In The Path Of The Tornado

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The journey to Zadar took approximately 4 hours. The bus headed south down the A1 motorway. The weather and temperatures deteriorated as we headed further south into the National Park area. Snow covered the surrounding areas, although it was difficult to assess the topography in the darkness. As with the drive to Rijeka, we passed through a series of tunnels. There are 2 tunnels, which approach 6000 metres in length. I was expecting us to emerge into an area without snow, but the temperatures remained well below zero for most of the trip except for deep within the tunnel areas. The tunnels would provide a more major obstacle on the return journey.

We arrived in Zadar and the fairly straighforward instructions to find the hostel didn't quite go according to plan. We found it eventually, having turned away from it when almost there. This was another immaculately clean establishment, half way to the Old Town from the Bus Station. We sorted out the payment and set off for food and an exploration of the Old Town. The "shortcut" led us past the old basketball hall and the remanents of an old football ground, now transformed into a car park.

The Old Town is picture book Croatia, as featured in the tourist brochures. Large enough to find something to do, small enough to feel familiar. The narrow cobble streets were worn smooth over the years and looked positively treacherous with a bit of rain on them. A rock band, The Crook, were playing to a small audience in an open air space behind a church. We watched a track and moved on. The food recommendations were once again predominantly Italian. We settled for another very acceptable pizza.

We walked along the promenade, which apparently suffered a lot of damage in World War 2 (not to mention the damage caused to the town in more recent events). A few locals walked their dogs and some walked off their dinner. In summer, it was probably heaving. There was a plaque that confirmed that Hitchcock had visited the town and suggested there was a better sunset in Zadar than Key West. We wouldn't see it - NK Zadar called. The evening quiet is broken by the Sea Organ - listed as an architectural object - which plays random elctronic music via some pipes laid under the adjacent steps. The creation has been playing it's strange brand of music since 2005. Simple, but surprisingly effective. Another nearby architectural object lights up like a large dance floor, but manages to resemble a paddling pool during the day. This creation was called a Greeting to the Sun. It had been a long day, so we retreated to relieve the hostel of some of it's free coffee.

I was awoken by heavy rain during the night, but by dawn it had stopped. There was more time to explore during the morning, before our sporting double header later in the day. The inhabitants were out promenading around the town. Walking and shoe shops seemed to be disproportionately popular. A large marquee was set up near the St Donatus Church, but the reason remained a mystery. The churches of St Donatus and St Marys impressed in the winter sunshine. A copious number of Roman pillars and other artifacts, lay scattered around. We walked down to listen to more tunes from the Sea Organ. The offices of the ferry company, Jadrolinja, were quiet and a couple of vessels were tied up by the port. The fishing fleet had just returned with their catch. The seagulls and other birds practiced their diving on the scraps - a room for improvement was the verdict. They were still too quick for the compact cameras. We walked on through the narrow streets. Stalls were laid out in the People's Square near the Town Hall, campaigning in advance of a referendum on Sunday.

We headed to locate the Dvorana Krešimir Ćosić Hall, home of KK Zadar, to get our bearings for the evening basketball match. A wierd spaceship of a stadium and part of the Sports Centar Visnjik, it seems far too big for it's current tenants. There were no tickets for sale as yet. We climbed to highest vantage point to take some photographs in the daylight. It was a short walk to the Stadion Stanovi, home of NK Zadar. The youth team was about to commence a game with their counterparts from Hajduk Split. This was the youth system that produced Luka Modric, but he was snatched by Dinamo before he could show his worth for his hometown club. We bought a ticket .... surely 0001 and 0002 again ..... but they had only the seat and row number. We explored the immediate area in search of food and football graffiti, before returning to the obvious choice 10 yards from the stadium.

