NK Trnje - Glavni Stadion

NK Trnje

Glavni Stadion

Trg kardinala Franje Šepera 9

10000

Zagreb

Croatia

Official Website (archive)

Facebook

Ground Number: 1491
Saturday 11th October 2025
NK Trnje 1-0 HNK Dakovo Croatia

Druga NL

NK TRNJE - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1924, in Bosutska Street, by Stjepan Andrijašević and several other local men. A year later, they registered with the Zagreb FA and started playing local football in the fourth tier. By 1930, they won the second tier but were not promoted due to the reorganisation of the leagues. They were champions of the second tier again in 1940, but then the war intervened. When they returned, they were known as Torpedo Zagreb from 1946 until 1950 before reverting to their original name. They had some financial troubles in the 1960s and nearly collapsed; however, in 1980, they moved to their own ground, where they have played to this day. Trnje first won promotion to the current Croatian third tier, the 2.ZNL in 2001, but they only lasted a single season at the higher level. A couple of years later, they won the Zagreb FA Cup. They are currently back in the Druga NL, as it is now called, although they are at the wrong end of the table.

The club celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 September 2024, defeating Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 in a game to mark the occasion. The ceremony was attended by Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who played for Trnje as a child. The two most famous players to play for the club are Vladimir Firma, a Trnje native from Jelaspoljska, who started his career there, and went on to play for the former Yugoslav national team at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil and the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, where he won a silver medal. Also, Snješko Cerin, who helped Dinamo Zagreb win the 1982 Yugoslav championship and was the top scorer in the league at the time.

MY VISIT

I had long had aspirations to visit Croatia, as long ago as a year back. There were some early afternoon kickoffs on Friday, but the flights didnt work out the way I wanted them to. Another way I considered was going to Austria and going from there on Sunday, but this time, the game options were sparse, at least in terms of games that were on Futbology. That time, I did get the new country I desired for football and had a decent time in Budapest. The option came up again for my September trip, but this time with Maribor. Again, though, things were not as logistically good as I'd have liked. Finally, this October, things fell into place. Sadly, not with Slovenia as I'd have liked, and it would involve a long Flixbus ride. But with Zagreb offering compelling value for money, it was too good to turn down. 

The day of the game came, and I'd had a patchy night's sleep, probably due to booze and energy drink consumption. I felt fine, though and after a shower and getting my things together, I left at 6.10. I arrived at the bus stop ten minutes before my scheduled departure. There was a delay, but that was fine as we were kept informed. Despite the early hour, though, it was still chaotic with coaches stopping in the wrong place. They were all destinations, but I was reassured by a fair few people making the same journey as me. Eventually, an unmarked coach turned up and a ton of people poured off. It took a while for the crew change but thankfully, we were all on, albeit 25 minutes late leaving. Aside from that, it was positive news with a double seat to myself and a solid table to type on. I tried to finalise tomorrow's games, but once more, changes had been made. A changeover of people at two stops did not affect my double seat. The first few hours of the journey flew by but the latter half dragged due to tiredness setting in.

 

We were in Zagreb, bang on 12, not far from my accommodation, but quite a way from the centre. I had two hours to kill, so I looked on Google for a restaurant. Butler Restaurant and Bar came up as a decent place and had some local dishes. It was attached to a hotel, I'd have preferred something more traditional but it would do for now. Zagrebački odrezak, or Zagreb steak, is a traditional meat dish popular not just in Croatia’s capital, but all over Northern Croatia. The secret to preparing it perfectly is using the most delicious parts of veal and filling them with a low-fat ham and cheese that melts easily. It was great and under £15 with a drink. There was still plenty of time to kill and so I went to a shop, getting cakes, cider, crisps and an energy drink. I then took a stroll to my apartment and just as I was arriving, had a message to say that it was ready. Jozo, the owner, was really friendly, and it was great value at £96 for two nights. Cooking facilities and three beds were included, so it would be dirt cheap if you were in a group. It was a pleasant place too and came with a few free groceries and juice. The only annoyance was having to pay in cash, meaning I'll have to move around some money if payday doesn't come quick enough. I gave my phone time to charge up while I typed this before heading out at 2.45 or slightly later. After a half-hour walk, I was at the ground just five minutes before kickoff. It was a scorcher of a day, the entry was a bargain €5, which included a paper ticket.

 

Trnje were second bottom or 15th in the table. They had won one, drawn one and lost five of their games so far. Last time out, they lost 4-0 to Jadran SP. Dakovo were in 8th, having won two, drawn two and lost three. They had drawn their last two games, including a 2-2 against Dugo Selo last week. Despite their struggles, Trnje were on top. They thumped the bar with a free kick on 10 minutes and came close again before taking the lead on 17 minutes, Nikola Gataric with a low shot from twenty yards. According to my app, the home manager was sent off at half-time following two yellow cards. The visitors responded well for the third quarter of the game, dominating possession but not really creating much. Towards the end of the game, Trnje regained the initiative and had a few chances in the dying minutes. However, the score remained at 1-0. There were delirious scenes in the home dressing room at the end. For me I was heading off to a beer store to get myself a couple of treats. The given attendance was 250, but the small and intimate nature of the ground made it feel more than that.

THE GROUND

GLAVNI STADION  is a rustic old stadium that you wouldn't see the likes of in the English leagues. It has plenty of charm, though, although it is only two-sided. The main area along the side has a sizeable covered stand with around five rows of seats, around 600 in total. This is unusual, as there are gaps between the rows, and it is easy to lose stuff between the rows and get underneath the stand if you are small enough. The only other area you can stand is behind the goal, although this has fences in the way. This area contains the bar, which has a reasonable range of cans. I didn't see any merch or food for sale, though, but there were a few places around the ground. There's a decent amount of parking, and Zagreb is reasonably good and cheap for public transport.