Zeta taking the plaudits

By Aleksandar Boskovic

FK Partizan maintained their lead at the top of the Serbia and Montenegro Prva liga throughout October, finishing the month four points clear of FK Zeta and six ahead of FK Crvena Cvezda.

Surprise package
Zeta have been the surprise of the season so far. Their coach Dejan Vukicevic, a former Partizan midfield player, has put together a well-balanced outfit, having added a few old heads to a young team, and they have grown in confidence since away victories in Belgrade against FK Zeleznik and OFK Beograd. Steady performances since have maintained their place at the top.

Praise for Buducnost
Another Montenegrin club, FK Buducnost, also merit praise for the performances which have taken them to fourth place. Like Zeta, they have a youthful side, which includes defender Risto Lakic and attacker Igor Burzanovic whose form has won them places in the Serbia and Montenegro Under-21 squad.

Tomic fired
If Zeta have surprised people, so too have Zeleznik - but for the wrong reasons. They finished October at the foot of the table, having won just once in eleven matches. They have attempted to arrest their poor run by firing Mile Tomic and replacing him with assistant coach Branislav Novakovic.

Change at Obilic
There has also been a change at FK Obilic, where Zoran Milinkovic resigned as coach and the role duly passed to the former Beograd and FK Vojvodina trainer Dragoljub Bekvalac. However, neither team has improved noticeably since the new men took charge.

Derby draw
On 16 October, Partizan and Zvezda played out a goalless draw in the 123rd Belgrade derby between the sides - a match that offered little excitement and reflected the fact neither of the clubs have been at their best. Still, both continue to collect wins against the division's weaker teams.

Mid-table clubs
A cluster of clubs in mid-table - FK Kula, Beograd, Vojvodina, FK Zemun, FC Sutjeska, FK Smederevo, FK Novi Beograd and FK Borac - are having steady seasons, built on solid home displays. At the bottom, though, survival is now the sole target for FK Cukaricki, FK Hajduk Beograd, Obilic and, of course, Zeleznik.

Attendances fall
Finally, the average attendance at matches has dropped to around 1,000 spectators and this appears to be a direct consequence of the new television deal with state broadcaster RTS, which is screening live coverage of several games each Saturday afternoon.