The ticket office guy indicated he would try and obtain a pin badge, so went back to check on his success. Alas, he has failed and could only offer a mini pendant with a club badge on it. The penant was declined, but offered as a freebie anyway. They clearly not the most wealthy of clubs, so that was a nice gesture. The Stadium Stanovi was basic. There was no cover, so fortunately the skys were blue. The TV camera side was separated from the road by a corrugated steel fence. Whilst clubs around Europe have offices and shops built in the back of the stands, Zadar end behind the goal had a series of lock up garages. In fairness, they also had shops under the Main Stand. The majority were closed down. A few of the 800 present sat behind the home goal, whilst the away end remained closed. A dozen or so Istra 1961 fans surfaced in the Main Stand, watched closely by a few riot police.

The White Angels at NK Zagreb might have been short on numbers to be a recognised ultra group, but at least they were there. Internet sources suggest Tornado are in the middle of a boycott of NK Zadar games, due to a disagreement with the management of the club. As a result, there was no vocal encouragement for the team. The match was bad tempered affair between two poor teams. There had been a Cup game between the two sides a few days earlier in Pula and there were clearly a few scores to settle. The right back was on a one man mission to get a red card. He achieved his objective with 30 minutes and the game was beyond Zadar from that point. Istra 1961 pushed on with their numerical advantage and could have run up a substantial score, if they had increased their ambition. They settled for 4 – 0. The locals went home unhappy. They could be even less pleased by the end of the season, unless there is a significant improvement in form.

We retreated back in the restaurant next door for a beer. Zadar police were on the lookout for people liberating a match poster off a nearby wall as a substitute match programme. The 30 Kuna (£3.40) ticket price at the football buys you VIP status at the basketball. The reality is that it is a better seat on the press lower sections, but it beat the open seat on offer at NK Zadar. We ventured into another local bar by the stadium. The atmosphere was lively. A super fan looked like he had been in residence all afternoon. The landlady floor walked wearing a pair of white woollen leg warmers. The smoke filled atmosphere didn't encourage you to purchase a 2nd drink.

Tornado were indeed present at the basketball. The opposition was in the form of Siroki from Bosnia - the strugglers of the ABA Liga. Their starman came in the form of Jonathan Jones - not the guy I was at school with, but probably no taller. A US journeyman pro who was not quite up to scratch to make a living in the better European leagues, he didn't convince when the big points were needed. His fellow import had clearly been brought along to carry his bags from the airport and this was reflected in his game time. Tornado roared their team on to a comfortable victory. Their presence at the football might have at least stopped the home team from completely capitulating after going down to 10 men. The crowd at the basketball was a disappointing, but expected, 2000 - they were a little lost in the Arena with a 10,000 capacity. It was a shame that reasonably high level sport in a small town was not better supported by it's inhabitants. They were perhaps used to better times.

As creatures of habit, we headed for the same pizza establishment as the previous night.

Appendix 1

NK Zadar 0 Istra 1961 4

Stadium: Stadion Stanovi

Croatia 1 HNLiga

Saturday 30 November 2013 1500 Hrs

Scorers: P Franjic (Istra 1961) 27, Krizman (Istra 1961) 46, A Saric OG 58, Batarelo (Istra 1961) 78

Sent Off: J Bilaver (NK Zadar) 27

Attendance: 800

NK Zadar: M Matkovic, M Neretljac, M Hrgovic, J Bilaver, M Con, J Jerbic, J Serac, A Suric, J Ivancic, F Cirjak, Z Terkes

Istra 1961: A Jezina, I Cagalj, F Budicin, I Graf,Woon Chung, A Batarelo, S Blagojovic, J Obsivac, P Franjic, M Sacer, D Radonjic

Appendix 2

KK Zadar 77 KK Siroki Primorka (Bosnia) 69

Stadium: Dvorana Krešimir Ćosić Hall, Zadar

ABA Liga Basketball

Referees: Belosevic Ilija, Vuckovic Marko, Koljensic Milos

Saturday 30 November 2013 1900 Hrs

Attendance: 2000

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