HNK Orijent is a football club from Sušak, the eastern part of the city of Rijeka, Croatia. The club was established under the name Orient in 1919. They compete in the Croatian Second Football League. It is a phoenix club of NK Orijent which ceased activities in 2014 due to financial difficulties. The club is resurrected the same year under the new name, HNK Orijent 1919, but in September 2022 club assembly decided to bring back an old name, HNK Orijent.

HNK Orijent
Full nameHrvatski nogometni klub Orijent[1]
Nickname(s)Sušačani, Crveni s Krimeje
Founded14 June 1919; 104 years ago (14 June 1919) (as NK Orijent)
GroundStadion Krimeja
Capacity3,500
ChairmanSaša Matijaš
ManagerEdo Flego
LeagueFirst League (II)
2022–236th
WebsiteClub website
Current season

History edit

 
"Monument to football youth" at the entrance of the NK Orient soccer field in Rijeka, Croatia

Orient edit

The club was founded in 1919 in Sušak, eastern part of the present day city of Rijeka, under the name Jugoslavenski Športski Klub Orient.[2][3][4][5][6] At the time, Sušak was predominantly Croatian, while Fiume, the western part of the city, was predominantly Italian. According to the legend, during his time on journey to the United States, one of the club's founders saw a ship named Orient in the New York Harbor. After he came back, he suggested the new club to be named Orient, a suggestion which was later accepted. Although Orijent spent most of its history in lower tiers of Yugoslav and Croatian football, it was and still is popular among Sušak's population.[2][3]

The club was disbanded by the communists in 1945 and refounded as FD Jedinstvo. The club's greatest success came in 1969 when they were the champions of Yugoslav Second League's Division West but were unable to win promotion through playoff. Orijent and city rivals Rijeka contested numerous derbies during the early 1970s. Other notable successes were quarter-finals of Yugoslav Cup in 1980–81 and 1982–83. Orijent played top tier football only once, during the season 1996–97 when they finished 14th and were relegated.[2][3]

In June 2014, the club was liquidated due to its inability to service mounting debts.[7] Shortly thereafter, the club was re-established and admitted to the fifth tier of the Croatian football league system for the start of the 2014–15 campaign. Over the following five seasons, they gained promotion on three occasions, reaching the Croatian Second Football League for the 2019–20 campaign.

Names edit

As regimes changed, Orijent was often forced to change its name. At various stages of its history the club was known as Jedinstvo, Primorac, Primorje and Budućnost. Finally, from 1953 onwards, the club carries the original name, Orijent in various forms (NK Orijent, HNK Orijent 1919, HNK Orijent).[2][3][4][8]

In June 2014, the club was liquidated and shortly thereafter re-established under the new name, HNK Orijent 1919.[7][8] In September 2022 club assembly decided to rename the club by leaving out 1919 as a year of its original formation, while the club emblem was decided to remain the same.[9][10] The new name entered official HNS register on 6 October 2022.[11][12]

Honours edit

Current squad edit

As of 25 February 2024[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   SRB Aleksa Todorović
2 DF   CRO Filip Braut
3 DF   CRO Noel Bodetić
4 DF   CRO Dominik Mulac
5 MF   SVN Jaka Korošec
6 MF   CRO Franjo Lazar
7 MF   BIH Edin Fatić
8 FW   CRO Niko Gajzler
9 MF   CRO Andrija Bubnjar
10 FW   CRO Emanuel Črnko
11 DF   CRO Andro Švrljuga
13 DF   UKR Yegor Smirnov
14 DF   CRO Sanin Muminović
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF   CRO Noa Zuliani
16 FW   GAM Baboucarr Faal
17 FW   CRO Mateo Monjac
18 MF   CRO Karlo Valjan
20 MF   CRO Dominik Simčić
21 MF   CRO Filip Zrilić
22 DF   CRO Adriano Milanović
23 MF   CRO Marko Putnik
25 MF   CRO Antonio Galešić
28 DF   CRO Mario Tadejević
29 DF   CRO Ricardo Bagadur
30 GK   CRO Patrik Mohorović
45 GK   CRO Leo Margan

Out on loan edit

As of 16 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
5 MF   CRO Patrik Srzentić (at Grobničan until 30 May 2024)
45 GK   CRO Muhamed Tanjić (at Grobničan until 15 June 2024)
FW   CRO Marko Jelić (at Krk until 30 May 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   CRO Matija Matulja (at Krk until 30 May 2024)
FW   GAM Mass Njie (at Krk until 29 June 2024)

