Osogovo

Kočani has never had much room on the football map. Founded in 1924, the club played under Sultan Tepe, then Hajduk Kočani, then Vitez Kočani before the current name arrived in 1950, borrowed from the Osogovo mountain range that overlooks the town. It carries the name of Nikola Mantov, a 23-year-old forward who collapsed and died on the pitch during a match against FAS 11 Oktomvri on 1 July 1973. The club retired his number, 7, and nobody has worn it since.

On the field, the closest thing to a golden age came in the mid-1990s, when Osogovo finished sixth in 1994/95, its best league placing, only to slide to 14th the following season and drop back down. The pattern repeated itself for two decades: a title in the Second League East in 1997/98 sent the club up, a run of five straight Third League championships between 2004/05 and 2010/11 sent it up again, and further promotions followed in 2016/17, 2018/19 and 2022/23. Between the ups, there were just as many downs, including relegation again in 2001/02.

At the moment, that cycle is the club's whole identity — climbing out of the Third League East, holding on when it gets to the Second, and doing it in front of around 5,000 people at the Nikola Mantov stadium, in yellow and blue, with number 7 staying empty.