SV Schwechat - Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion

SV Schwechat

Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion 

Franz Schuster-Straße 1-3

2320 Schwechat

Austria

+4317071787

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Ground Number: 1161
Friday 24th March 2022
SV Schwechat 1- SV Garasdorf Stammersdorf

Viender Stadtliga

SV SCHWECHAT - A BRIEF HISTORY

Sport-Vereinigung Schwechat was founded on August 22, 1903, under the name Allgemeinen-Sportklub-Schwechat (ASK Schwechat). Over their history, they have had many different identities.

1903-1907 ASK Schwechat

1907-1927 SC Germania Schwechat (merged with SK Graphia Vienna)

1927-1934 SK Neukettenhof

1934-1945 SC Germania Schwechat (merged with Amateurs XI)

1945-1979 1. Schwechat SC (merged with Phoenix Schwechat)

1979-pres. SV Schwechat

The early years of the club's history are not that well documented but their heyday was in the 1960s when they were in the top level of Austrian football, at the time called the Stadtliga. They finished as high as 4th in 1964. They were demoted to the second tier in 1966, despite finishing 9th. The Regionalliga Ost was the 2nd tier at the time and in their first season, they finished as runners-up to SC Eisenstadt. The league was downgraded to the third tier in 1974 , the following year they finished as runners-up to SC Tulin. 1. Schwechater SC were champions, spending a solitary season in the second tier Championship Ö II. SV Schwechat were champions in 2003, but not promoted. Results tailed off and in they were relegated, but promoted back the following season. Results did not improve and last season they were relegated once more to the tier 4 Wiener Stadtliga.

The club reached the semi-finals of the Austrian Cup in 1962. They beat Landstraßer AC 7-1, won 4-2 at 1. SC Wiener Neustadt and won 8-0 at FC Lustenau 07 before they lost 5-1 to eventual winners FK Austria Wien. Another semi-final followed in 1967. They've not entered the competition since 2016. Schwechat (pronounced shvay-chat) is a city southeast of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. The city is home to the refineries of the Austrian national oil company OMV. Schwechat is named after the river Schwechat, which flows through the centre of town. The current population is 23,531.

MY VISIT

This weekend was planned back in the middle of February. Sensing the limited pickings on Friday & Sunday in the UK, I planned my third trip of the season abroad. The planning was both enhanced and complicated by the international break, but eventually, I found a plan that worked and opted for Vienna and Slovakia. Originally on this date, I should have been off to Belgium, having pushed it back from 9th September due to a Wycombe home game. Little did I know, that the FA's overreaction to a celebrity death, albeit that of a fairly big one in the Queen, would see me paying nigh on £200 to pull it back to the original date the day before departure as there was no way that I was going to spend my weekend off doing nothing. It had summed up my luck this season with a lot of disruption.

Nothing summed up that frustration like the week preceding the game. I'd had a couple of decent trips planned, but these all but the dust due to the weather being unseasonably wet. At least I'd seen some sort of games but it was a lot of compromises when there shouldn't have been. Teams were getting serious fixture backlogs which are no good for anyone. I always book in late March to avoid the worst of the weather and it never usually fails me. After a great weekend in Scotland, I was hoping for a better weekend in Austria and Slovakia. The weekend games in the UK were looking in danger too as the rain continued to teem down on Thursday. I still had a large amount of prep for the blog to do but at least I'd formulated my plan, only finalising it on Thursday afternoon with a couple of drinks.

As ever, my sleep pattern was very strange. I'd got into bed and fallen asleep between 7.30 and 8 but woke up around midnight as I'm not really a big sleeper. I watched YouTube for a couple of hours and rather than wait at home and order a taxi, I decided to leave at 2.20 and walk the 5.5 mile journey. It was a mild and pleasant morning with very little contact with other people which suited me fine. I was at High Wycombe coachway at 4 and ten minutes later, another group of people turned up. The coach arrived at 4.15 and was quite busy, so I was glad to bag a double seat to myself. It was a pleasant and comfortable journey and I was able to top my phone up. We arrived at Gatwick ten minutes earlier than planned. After dropping off some unwanted luggage in the toilet, I made my way to check in and security. It was rigorous but friendly and swift. It was then the obligatory trip to the pub for a couple of pre-flight pints. Then it was to Nandos for an extra hot chicken burger and Peri fries. An unusual breakfast but I had been awake for 7 hours and it was all washed down with a Sxollie Golden Delicious cider. It was then to WH Smith for a bottle of Irn Bru then a fair old walk to the gate plus the longest queue of the day. The plane was a full house and we farted around on  the runway for 20 minutes before taking flight. The flight really dragged but we arrived to a warm Vienna at 12.15.

