Botev Plovdiv is the oldest existing football club in Bulgaria, as well as one of the most successful ones in the country. The team has won the Bulgarian championship twice - in 1929 and in 1967. There are only a few teams who have won the championship more times - CSKA Sofia(31 times), Levski Sofia(26), Slavia Sofia(7), Lokomotiv Sofia(4) and Litex Lovech(3). The Bulgarian national Cup has been won again twice by the Yellow-Blacks, thus making them again - the sixth most successful Bulgarian side - again after the four teams from the capital - CSKA, Levski, Slavia and Lokomotiv, and Litex Lovech. Botev Plovdiv has participated a few times in the European Club Tournaments, with the biggest success being the quarterfinal in 1961/62 Cup Winners' Cup tournament, only to lose to actual holders and finalist Atletico Madrid.
The First Years - from 1912
The Club was founded in March 1912 by a few collegemates at the now non-existing Catholic College in Plovdiv. In these first years football in Bulgaria was making its first steps and there were only a few other football clubs, which didn't manage to survive till present times. Botev is the oldest club out of all the others founded at that time. One of the many predecessors of the Varna-side Cherno More was founded in 1913, but under another name. Two of the teams from the capital city Sofia were founded during these years - Slavia(1913) and Levski(1914). Since there was no championship or other organized event, there were no official games played until 1917. Bulgarian football was organized on a regional level, until the beginning of the 20's. Since then, the winner of a regional championship would participate in national finals, which would determine the winner of the championship.
The First Golden Year - 1929
In the 20's Botev Plovdiv won the regional championship on several occasions. In the year 1927 the club celebrated 15th anniversary with the founding of the monument of the club patron Hristo Botev, then the first monument in Plovdiv. The monument still stands proudly in front of the stadium. The most successful year during this period without doubt was 1929. After beating all of its opponents, Botev faced their big rival Levski Sofia in the final, which was played on October 3rd in Sofia. The Yellow-Blacks won the game 1:0 with a goal from Nikola Shterev in the second half. With this win Botev raised their first national trophy - winning the Bulgarian National Championship(in the picture: Nikola Shterev scores the winning goal in the final)
Medalists again - 1956
From 1929 till the Second World War, Botev Plovdiv won the regional championships again a few times, but couldn't manage to reach to a big game on a national level. Under the Communist regime in Bulgaria after WWII, sports in the country underwent big changes, including creating one national championship for all the teams in the country. Botev Plovdiv started playing in the Premier Bulgarian "A" group in 1951 and stayed there for half a century - until 2001, without ever being relegated. In these years the club was strongly connected to the Bulgarian Army, and the Communist Party changed its name a few times, but the supporters, club managers and the Plovdiv citizens always referred to the club as Botev. The first success after the new regime came in 1956, when the club managed to win the bronze medals. In 1955 they reached the National Cup Final, but lost 2:5 to Levski Sofia.
The First Golden Age - 60's: First National Cup
One of the most successful generations of Botev Plovdiv players kicked the ball in the 60s. In a period of 7 years the club managed to win the championship once, finished second once, finished third once, won the National Cup once, and reached one another cup final. A new beginning was marked in 1961, when the current stadium was founded. For the opening ceremony, Botev played a friendly against romanian side Steaua Bucuresti, and won 3:0. The first "little" success came in 1961, when the club finished 3rd in the championship. In the following year, Botev Plovdiv won the National Cup for the first time(without counting 1929, when the winner of the Championship was crowned winner of the National Cup too). In their way to the final, the Yellow-Blacks beated strong premier-league teams Spartak Pleven and city rivals Spartak Plovdiv, which finished second in the championship the same year. The final was held in Sofia, where Botev Plovdiv faced the top-flight side Dunav Rousse. The Canaries crushed the opponent 3 to 0 with goals from the legend Dinko Dermendzhiev, Haralampiev and Chakarov and returned in Plovdiv as heroes.
