ZNK Inker - Stadion Ivan Lajac-Ivic Drugo Mjesto

ZNK Inker

Stadion Ivan Lajac-Ivic Drugo Mjesto

10290

Zaprešić sjever

Zaprešić

Croatia

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Ground Number: 1493

Sunday 12th October 2025

ZNK Inker 1-0 ZNK Pregreda

Druga HNLZ Skupina A

NK INKER - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in July 2022 as a phoenix club of NK Inter Zaprešić after it went bankrupt. The name "Inker" was chosen from a local ceramics factory and was the former name of the club's predecessor from 1991 to 2003.  For the first year only, they existed as a setup for youth football, the main aim of retaining the club name. The following season, a senior side was established and entered the 6th tier - JŽNL (Jedinstvena županijska nogometna liga), the highest tier under the Zagreb County football association authority. They won the title in their first season, progressing to the 4. NL Zagreb, which they won again last season. Currently, they sit top of the 3 NL. Centar, which is the 4th tier in Croatian football.

There are fifteen different youth sides and also a women's side that play in the 4th tier of the women's game. Zaprešić is a town in Zagreb County. It has a population of 19,644 in the town proper, with 25,223 in the administrative area. The town's metropolitan area, which encompasses the seven neighbouring municipalities, has a population of 54,640. Zaprešić is the third-largest and most densely populated town of Zagreb County. It is located northwest of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and near the Slovenian border. It is centred on plains north of the Sava River, and is bordered by Medvednica Mountain to the east, and the Marija Gorica Hills to the west.

MY VISIT

Croatia had been one of the best value-for-money countries that I had visited. To get there, I had a £19 Flixbus from Vienna, which was both good value and convenient. My accommodation was £95 for two nights, a nice apartment which could have catered for three had the need arisen. I could have gone cheaper for a single room, but these had mixed reviews and I always value security and a good night's sleep over a few quid saved (apart from the occasional overnight coach). Public transport was dirt cheap too. I loaded my app with 5 euros, but at around 60 cents a half-hour trip, I'd probably have loads to spare. The most expensive part was the British Airways flight home, which came in at just under £70. Pricey and probably the worst check-in experience I have had with any airline. A terrible app and no way to add the ticket to your Google Wallet like every single other airline. On the upside and the reason I booked it, the flight times were far nicer than Stansted, and it saved around £30 compared to getting back from Stansted on public transport.

 

After my game at HASK, I knew that I had plenty of time to get to this game. I went and had a look at the other side of the ground and got a picture of the stand. I then made my way to the tram stop where I had a five-minute wait for the #2 to Crnomerec. This was nice and easy, but there was a bit of work to do for my next bus to Zapresic. Google Maps just dumped me at a random spot, and I had to go a bit old school and find the correct bus stop myself. Typically, it was the last one that I checked, not that it mattered. The bus was packed and had noisy air conditioning, but at least we were on our way. We went past NK Ponikve, which looked like a decent place. The bus terminal was around five minutes from the ground. I was glad to see players there, but I was disappointed that it was on the back pitch of a cracking stadium. Still, a game was a game, and it split the costs for the Croatia part of the trip three ways rather than two. I made use of the vending machine at the ground to get a drink and a chocolate bar. It seems as if food isn't really a thing at small grounds in Croatia aside from snacks.

 

This game was between the two bottom teams in the league, who had both lost all four of their games. In their last game, Inker lost 3-0 to Slova Mravince. Pregreda lost by the same scoreline to Neretva. Inker were well on top but wasted their chances. They did hit the bar on 27 minutes, though. They did take the lead on the half hour, though, the #10 well placed at the back post to convert a tap-in. Pregreda started to have chances, and this resulted in the hosts being reduced to ten players after an attacker was fouled when clear on goal. The second half was a duller affair, Pregreda on top but being poor in the final third. The game petered out, and that was that, football-wise, for my trip. The atte of 50 posted on the HMS Semafor app seemed optimistic, just as the 80 at the previous game seemed low. They are, however, the figures I'll enter into my records.

 

From the ground, it was a seven-minute walk to the bus stop. I had just under ten minutes to wait for the most important bus as it was a huge distance on foot to get back. The second tram was a fair way too. It was just before 8 when I got back. I was peckish, but options were extremely limited at this time on a Sunday evening. Ideally, I'd have gone back to Butler's that I went to yesterday, but they were closed. I really fancied Pizza, and there was a place five minutes up the road doing takeaway. I waited for five minutes looking at the Menu, and no one asked me to order, so I walked further up the road to Franko's Pizza and Bar. This was a sit-in place, but the prices were OK. I got a pulled pork calzone for €11 and a freshly squeezed ginger lemonade for €4.50. The place was busy with locals, a good sign. It was decent, maybe not as good as the Zagreb steak I had yesterday, but still enjoyable and well priced at £13.52. I was back at the room by 9.20. I watched YouTube whilst getting my first blog up, but decided to leave the second one until the next day. I had a good night's sleep and took advantage of not having to check out until 11 am by getting this blog done. The plan then was to get some brunch before heading to the airport.

THE GROUND

STADION IVAK LALJAC-IVIC DRUGO MJESTO is the back pitch at a fantastic stadium. It is mainly made for players rather than spectators. As such, there is no official viewing area, although standing on the back step of the stand at the main ground offers a reasonable view, albeit through netting. There was just a vending machine in terms of food and drink. Public transport links are decent, and so is parking.