Getting off the plane and getting through security took around 20 minutes. It was then time to sort out transport. Around £17.50 secured me travel on the commuter train to the centre, plus 48 hours travel around Vienna. The tourist trap that was the CAT Express train cost double that. There was a restaurant cart on the train with a wide selection, quite nice compared to the occasional trolley you get on the UK trains. Mind you, it's eventual destination was Feldkirch on the Swiss - Liechtenstein border some six and a half hours later. I had plenty of time to kill, so I had a look around the market and also went to the Beerlovers store where I picked up a couple of new ciders to have in the hotel. It was a fair bit of walking with me having covered over 13 miles on  foot before I checked in at 3.30. The room was basic but clean and quiet. I fancied a shower to freshen up, it was lukewarm only, but looking at reviews, it says to run the water for ages. I stayed in the room for 90 minutes, enough to let my phone charge as much as possible. It was also nice not to have to carry loads of stuff about. I had a the bottles that I'd bought at Spar, along with a few snacks and soft drinks to keep me going. There was no bottle opener in the room, so I just used the door catch. I left at 4.50, there were several routes available, but I opted for the most straightforward, a train to Kaiserbersdorf and then walk. There was drizzle and that funny smell that you get with rain. It was half an hour walk to the ground, via a shop for a soft drink. I was at the stadium 15 minutes before kickoff, paying 8 Euros to get in. I went in search of a souvenir and the club were kind, gifting me a scarf for free. It was very close to kickoff after that, so I went and took my place in the stand. 

There were several versions of tables online, so I trusted the one on the official site. Schwechat were in 2nd place whilst SV Gerasdorf Stammersdorf were down in 11th. Whereas the hosts were based in the South East Of Austria, the visitors were some 30km away in the North East. Schwechat had drawn five of ther last seven games, winning 2-1 against Favoritiner and losing 2-1 at Maurwerk in the other two. Stammesdorf had lost four of their last six, the other results a thumping 8-0 win over Grossfeld amd a 1-1 draw against Favoritiner. The first half was very cagey but Schwechat came out with the bit between their teeth. Creating plenty down the left hand side, the pressure told on 48 minutes when the ball was only half cleared and Niki Roth was there to follow up with the chance from ten yards. Schwechat could have had more but didn't take their chances. Stammersdorf had a late rally, coming really close as the hosts clung on. Schwechat tried to frustrate their opponents, keeping the ball in the corner as much as possible. Stammersdorf were reduced to speculative shots as they sought a late equaliser.

The downpour was torrential during the game, but the pitch held up well. Luckily, it had all eased off by the time I left and with it being 8.25, the night was still young. The AmmutsØn Craft Beer Dive was my aim. It was a 25 minute walk to Schwechat station, I then had a 15 minute wait for my train back into the city. It was then a U3 train to Neubaugasse which was a few minutes walk from the bar. It was a good place, but pricey. I had a cider from a Swiss Microbrewery called BFM Saidah and this was good, albeit 7 Euros for 300ml. Although where else was I going to get it. My next purchase was even more extravagant, 26 Euros for a limited edition Kriek Lambic beer. Wine bottle size though and served in a fancy basket. It was very nice, worth the money is up for debate but it was the best Kriek Beer I've had. After that, I headed back to the underground, but the Shamrock Irish provided distraction. Three new ciders and I felt great as I headed home. The underground had thinned out but there were still trains every 15 to 20 minutes. I was a bit peckish but spotted nowhere obvious open, then again, it was past 1 am when I got back to my room.

THE GROUND

THE RUDOLF TONN STADIUM is an excellent venue situated halfway between Kaiserbersdorf and Schwechat stations. For those that come by car, parking is also plentiful. There's a good range of food and drink available as well as a decent range of merchandise.