The Golden Age contunues: First and greatest steps in Europe, silver medalists in the Championship and National Cup
After winning the Bulgarian Cup, Botev Plovdiv won the right to participate in an European Tournament for the first time in the season 1962/63. This was one of the toughest, as well as greatest, seasons in the club history. Botev Plovdiv finished second in the national championship in maybe the best year in Plovdiv football. Almost all the trophies and highest places in the Bulgarian championships were held by the teams from the capital, Sofia, for mostly political reasons. However, in 1963 the championship was won by Spartak Plovdiv, and Botev Plovdiv finished second. The both teams lead the championship from its beginning. The gold was decided in a great game, played on stadium Plovdiv in front of 40 000 spectators. 4 rounds before the end of the season, Spartak were leading by 2 points. They won the game 2:1, and eventually the championship by only 4 points.
In the Bulgarian Cup Tournament, Botev was also beating all their opponents till the final, including a smashing 9:0 in the quarterfinals against Lokomotiv Rousse. Still, in the final game, Botev lost the Cup to Slavia, being beaten 0:2.
The first participation in the European Tournament was also a one to remember. The first opponent in Europe was a familiar one - Steaua Bucuresti. Although the Yellow-Blacks lost the first game in Romania 2:3, they managed to fight their way through. And how - Botev Plovdiv crushed Steaua 5 to 1. In the 1/8 finals Botev faced the Irish side Shamrock Rovers. The Canaries won both games 1:0 and 4:0. The luck turned its back on Botev for the quarterfinals. The team had to play against the current holders of the Cup Winners' Cup, the famous Spanish Atletico Madrid. The first game was in Plovdiv, and played in front of 40 000 exalted spectators on "Hristo Botev" stadium. Botev played well and scored first - with Peshev. The unexperienced players didn't manage to hold their lead, with thoughts on second goal, and on the 74th minute, Atletico equalized. The game ended 1:1(in the picture - Botev Plovdiv and Atletico Madrid players entering the pitch). In the second game, Atletico Madrid showed their full potential and won 4:0. Atletico won also their semi-final, but couldn't defend their trophy, losing 1:5 to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Golden Era reaches its top: Champions in 1967
In the next year, Botev again reached the National Cup Final - after beating CSKA Sofia 4:0 in the quarterfinals, and a hard victory over Varna's Cherno More in the semi's. Ironically Botev again played versus Slavia in the final, and again lost, this time 2:3. Then followed a few slow years, only to suprise Bulgaria with winning the Championship in 1967. The Canaries won the trophy in maybe the most successful year for the Bulgarian club football. Botev beat Slavia for the first place with only one point. This year Slavia reached the semi finals of the Cup Winners' Cup. The fifth in the championship - CSKA Sofia reached the semifinals in the most prestigious tournament in Europe - UEFA European Cup, losing to Inter Milano (Italy) after two draws and a play-off. Unlike Inter, Botev didn't need a third game to crush CSKA, beating them in the 21st round 1:3 in their home ground in Sofia(in the picture - Botev versus CSKA in the autumn in Plovdiv, the game finished 1:1). Leading a fierce battle on the top, Botev finally secured their title one round before the end in a dramatic game against Spartak Sofia. The game ended 0:0, but it was enough for Botev to celebrate winning the championship, with three points ahead of Slavia, one round before the end.
The 70's - a few slower years, and yet one major Cup
After the big years in the 60's, the club couldn't manage to keep this rate of successes, and went a whole decade without winning a medal, or reaching a final. Yet, between 1967 and 1978 the club played four times in the European Tournaments. After winning the Championship, Botev played in the European Cup. Botev faced romanian champions Rapid Bucuresti in the first round - beating them 2:0 in Plovdiv, the Yellow-Blacks lost the second game 0:2 in the 90 minutes of play, and 0:3 in the additional time. In 1968/69 season, Botev played like equal, but was knocked out of the European Tournaments. This time The Canaries faced the famous Spanish side Real Zaragoza in the predecessor of the UEFA Cup(Europa League) - The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Botev beat the opponent 3:1 in Plovdiv, leading 3:0 5 minutes before the end. In the second round, Zaragoza won 2:0 and Botev was out of the tournament. In 1970/70 edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Botev faced Coventry City (England) in the first round, and after two losses - 0:2 and 1:4, left the tournament.