Notable players edit

Notable managers edit

Seasons edit

Season League Cup
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos
NK ORIJENT
1966–67 3. Div 26 13 5 8 57 29 31 4th
1967–68 3. Div 30 22 6 2 95 26 50 1st ↑
1968–69 2. Div 30 23 3 4 70 27 49 1st
1969–70 2. Div 30 16 3 11 48 30 35 4th R2
1970–71 2. Div 30 9 10 11 36 38 28 7th
1971–72 2. Div 34 15 8 11 63 47 38 5th
1972–73 2. Div 34 10 12 12 45 57 31 12th ↓
1973–74 3. Div 32 7 14 11 30 41 28 15th ↓
1974–75 4. Div 1st ↑
1975–76 3. Div 22 4 8 10 25 26 16 11th
1976–77 3. Div 26 12 8 6 36 25 32 3rd
1977–78 3. Div 26 13 7 6 30 18 33 3rd
1978–79 3. Div 26 14 6 6 33 18 34 2nd
1979–80 3. Div 30 13 6 11 42 30 32 6th
1980–81 3. Div 30 12 9 9 36 22 33 3rd QF
1981–82 3. Div 30 15 7 8 44 26 37 3rd
1982–83 3. Div 30 12 9 9 47 35 33 5th QF
1983–84 3. Div 26 21 5 0 55 8 47 1st
1984–85 3. Div 26 20 5 1 74 9 45 1st
1985–86 3. Div 26 20 4 2 73 10 44 1st
1986–87 3. Div 26 16 6 4 49 16 38 2nd
1987–88 3. Div 30 13 6 11 44 32 32 4th
1988–89 3. Div 34 11 9 (5) 14 34 33 27 13th
1989–90 3. Div 34 10 9 (7) 15 37 43 27 15th R1
1990–91 3. Div 34 13 5 (4) 16 31 45 30 11th
1992 2. HNL West 12 4 3 5 14 13 11 3rd
1992–93 2. HNL South 29 13 6 10 44 34 32 7th R1
1993–94 2. HNL South 30 21 8 1 62 15 50 2nd R1
1994–95 2. HNL West 36 24 8 4 86 19 80 2nd ↑
1995–96 1.B HNL 28 15 4 9 45 34 49 2nd ↑
1996–97 1. HNL 30 5 11 14 28 53 26 14th ↓ R1
1997–98 2. HNL West 30 21 5 4 63 15 68 3rd QF
1998–99 2. HNL 36 13 9 14 39 48 48 13th
1999–2000 2. HNL 32 10 11 11 37 41 41 9th
2000–01 2. HNL 34 13 8 13 40 40 47 10th R2
2001–02 2. HNL South 30 14 4 12 35 37 46 6th
2002–03 2. HNL South 32 12 6 14 36 48 42 8th R1
2003–04 2. HNL South 32 2 7 23 23 62 13 12th ↓
2004–05 3. HNL West 30 8 10 12 26 47 34 14th
2005–06 3. HNL West 30 15 9 6 60 35 54 4th
2006–07 3. HNL West 34 13 7 14 44 53 46 13th
2007–08 3. HNL West 34 10 11 13 39 36 41 13th
2008–09 3. HNL West 34 12 8 14 45 41 42 13th R1
2009–10 3. HNL West 34 10 14 10 47 44 44 11th R1
2010–11 3. HNL West 34 12 6 16 40 47 42 11th
2011–12 3. HNL West 34 9 12 13 38 48 39 14th
2012–13 3. HNL West 30 13 4 13 46 45 43 8th
2013–14 3. HNL West 28 13 4 11 35 43 43 6th
HNK ORIJENT 1919
2014–15 1. ŽNL 28 18 5 1 65 18 59 1st ↑
2015–16 4. HNL Rijeka 30 11 7 12 42 45 40 8th
2016–17 4. HNL Rijeka 30 10 12 8 49 36 42 8th
2017–18 4. HNL Rijeka 29 20 4 5 58 24 64 2nd ↑
2018–19 3. HNL West 34 21 5 8 72 47 68 3rd ↑
2019–20 2. HNL 19 9 6 4 26 23 33 3rd
2020–21 2. HNL 34 12 9 13 52 49 45 11th
2021–22 2. HNL 30 12 4 14 44 49 40 9th R1
HNK ORIJENT
2022–23 1. NL 33 10 13 10 45 45 43 6th

References edit

  1. ^ HNK Orijent - Croatian football federation
  2. ^ a b c d prof. dr. sc. Marinko Lazzarich. "GRADSKI DERBI: Kantrida i Krimeja, ili vječno suparništvo Bijelih i Crvenih". www.klub-susacana.hr (in Serbo-Croatian). SUŠAČKA REVIJA. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Lazzarich, Marinko (2 November 2020). "Stogodišnja sportska odiseja sušačkoga simbola: Od Jugoslavenskoga Športskoga Kluba Orient do Hrvatskoga Nogometnog Kluba Orijent 1919". Edukacija Rekreacija Sport (in Croatian). 29 (42). Rijeka: Učiteljski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci: 5–8. ISSN 1330-7800. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Nogometni leksikon". nogomet.lzmk.hr (in Serbo-Croatian). Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  5. ^ Ferruccio Burburan; Zlatko Moranjak (2017). Stadioni nogometne Hrvatske (in Croatian). Zagreb: Katalog Knjižnica grada Zagreba. pp. 76, 77. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ^ Ferruccio Burburan; Zlatko Moranjak (2017). Stadioni hrvatske nogometne lige by zlatko moranjak - Issuu. Rijeka: Exsto Rijeka: Institut za Fiumanologiju. pp. 76, 77. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2022.[ISBN missing]
  7. ^ a b V. Vivoda (8 June 2014). "NK Orijent: Eulogija". Hoću Ri (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b Ižak Ante Sučić (8 November 2019). "Orijent se voli od malih nogu: Priča o klubu koji je hit 2. HNL". www.germanijak.hr (in Croatian). Germanijak. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Saša Matijaš novi-stari predsjednik HNK Orijent". Sportokracija (in Croatian). 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  10. ^ V, I. (7 September 2022). "Orijent 1919 opet postao Orijent, sušačkom klubu vraćeno izvorno ime - SportCom.hr". www.sportcom.hr (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Registracije - Hrvatski nogometni savez". hns-cff.hr (in Croatian). File (pdf): 06.10.2022. Zapisnik izvršenih registracija 06.10.2022. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  12. ^ "Registracije 06.10.2022" (pdf) (in Croatian). Zagreb: HNS. 6 October 2022. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Momčad" (in Croatian). HNK Orijent 1919. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

External links edit