickets available)
Attendance: 1500 max (no away fans)

Large bowl with athletics track, pitch in very good shape, sat in expensive seat and had a cafe plus service to your seat if needed for beer, crisps and rolls!

Only 30 plus miles from capital but no away fans, not banned but think they are boycotting games and Partizan at bottom of the table, and they are the biggest club in the country.

Partizan were poor but somehow took the lead after 16 minutes, it took till the 80th minute for the home team to get back on terms. they scored again in the 86th but ref disallow3ed it for a foul on the keeper, after 2 minutes of protests he decided to check VAR, reversed his decision and game the home team the goal. whilst hew as in the VAR Tent! He was pelted by bottles from the home crowd.

Politics and corruption never far from politics or football in Albania, a percentage of every ticket sold was to be given toa home fan who had been injured during the week before the game when he was hit in the eye by a rubber bullet fired by the police at the students protests, so the club officials were happy to make a public stand against the Police and the Government.

Taxi waiting for me and a much quicker trip back to the city to find the police station smashed up but with all the students having left the city centre.

Decided to walk in the morning to the edge of the city and a bus 25 miles to the seaside at Durres - just £2 on the bus, walk along the beach, plenty to see in the city withy Roman ruins also on the tourist train, back to the bus station and the ground was just a 10 minute walk north.

FK Tirana moved the game to Durres as their stadium had just had fresh grass sown, I did pop in on the Wednesday and you could see that the grass was fresh!

Thursday 29 October 2026, 1.30pm
KF Tirana 1 Dinamo City 1
Stadiumi Niko Dovana ( home of KS Teuta Durres)
Kategoria Superiore

Admission: £10 -Could have sat in open for £3
Attendance: Under 200

Large bowl but stands were impressive, a couple of astro pitches outside, where the Durres Academy and women team were training. Ticket purchased from the ticket hut in the street, not many in attendance but it was Thursday afternoon and both teams had to travel to get here.

Dinamo were much the better team, even after they went down to 10 men in the 37th minute as one of their players picked up his second yellow card. Tirana were slightly better in the second half and took the lead in the 64th minute but the ten men of Dinamo were back on level terms after 77 minutes.

Home team thought they had won in at the end but Ref used VAR and goal disallowed, still time for the home team to go down to 10 men in the 94th minute.

Short walk back to the bus station and £2 bus back to Tirana and a 45 minute walk from bus station to city centre hotel.

Albania, riot damage, low crowds but worth the trip - Game 1

Last minute idea to do a short trip to the Balkans, making the most of mid-week games and getting slowly towards watching a game in every country in Europe. Plan to fly into the capital early on the Wednesday and then bus to Montenegro on Friday and fly back to UK Monday.

Flight was cheap, on time from Stansted and easy to get shuttle bus to city centre (£2 - pay on bus) - city was in middle of student riots but in fact most people just ignored the protests, police station 100 metres from my hotel was smashed up, but police just moved to the bar opposite and set up camp there. Fixture wise - my main fixture was moved from Wednesday to Thursday and then a few days later the venue moved from their own home to the seaside 20 plus miles away.

But Futbology came up trumps with an extra game on Wednesday

Wednesday 28 October 2026 - 2pm
FK Partizan Under 19 0 FC Hradec Kralove U19 6
UEFA Youth League
House of Football

Admission: £5
Attendance: 250 plus

Large modern sports complex, owned by Albania FA - 3 pitches, 2 with lights and a large stand between 2 of the pitches. Short walk from city centre and very close to stadium of FK Tirana. Tickets on sale at gate ( for ticket collectors, plain tickets at all 3 games in Albania, all of same design). Pitch in great condition, complex surrounded by very modern apartment blocks. No refreshments on sale at game.

Close first half but the Czechs were the better team and went in at the break one up after scoring just before the half time whistle.

56th minute saw the best chance for the home team but a minute later they were down to 10 men after one of the home players got a second yellow card. This was the signal for a home team collapse as the visitors added a further 5 goals in the last 33 minutes.

Had decided on a taxi to second game and was meeting it my hotel, only just made it as police had shut a few side streets off as students moved towards the main square.