The good year in this period was 1972. In the Championship Botev reached only 6th place, but on the Balkans, Botev was Number 1. The Canaries won the Balkan Cup Tournament, held between teams from the Balkan Peninsula. Botev eliminated Steaua Rostu (Romania) and Gyostepe Izmir (Turkey), and beat Vardar Skopie (Yugoslavia, now FYROM) 5:0, 0:4(5:4 on aggregate) in the final.
In 1978/79 season Botev again played in Europe. Again, the luck wasn't with The Yellow-Blacks, which faced Herta Berlin (Germany) in the first round. Botev heroically kept 0:0 in Berlin, but lost the second-leg in Plovdiv 1:2. This was a young team which would bring lots of smiles on the faces of the people of Plovdiv in the next decade.
The 80's - the second Golden era for Botev, beginning with a Golden Boot Award, a Cup and a huge Euro win
The 80's were maybe the greatest era of Botev Plovdiv, but unfortunately the team couldn't manage to win a single Championship, although the team was praised as one of the best in the whole decade. The great era started with winning the Bulgarian National Cup in 1981. Botev had an easy road to the final, but faced a tough opponent there - Pirin Blagoevgrad. The Yellow-Blacks won 1:0 and lifted the National Cup for the second time(in the picture below). The club gained the opportunity to play in Europe again, in the Cup Winners Cup tournament.
In the Championship Botev was going great, but finished third, behind the big rivals CSKA and Levski Sofia. Still, the club won the Bulgarian football audience with the beautiful attacking football they played. The team won half of their games - 15, which was most of any other team in the championship, and scored 64 goals - only the champions CSKA scored more. Yet, one player beat all the other opponents - not only in Bulgaria, but in all the Europe. Georgi Slavkov scored amazing 30 goals and won the European Golden Shoe award(pictured below).
Botev didn't go very well in the Bulgarian championship the following year. Botev finished 7th in the championship and faced an early defeat in the National Cup(the National Cup, giving the opportunity to play in Cup Winners Cup was then named Soviet Army's Cup. In this year another tournament, named People's Republic of Bulgaria National Cup was held, where Botev reached the 3rd/4th place final, which was won 7:1 against Hemus Troyan). Still the 1981/82 championship will be remembered by Botev Plovdiv's fans with a single European game. In the Cup Winners Cup Botev Plovdiv faced the giant Barcelona. The first game was played on the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Although the game of the players of Botev Plovdiv was rated high, the Yellow-Blacks lost 1:4. The only goal scored the "Golden Boot" Georgi Slavkov. The goals for Barcelona scored one of the greatest strikers in Spanish history - Quini, the Deutsch legend Berndt Schuster, and Simonsen twice. The heavy defeat didn't let down the Plovdiv fans, whom fulled the city stadium "Plovdiv"(then "September 9th") to its full capacity(pictured below). More than 50 000 spectators witness the surprise win 1:0 over Barcelona. The giant win could be even bigger, but the young Botev Plovdiv squad(half of the team was under 22 years of age) missed a lot of clear opportunities. Yet, the game was a one to remember, and most of the Spanish players, coaches and media heavily greeted the Bulgarian's play. The bad luck of the team was proven when Barcelona managed to win the whole tournament, and on their way to the Cup they lost only two other games - Botev faced the best team in the tournament only in the first round.
