Havlíčkův Brod and Vrchlabí played a club friendly on September tenth, 2026, and the hosts came out on top with a 4:3 scoreline. It was a straightforward evening encounter, nothing more elaborate than that. The result gives the home side something to build on ahead of the competitive season.
And here's the thing about friendlies — teams use them to test shapes and combinations rather than to chase points. This one produced seven goals across ninety minutes, which suggests both managers were willing to let their sides play without worrying about the scoreboard. Things came to a head at the final whistle, naturally enough.
The home side arrived in decent shape, having won their last three competitive matches. They beat Velké Meziříčí 7:2 on September eighth, followed by a 4:1 victory over Písek and back-to-back wins against Znojmo Orli. By then they were finding their rhythm, scoring at will and keeping things tight at the back.
Vrchlabí's recent record tells a different story. They beat Děčín 3:1 on September eighth but had been inconsistent since then, losing to Benátky 3:4 and then pulling off a win against Ústí nad Labem 8:1. They also suffered that heavy 3:8 defeat to Benátky back in August. To be fair, they've shown they can score, but defending has been a concern.
A four-goal margin would have been comfortable, but three goals conceded means Vrchlabí showed enough quality to make it interesting until the end. The final whistle caught both sides in the spirit of a proper friendly — no bitterness, just players who had given everything for ninety minutes. That's what these games are supposed to produce.