History of FC Sartid (1924-2004)

The first football in the town on the right bank of the river Danube, famous for its fruit growing, vineyards, iron and steel plants, was brought in 1920. The Smederevo Grammar school students had the privilege to be the first to feel the magic of the "lady bird", thanks to their teacher Mr. Antun Grahovec, who initiated the purchase of balls and equipment. A year later (in 1921), a club was founded, and its members were solely the students of this school. In 1923, the club became the town property with a new name- Djuradj Smederevac.


DREAM TEAM

1. VASIC D.
2. HADZIC S.
3. LALIC P.
4. PANTIC A.
5. JANKOVIC D.
6. ZLATKOVIC S.
7. STOKIC M.
8. BOGDANOVIC G.
9. PRIJIC D.
10. DJORDJEVIC M.
11. STANKOVIC T.

All-time best players:

1. BOGDANOVIC G.
2. ZLATKOVIC S.
3. РORРEVIC M.
4. STOKIC M.
5. PRIJIC D.

On May 6, 1924, on the initiative of the engineer Mr. Ernest Radlinski, the FC SARTID was founded. Consisting of the factory employees it immediately joined the league of Branicevo - Danube group. The greatest and the most serious opponent in that period was the "older brother", a local rival, Djuradj Smederevac.

In 1930, at Vidovdan, an open field with locker rooms and wooden benches for spectators was built on location of the present magnificent building, opposite the old steel factory, and solemnly opened.
The ambitions of  FC SARTID started to increase rapidly once it entered the Danube zone in 1936. The professional relations, international coaches and players engagement (German, Hungarian, Austrian) awakened an enormous interest of the pre-war sport audience.

At the end of the Second World War, in 1944, FC SARTID stopped to exist because of communists, (first letter S in FC Sartid name means SERBIA) and after the fusion of Zak and Metalac, the football in Smederevo was represented by Jedinstvo which later changed the name into Buducnost, Metalurg and Smederevo.

Except for the qualification for the entry into the Second Federal League in 1961, when Smederevo players defeated Jedinstvo from Zemun and Becej and were defeated in barrage by Proleter from Zrenjanin (2:2; 3:0), their maximum reach was Serbian league, all until 1992. The Ferrous Metallurgy Concern SARTID 1913 (later SARTID a.d.) took over the FC SMEDEREVO in 1992, it was then that the renaissance for Smederevo football began. 17 months later, FC SARTID won the first place in the Danube zone (in 1993), and again it became the Serbian league club. After the two-year period in the Serbian league (IV and II place) came the meteoric rise of the "armoured ones". With 22 points advantage over Rudar from Kostolac, the I place was won (34 30 3 1 93:11 93 points) and the match against Mladost Gosa (4:1), on 15.06.1996, in the last round, marked the entry into the Second Federal league. With the almost unchanged team, the champion campaign continued also in the season of 1996/97. Two rounds before the end FC SARTID secured the placement in the First B league, and the victory over Zastava Susica (3:2) in the last round (on 1.6.1997.) confirmed its seniority in the Second league company. As for the most serious rival Radnicki from Kragujevac, 7 points of advantage were realized with the outstanding score (34 26 4 4 77:20 82) and unprecedented celebration of the popular "Despots" followed. As a debutant in the First "B" league with 2 points less than the first placed OFK Belgrade in the season 1997/1998 SARTID won II place and together with FC PRISTINA, FC SPARTAK, FC RADNICKI from Nis and from Kragujevac, realized the greatest success until then, the placement in the I federal league.

The dream of many generations to have Crvena zvezda, Partizan, Obilic, and Vojvodina battle over points in Smederevo, became the reality.  First year of new millennia, 2001, was the most successful year of the First league competitions.


Winning the fourth place in the season of 2000/2001, and placement in INTER TOTO CUP, where FC SARTID, led by the captain Goran Bogdanovic, a legend of Smederevo football, was eliminated by German Munchen 1860 after the victory over the Scottish Dandy has been the greatest success of Smederevo football. The Smederevo "armoured ones" realized remarkable results in the National cup, too. They reached two times quarter-finals (in 1997 Vojvodina and in 1999 Obilic) and one final game (in 2002, Red Star - Belgrade).
Finally, in season 2002/2003 they achieve the historical success, winning of National Cup after the victory over  Crvena zvezda (Red Star - Belgrade).

In Europe, FC Sartid played 10 more games, Bangor City (Wales) 0:1, 2:0, and Ipswich Town (England), 1:1, 0:1 in UEFA CUP 2002, FC Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 1:1, 3:0, Slavia Praha (Czech Republic) 1:2, 1:2, UEFA CUP 2003, and Saint Julia (Andorra) 8:0, 3:0, Dinamo Minsk (Belarussia) 2:1, 1:3 in  INTERTOTO CUP 2004. Show goes on...

LONG LIVE FC SARTID - THE PRIDE OF CENTRAL SERBIA

Since 07.07.2004 FC Sartid have change name to FC Smederevo, which is not accepted by many supporters.

FC Sartid is still in our harts, always will be, but all as one Smederevo forever!