Two bronze medals, and another giant win in Europe
The good run in the championship continued in the 1982/83 season. The team again reached the third place and won the bronze medals. The following year, 1983/84, Botev reached the final in the National Cup tournament. Botev lost 0:1 to the champions Levski Sofia and gained the opportunity to play in the Cup Winners Cup again. In the autumn of the 1984, Botev had to face the Deutsch giant Bayern Munich. In the first leg of the tournament, Botev knocked out Union (Luxemburg) after 4:0 win and a 1:1 draw. On the next round Botev visited Bayern in Munich with it's all-star team, including the amazing Belgian keeper Jean-Marie Pfaff, the Denmark legend Soren Lerby, and the Deutsch stars Lotar Matthaus, Klaus Augenthaler, Dieter Hoenes and others. On the first leg Bayern won 4:1 with two goals in the end against the Bulgarian side, which held 2:1 until the last 15 minutes of the game. The second leg was held again in the biggest Plovdiv stadium "September 9th", where 45 000 believe a miracle could happen(pictured below). It almost did, when Botev lead 2:0 after 50 minutes of play and are very close to a third goal, which would eliminate the Deutsch giant. After all, the game ends 2:0 with the goals from Pashev and Kostadinov, and the Botev's game was heavily praised from the Bayern's coach. Uli Hoenes said after the game that the players should thank to their keeper Jean-Marie Pfaff, who saved them a number of times, and Botev was very close to knocking out Bayern from the tournament. Nevertheless November 7th, 1984 will always be remembered by not only Botev Plovdiv fans, but all the football supporters in Bulgaria as one of the biggest wins in national club football.
This same season, 1984/85, Botev reached the third place in the Championship. Interestingly, though, The Canaries were awarded with the first place and played in the European Cup tournament. The reason for this was that the first two teams, ahead of Botev - Levski and CSKA were banned from the championship, after a big fight in the National Cup final between the two teams. After they were excluded, Botev Plovdiv was recognized as the champion of the 1984/85 Championship, until the early 90's, when the ban was removed, and the Championship title was given back to Levski.
One of the greatest seasons, and yet, not champions
The 1985/86 was perhaps the best season in Botev Plovdiv history, and yet the club finished second in the championship. Botev Plovdiv wost the title to Beroe Stara Zagora, although The Canaries smashed their opponent 8:1 in a game in the winter in Plovdiv, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest defeats of a Champion in an European Championship in history. The Yellow-Black players were scoring like crazy this season, finishing with astonishing 82 goals in 30 games - 19 more than the second-best goalscoring team. The Canaries destroyed their opponents one by one, crushing Spartak Pleven(away) 4:0, Dunav Rousse 5:0, Sliven 6:1, Spartak Pleven(this time in Plovdiv) 7:1, Botev Vratza 6:1 and a lot more big victories. The peak of the scoring spree was in December, when Botev faced the biggest opponent in the fight for the first place - Beroe Stara Zagora. Despite that Botev played without three of their best players - Kostadinov, Pehlivanov and Stoinov, the starozagorian side seemed helpless. Yet to the end, the two teams went head-to-head, and in the end Beroe win a controversial game against Levski Sofia, which help them to win the tournament. Years later, a few players from Levski Sofia would confirm that they gave the win away to Beroe, only because they didn't want Botev to be a Champion.
This season Botev played in the European Cup tournament, but were defeated in the first round from the Swedish team IFK Goetheborg, after losing both games - 1:2, 2:3.
The good run continues
Despite the bad taste of the previous season, Botev continued to play beautiful football, winning the praises of the unbiased fans of the game. The following two seasons, 1986/87 and 1987/88 Botev finished third, and the next year - 1988/89 the Canaries finished forth. These years Botev again played a few games in Europe, but with worse success. In 1986/87 Botev, participating in the UEFA Cup tournament, knocked out the Maltese side Hibernians with a huge win of 8:0 in Plovdiv, and 2:0 win in Malta. On the second round Botev were knocked out from the tournament by Yugoslavian(now in Croatia) team Hajduk Split. The first leg is won by the Yugoslavians 3:1 after two quick goals in the first 13 minutes. Botev Plovdiv start the second leg very good, leading 2:0 after 45 minutes of play. The visitors however manage to equalize with two goals in the second half and knock out Botev of the tournament.
