Success at last for Artmedia

By Stanislav Hlavácek

FC Artmedia Bratislava have claimed the first title in their 107-year history meaning the final round of matches in Slovakia on 15 June will have little significance.

First title
Vladimír Weiss's side took control of the championship with a 1-0 win in a rescheduled away game at second-placed MŠK Žilina on 17 May. Their historic triumph was sealed on Sunday when a 2-2 draw at MŠK Ružomberok saw reigning champions Žilina, who went down 2-1 at FK AS Trencín, concede their crown.

European places
The goalscoring hero for Artmedia was Slovakian Under-21 international Filip Šebo who hit 18 in the campaign to propel his side into the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. Žilina will join Slovakian Cup winners FK Dukla Banská Bystrica in the UEFA Cup with FK ZTS Dubnica confirmed as Slovakia's UEFA Intertoto Cup contenders.

Relegation slump
League newcomers FC Rimavská Sobota have been relegated after a disastrous run of results saw them squander a seven-point advantage over previous bottom club AŠK Inter Bratislava. After losing 1-0 against their relegation rivals on 10 May, Juraj Szikora's team failed to score in six outings, while Inter picked up 13 points to save their élite status.

Unique record
Inter duly preserved their record as the only side to have played every top-flight Slovakian season since the division of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Rimavská Sobota, meanwhile, are resigned to playing in the second tier, with FC Nitra winning promotion to take their place after a five-season exile from the Superleague.

Coaching roundabout
Coach Szikora was dismissed midway through Rimavská Sobota's dire run with assistant Marián Kudlík taking over for the final two games. Ružomberok have also changed coach with Czech František Komnacký now in command following the departure of Ivan Hucko.

Jankech retiring
The summer will see 67-year-old Dubnica coach Jozef Jankech retire from football with Luboš Nosický succeeding him for his first season in the premier division. However, another veteran, 63-year-old Jozef Adamec, is returning after a career break to replace Milan Lešický at FC Spartak Trnava.

Hudec role
Slovakia Under-17 coach Ladislav Hudec will feature too in the 2005/06 Superleague having accepted a job at Trencín. Meanwhile, Karol Pecze is expected to keep his post at Žilina despite a disappointing end to the campaign.