Cherno More Varna
1957 season
ManagerIvan Mokanov
Republican Football Group A9th
Bulgarian CupQuarterfinals

The 1957 season marked the immediate return of Cherno More to the top flight of Bulgarian football after the club was dramatically relegated in 1955. The club started the season as SCNA Varna (Bulgarian: СКНА Варна), Sport Club of the People's Army, but was renamed to Botev Varna in June 1957.[1]

Overview

Background

Cherno More was relegated from A Group at the end of 1955, despite starting the season with 5 consecutive wins and finishing only three point off third place. The following year the team won the regional B group and booked a place for an end-of-the-season qualifying tournament played in Sofia in November 1956 to determine the last two teams to join A group in 1957.[2] Competing were the five winners of the regional B groups and 11th-placed in A Group Zavod 12. Cherno More, competing as SCNA Varna, won a deciding match against Lokomotiv Plovdiv on 20 November 1956 to finish second.

Winless Streak

The team lost seven of the first 8 games, only drawing against Levski Sofia in Varna on 24 March 1957. Form improved somewhat in the following fixtures, but the Sailors remained winless after 15 matches of the 22 rounds season. With only six points gained and seven matches remaining, the club was bottom of the table and facing relegation for the second time in three years.

The Great Escape

The team, recently renamed Botev Varna midseason, achieved first win of the campaign in round 16 by defeating Botev Plovdiv 1-0 on 1 September 1957, giving supporters hope before a fixture break until mid-October. League football returned on October 13 with the 4-0 thrashing of Marek Stanke Dimitrov, followed by two more wins against city rivals Spartak and eventual runners-up Lokomotiv Sofia, denting their title hopes in the process. Botev Varna then drew against the dominant force of Bulgarian football and eventual league winners CDNA in Sofia, before securing survival with a game to spare by comfortably defeating Spartak Plovdiv 3-0 at home.

Republican Football Group A

Matches

24 March 1957 Round 2 Botev Varna 1–1 Levski Sofia Varna
2 June 1957 Round 9 Botev Varna 1–1 CDNA Varna
12 July 1957 Round 13 Levski Sofia 3–2 Botev Varna Sofia
24 August 1957 Round 15 Slavia Sofia 2–2 Botev Varna Sofia
1 September 1957 Round 16 Botev Varna 1–0 Botev Plovdiv Varna
20 October 1957 Round 22 Spartak Varna 0–1 Botev Varna Varna
10 November 1957 Round 19 Botev Varna 1–0 Lokomotiv Sofia Varna
17 November 1957 Round 20 CDNA 0–0 Botev Varna Sofia
24 November 1957 Round 21 Botev Varna 3–0 Spartak Plovdiv Varna
29 November 1957 Round 18 Spartak Sofia 3–0 Botev Varna Sofia

League standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
7 Spartak Plovdiv 22 7 5 10 33 41 −8 19
8 Botev Plovdiv 22 6 7 9 22 33 −11 19
9 Cherno More Varna 22 5 8 9 19 24 −5 18
10 Spartak Varna 22 6 6 10 23 31 −8 18
11 Spartak Sofia (R) 22 4 8 10 22 35 −13 16 Relegation to 1958 B Group
Source: rsssf.com
(R) Relegated

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
22 5 8 9 19 24  −5 23 4 5 2 13 8  +5 1 3 7 6 16  −10

Bulgarian Cup

Round of 16 Zavod Stalin Dimitrovo 0–5 Botev Varna Pernik
Quarterfinals Botev Varna 0–1 CDNA Varna

References

  1. ↑ ""А" група 1957".
  2. ↑ ""А" група 1956".
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