In 1987/88 Botev are defeated by another Yugoslavian team - Red Star Belgrade, which only few years later would win the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. Botev lost the first game in the UEFA Cup tournament 0 to 3, but play much better at home. In front of the full stands in the "Plovdiv" stadium(pictured below) Botev lead 2:1 until 10 minutes before the end, the Yugo-goalkeeper makes few incredible saves, and the Canaries Player Atanas Pashev misses a penalty. After all, the game ends 2:2.
The third consecutive participation in the UEFA Cup tournament in 1988/89 also finishes quickly. Botev Plovdiv face the USSR(now in Belarus) team Dinamo Minsk. The soviets win the first leg in Plovdiv 2:1. The game is quite interesting, since it's held only months before the fall of the Soviet-Communist regime in Bulgaria. The second leg is held in Minsk, and due to lack of finance, Botev players traveled 24 hours with train for the game, which ended 0:0.
New age in Bulgaria, new era in football
At the end of the 1989 the Communist regime in Bulgaria fell apart, as well as the country itself. Everything was supposed to be rebuilt from the start, including football. Botev kept the good play, and prove this in 1991. The team reached the National Cup Final, but lost to Levski Sofia 1:2. In 1992 the club fell in the hands of the so-called "Italian brokers". Now, a financially strong team, Botev was looking for new great years, but this concept was proven wrong. Despite transferring some of the best players in the team, Botev wasn't able to win anything in this period. Yet, there were good moments. The team reached the National Cup Final in 1993. Botev lost the first semi-final in Sofia to Levski 0:2, but managed to crush the Sofian-side 3:0 in Plovdiv. The legendary final was held in Blagoevgrad - a city, some 300 km far away from Plovdiv. This didn't stop more than 10 000 supporters from Plovdiv to travel that distance and cheer for their team. Despite the support, Botev lost the game 0:1 to CSKA. In 1994/95 Botev reached the final again, for the third time in five years, only to lose again, this time to Lokomotiv Sofia 2:4. This is still the last National Cup Final Botev Plovdiv has played.
In the championship Botev finished in good places, but still coulnd't reach the desired First. In 1992/93, 1993/94 and 1994/95 the Canaries finished third. The Italian businessmen left the club in the mid-90's, and then the club started do fall. The team managed to reach 5th place in the end of the 1996/97 Championship, but this was the last good year for the team.
Everything falling apart
Since 1997 the club started to fall apart. In 1997/98 season the club finished 11th, just one point ahead of relegation. The next year was even worse - Botev finished 13th, with the same points as the relegated team of Shoumen(which was later turned back in the group, since Metalurg Pernik was excluded from the group). A ray of light flashed for a while in the 1999/00 season, when Botev managed to win a few games against the leaders, and in the end to finish safely in the middle of the table. In fact this was only a false hope for the fans - the club was now in the hands of Dimitar Hristolov, who practically ruined the club in the next 11 years. In the 2000/01 season Botev faced the biggest disaster in the history so far - relegation for the first time. Although the Canaries managed to return immediately, it was not for good. The club didn't play a major role in the Premier League - "A" group, and was only struggling to keep its place in the elite. The killing policy of Hristolov lead the team for a second relegation in the club history in only 3 years. The club went down in 2003/04 season in an emotional season, when the biggest rival Lokomotiv Plovdiv won the Championship. Botev again came back in "A" group the next season, but from 2005/06 to 2008/09 was struggling to keep its place among the best. The only good moment came in 2007/08 season, when the team surprisingly knocked out of the National Cup tournament consequently Slavia Sofia in Plovdiv, and Lokomotiv Sofia, in Sofia, thus reaching the semifinals. The Canaries had the bad luck to face one of the best teams in this year - Litex Lovech, and lost in an emotional one-legged game in Lovech 2:4. Litex eventually won the National Cup. The same year the Botev striker Georgi Hristov won the Goalscorer award in Bulgarian championship. As well as in the previous seasons, no good was kept for the next year, and the owner Dimitar Hristolov sold most of the stars, and yet the club was struggling to keep it budget safe.
