Nogometni klub Železničar Maribor (), commonly referred to as NK Železničar Maribor or simply Železničar, was a Slovenian football club from Maribor. They qualified for the top division of Slovenian football, the Slovenian PrvaLiga, in the 1992–93 season, but were relegated in their first season, never returning to the top level. They were one of the most successful Slovenian clubs in the Yugoslav era, winning the Slovenian Republic League four times and the Slovenian Republic Cup twice.

History The club was established in 1927 as a football section of SK Železničar, the railway workers' sports club. They played their first match on 7 August of the same year and won 5–1 against SK Merkur. They joined Slovenian competitions, playing in the Maribor region, where they soon developed a fierce rivalry with I. SSK Maribor.

In the Ljubljana Subassociation League, Železničar finished second in 1934 and 1935, before finally winning their first title in 1937. In the qualifiers for the Yugoslav First League, they lost against SAŠK Sarajevo in the final. Železničar won another title in 1940, this time in a knockout system, beating their rivals I. SSK Maribor 2–1 in the final. The club was refounded as SFD Železničar after the World War II. In 1946, they finished second behind Lendava, missing promotion to the Yugoslav top division by only two points.

Železničar then stabilised as a mid-table team in the next years, until the league system was changed in 1952. They were located in the East group of the Republic League, where they finished second in 1953 and first in 1954. They have defeated the West group winners Piran (6–0 and 1–2) for the unofficial title and thus qualified for the Croatian-Slovenian League. The team was renamed to ŽNK Maribor and finished tenth, missing out Branik Maribor and ninth spot by one point and was therefore relegated to the Maribor-Varaždin-Celje Zonal League. They have won their first Slovenian Republic Cup in 1957. After three mediocre seasons the team returned to the unified Slovenian Republic League, which was reformed in 1958. In 1960, they have won another Slovenian Republic Cup title.

In December 1960, due to Branik Maribor's food poisoning affair, ŽNK Maribor, holding the first position on the league table, had to give up their place to a newly formed NK Maribor and were relegated. Maribor have won the title with the squad formed mostly of players from the ŽNK. They instantly returned to the Republic League in 1962 and renamed back to NK Železničar Maribor in the same year.

The results soon improved and the club won their third republic title in 1968–69, earning a place in the Yugoslav Second League for the first time in history. They stayed there for three seasons and were relegated in 1971–72 after finishing in 18th place.

They have won another republic title in 1972–73, but lost in the Yugoslav Second League (West) play-ofs against Mercator Ljubljana. Železničar then played several republic seasons without any notable success. In 1981, despite scoring only fourth position, the Football Association of Yugoslavia offered them a place in the Yugoslav Second League, but the club declined promotion due to lack of funds. They were struggling against relegation in the next years, until they were finally relegated to the regional league for the first time in 1987. They stayed there until the breakup of Yugoslavia. Železničar holds a record of 42 played seasons in the Slovenian Republic League.

Železničar was one of the founding members of the Slovenian Second League in 1991. They have immediately finished first and earned a promotion to the first division in the 1991–92 season, managed by their former player Jože Karmel. Železničar played in the 1992–93 Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top level of Slovenian football, but was relegated after finishing 17th, never returning to the top flight again. The club was close to return on several occasions as they refused promotion in 1996, lost the play-offs against Beltinci in the 1997–98 season, and missed a second place by one point in the 1998–99 season. At the beginning of the new century, Železničar became financially unstable and was relegated to the lowest division over the course of several years; from the Second League in 2003 after finishing dead last, from the Slovenian Third League in 2007, having not fulfilled the licence documentation, from the fourth division in 2008, and even from the fifth division in 2014, before ceasing all operations in 2019.

Stadium The club built its first ground, the Ob Tržaški Cesti Stadium (), between 1932 and 1935. After a few seasons at their temporary home ground in Poljane (Železničar lost their original home ground due to the construction of a new bridge in 1963), they moved to the newly built Tabor Sports Park () in 1967.

Colours

The traditional colours of the club were blue and white, the colours of the first Yugoslav Railways and then Slovenian Railways, used by all railway clubs in the country.

