Nyiregyhaza Spartacus

Nyiregyhaza Spartacus is a football club from Nyiregyhaza, Hungary. Formed in 1928, they've had brief stints in the Nemzeti Bajnoksag III, they currently play in the second division. The team is locally referred to by their nickname, Szpari. They play in Varosi Stadion, in the city sport complex just north of the downtown.

History

1960s

The team was refounded in 1959 by the fusion of the clubs Spartacus and Epitok. In the early 1960s, the team entered the second division of Hungarian football and then the now non-existent NB I./B, a sub-division of the first division. These were the years of the so-called "golden team" featuring players such Bakos, Pilcsuk, Kovacsics, Pall Cini, Papp Szuszka, Szokol, Kaskoto, Igneczi, Nagy Zoli, Harcsa, Groholy, and Csemiczky. The team, however, fell from the NB I./B in 1968, ending the golden age.

1980s

In 1980, the team finally ascended to the NB I. Their first match in the first division was played against Diosgyori VTK, soon-to-be rivals from nearby Miskolc. The first goal was scored by Kozma "Kicsi" and Szpari won the match 2–0. The team finished the season in 7th place. However, the team was never able to improve from that season and they were relegated at the end of the 1983–84 season.

1998–2005

The team finally returned to the NB I. in 1998–99 and ended that season in 13th place. They finished 9th in 1999–00, but the league shrank in the 2000–01 season, ultimately only allowing 12 teams to compete and Szpari again exited the first division.

In the 2004–05 season, the league expanded to again allow 16 teams and Nyiregyhaza again found themselves in the first division. Though there were a few highlights including a masterful win over a declining Ferencvaros to a home crowd in the second half of the season, the team ended in 15th place and were relegated yet again to NB II.

NB II Championship

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