A big crash is required for a big revival
The worst moment came in the 2009/10 season. The Canaries were facing a financial breakdown, since the club owner Dimitar Hristolov had no money to support the club and the players and staff were left without their wages for almost an year. The club was in huge debts, and Hristolov was refusing to sell it to another businessman, thus dragging the club to the bottom. The club started 2009/10 season with a lot of young and unexperienced players, as well as few from the lower divisions, which played practically for no money. In the middle of the autumn season, some Italian businessmen came with a desire to buy the club. They also filled the club with Italian players from the lower divisions, but the club still couldn't win games, with the exception of a 1:0 win over the biggest rival - Lokomotiv Plovdiv. In the winter the deal fell apart, and Botev was left again in the hands of Hristolov, which meant a sure death for the club. All the players broke their contracts, because they didn't have their wages, and the club was left empty, without players, coaches or any other staff. The Bulgarian Football Union had no other option, but to exclude the club from "A" group in the beginning of 2010. The club was practically missing from the map till the summer.
A new start, headed for the stars
After the club was eliminated, a new generation had to came in charge. The former club player Marin Bakalov, a legend on the field with 454 games in the Bulgarian "A" group(a record), mostly for Botev Plovdiv, lead the revival of the club. In the summer of 2010 the club lawyers managed to find a backdoor and revive an association, which ruled the club in the 90's. This way, there was no need to create a new football association, and the current had full rights on Botev Plovdiv's history and successes. The only trouble was that the club had to start its way up from the third division - "V" Amateur Football Group. Marin Bakalov, as a manager, collected an impressive squad, which is by far the best in the Regional League. Botev Plovdiv won 37 of its 38 games in the season, and the home games of the club were visited by a large number of supporters - the club statistics of attendance put the club among the Top 3 in Bulgaria, including the clubs from "A" and "B" groups. The club gained promotion easily, looking for another promotion to the elite "A" group in the first season. The Canaries aim to return back at their historical place - in the top of the "A" group for the jubilee in 2012 - 100 years from the foundation of the club.
More bits of history:
Name changes: During the years, Botev Plovdiv has been renamed a few times, but the club staff and supporters have always been addressing to it as "Botev". In 1912 the club was founded as Botev, after the great Bulgarian hero against the Ottoman rule - Hristo Botev. After the Communist rule between 1944-1989, the club was related to the Bulgarian Army for a few occasions. In the 50's the club added to his name "DNA" - translated - House of the People's Army, and "SKNA" - Sport Club of the People's Army. In the late 50's and the beginning of the 60's the club was named ASK Botev - Army Sports Club. In the 1967 the Communist Party decided to merge two of the clubs in Plovdiv into Botev - the very successful Spartak and Akademik were merged in Botev, and the new team was named "Trakia" till late 80's. Despite this, the fans still chanted "Botev", and showed flags with "Botev" written on it, and the face of the Bulgarian hero. In 1972 "AFD" was added to the club's name - Army Physycal Culture Association. The "AFD" prefix was abandoned in 1985, and the club restored it's original name in the end of the Communist's regime. Still, in the history, the club was only mentioned as "Botev Plovdiv", since it's easier to follow, and for all it's history, the fans and people, connected to the club wanted it to be called "Botev" - all the other names were given by the Communists Party, despite the will of the club managers and bosses.