Honours

Yugoslavia Slovenian Republic League Winners (4): 1936–37, 1939–40, 1968–69, 1972–73 Runners-up (5): 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1946 Slovenian Republic Cup Winners (2): 1957, 1960

Slovenia Slovenian Second League Winners (1): 1991–92 1. MNZ Maribor (fifth tier) Runners-up (1): 2009–10 2. MNZ Maribor (sixth tier) Runners-up (1): 2014–15 3. MNZ Maribor (sixth tier) Runners-up (1): 2015–16

Domestic league and cup results

In Yugoslavia Season League Position1927–28Ljubljana Subassociation League4th in Maribor subdivision1928–29Ljubljana Subassociation League3rd in Maribor subdivision1929–30Ljubljana Subassociation League3rd in Maribor subdivision1930–31Ljubljana Subassociation League2nd in Maribor subdivision1931–32Ljubljana Subassociation League4th1932–33Ljubljana Subassociation League3rd1933–34Ljubljana Subassociation League2nd1934–35Ljubljana Subassociation League2nd1935–36Ljubljana Subassociation League3rd1936–37Ljubljana Subassociation League1st1937–38Ljubljana Subassociation League2nd1938–39Ljubljana Subassociation LeagueQuarter-final1939–40Ljubljana Subassociation LeagueWinners1940–41Ljubljana Subassociation League2nd1941–45World War II1946Slovenian Republic League2nd1946–47Slovenian Republic League6th1947–48Slovenian Republic League3rd1948–49Slovenian Republic League5th1950Slovenian Republic League6th1951Slovenian Republic League6th1952Slovenian Republic League7th1952–53Slovenian Republic League2nd in East group1953–54Slovenian Republic League1st in East group1954–55Croatian-Slovenian League10th1955–56Maribor-Varaždin-Celje League5th1956–57Maribor-Varaždin-Celje League4th1957–58Maribor-Varaždin-Celje League3rd1958–59Slovenian Republic League4th1959–60Slovenian Republic League3rd1960–61*Slovenian Republic League Maribor Subassociation League1st 6th1961–62Maribor Subassociation League1st1962–63Slovenian Republic League7th1963–64Slovenian Republic League11th1964–65Slovenian Republic League3rd1965–66Slovenian Republic League6th1966–67Slovenian Republic League3rd1967–68Slovenian Republic League8th1968–69Slovenian Republic League1st1969–70Yugoslav Second League (West)7th1970–71Yugoslav Second League (West)11th1971–72Yugoslav Second League (West)18th1972–73Slovenian Republic League1st1973–74Slovenian Republic League4th1974–75Slovenian Republic League10th1975–76Slovenian Republic League4th1976–77Slovenian Republic League11th1977–78Slovenian Republic League9th1978–79Slovenian Republic League6th1979–80Slovenian Republic League4th1980–81Slovenian Republic League4th1981–82Slovenian Republic League7th1982–83Slovenian Republic League10th1983–84Slovenian Republic League6th1984–85Slovenian Republic League7th1985–86Slovenian Republic League11th1986–87Slovenian Republic League13th1987–88Slovenian Regional League (East)7th1988–89Slovenian Regional League (East)6th1989–90Slovenian Regional League (East)4th1990–91Slovenian Regional League (East)3rd

In Slovenia SeasonLeaguePositionPtsPWDLGFGACup1991–922. SNL1362614843819Round of 641992–931. SNL17203468203062First round1993–942. SNL1324 (−1)30105153650First round1994–952. SNL103130135124347x1995–962. SNL54429135115147First round1996–972. SNL93729107123733Round of 161997–982. SNL4513014975239Round of 161998–992. SNL3543015965830x1999–20002. SNL5533016594732Round of 162000–012. SNL103729107124049First round2001–022. SNL103930116133744Quarter-finals2002–032. SNL16183046202369Round of 162003–043. SNL5432613496041First round2004–053. SNL11302686123545Second round2005–063. SNL11252667133151x2006–073. SNL12292692153250x2007–08Styrian League (4th level)13212670193887x2008–091. MNZ (5th level)3452613676038x2009–101. MNZ (5th level)2552617459026First round2010–111. MNZ (5th level)11302693144461x2011–121. MNZ (5th level)441 (−2)26141116450x2012–131. MNZ (5th level)74026124106163x2013–141. MNZ (5th level)141026242023102x2014–152. MNZ (6th level)2492415457031x2015–163. MNZ (6th level)2391613036715x2016–172. MNZ (5th level)Withdrew from the competition during the season.

*Best results are highlighted. *x = Did not qualify

References

External links