Goalscorers: Six times a Botev Plovdiv Player has been the best goalscorer in the Bulgarian "A" group. It is interesting, that this is achieved by six different forwards, none of which manages to repeat his performance. Ivan Sotirov scores 20 goals in 1961, becoming the first Botev Plovdiv Player to be Top Goalscorer. Again with 20 goals, this does Ivan Pritargov in 1975. Georgi Slavkov scores 31 goals in 1981 to win both Top Goalscorer in Bulgaria and European Golden Boot award. Only two years later, in 1983, Antim Pehlivanov scores 20 goals to become Top Goalscorer in Bulgaria. Shortly after, Atanas Pashev makes an amazing performance, reaching Georgi Slavkov's heights - scoring 30 goals. Pashev was beaten in the Golden Boot standings by Marco van Basten, who scored 37 for Ajax. In 2008 Georgi Hristov scores 19 goals to become the last Yellow-Black Top Goalscorer in Bulgaria.
Rivalry with Levski Sofia: Levski Sofia is the biggest and the oldest rival of Botev Plovdiv. Since the first years of football in Bulgaria, the two teams are among the most successful in the country. The first Championship title for Botev came exactly after a win against Levski in 1929. There are a number of other big games between the two teams. Currently, Botev Plovdiv is the team with best home performance against Levski, and the only team with more wins than loses outside Sofia(with the exception of the teams with less than 10 games against Levski). The Canaries have 25 wins against 20 defeats. The worst defeat that Levski have ever faced in their history on home ground was exactly from Botev - a crushing 1:6 during the 1961/62 season in June 7th, 1962. Lately, the performances of Botev against Levski is very bad, mainly due to Hristolov's rule - Botev has only one draw, and a lot of defeats, since 1997, when was the last win - 1:0 in Sofia. Historically, Botev has good runs against Levski too. Between 1970 and 1981, in the games in Plovdiv, Botev beats his oponent 10 times, and only once reach only to a draw.
Rivalry with CSKA Sofia: CSKA is the most successful Bulgarian club, with 31 Championship titles won, and achieving the biggest wins in Europe the Bulgarian clubs have. Botev Plovdiv is one of the main opponents of CSKA and has always been a hard nut to crush. The greatest run the club has is one of 10 wins in 11 games Plovdiv, between 1985 and 1995. The one game when CSKA manage to win a point is in 1992, when CSKA player scores a strange late equalizer, which led many fans to thinking the game was fixed. The last win was in October 1st, 2006, when the Canaries beat CSKA 1:0 in Plovdiv.
Rivalry with Lokomotiv Plovdiv: Lokomotiv Plovdiv managed to become the second-best Plovdiv team after 2003. Since then, the second most successful team in Plovdiv was Spartak Plovdiv, once a Champion of Bulgaria in 1963, and once holder of the National Cup in 1958. Lokomotiv Plovdiv have reached their first major success in 2003/04 season, winning the Bulgarian championship. Nevertheless, the Black-White team has always been a big rival for Botev. The statistics of the wins of both ot the teams are pretty much equal. Both Botev and Lokomotiv have their big wins - Botev have crushed their opponent twice with 5:0 in 1989 and 1995, but Lokomotiv fans are proud of an 7:3 win in 1974. The last game that was played was in October 31st, 2009 when the Italian Emanuele Morini scored a late winner in the 86th minute. Botev won 1:0 just months before the club was discharged from "A" group. In the past 10 years, the derbies between Botev and Lokomotiv are the most attended, the most attractive and the most interesting games in the Bulgarian championship, both on the field and on the stands. The players often score a lot of goals, a turn-overs happen and players are sent-off. An example is the game in the autumn of 2005 - Botev Plovdiv took an early lead 1:0, Lokomotiv scored twice for 1:2 lead, but eventually lost after two goas from current manager Kostadin Vidolov and Saidhodzha, for a 3:2 win.