BRIGHTON FANS WILL remember Jiri Skalak best for a terrific long-range goal he scored against QPR at the Amex.
The 30-yard strike by the Czech Republic international in a 4-0 romp against the London side on 19 April 2016 earned him the goal of the season accolade.
Admitting it was the best goal he’d ever scored, he said: “As soon as the ball left my foot, I knew it had a chance of going in. I could sense three players coming up behind me, so my only concern was to hit it early, to get a good connection on the ball, and it was a wonderful feeling to see it hit the back of the net.
“It was great to celebrate with the fans who have been amazing towards me – they are fantastic. They send me messages on Twitter and are the best fans I have ever played for.”
Alas, that goal and another one four days later were the only ones he scored for the club.
Skalak struggled to pin down a starting berth. More often than not he either joined the action as a sub, or, if he did start, was taken off before 90 minutes was up.
Signed from Mladá Boleslav (for an undisclosed sum but believed to be £1.2m) on deadline day in the January 2016 transfer window, he arrived with five Czech Republic caps to his name and Albion boss Chris Hughton declared: “He’s a skilful and technical player, a full international, and has represented his country at every level. He has played in the top division in the Czech Republic and the Europa League.”
His first start for the Seagulls was inauspicious – they went down 4-1 away to Cardiff City – but his second start came in a 2-1 win at MK Dons, although he picked up a yellow card on 29 minutes and was replaced by Steve Sidwell on 77 minutes. Tomer Hemed scored both Albion goals, one from a penalty.
Skalak’s terrific goal came in a rare run of six starts (five wins and a draw) and he was subbed off in four of them. Having scored at the Amex against QPR, he scored again four days later when Albion won 3-1 at Charlton.
His form for Brighton towards the end of the season earned him a place in the Czech Republic’s squad for the 2016 Euros. He started in their 2-2 draw with Croatia, but was subbed off halfway through the second half, and watched from the bench as they lost 1-0 to Spain and 2-0 to Turkey, which left them bottom of their group.
The Argus picked up that some of his compatriots had questioned his decision to move to play in England’s second tier rather than wait for a more lucrative move if he caught the eye in the Euros, but Skalak countered: “Czech people have no idea what the second English division is like. I don’t think you can compare the quality of the Championship with the Czech League.
“It’s something completely different – in speed, strength and quality of the players. Stadiums, training facilities, the interest of fans – it is all on another level.”
He added: “In Mladá Boleslav there are good and smart players, but I still take my change as a step up. And I would never want to return.” (He must have had a change of heart because he did eventually return there for a two-season spell between 2021 and 2023).
Although Skalak admitted finding it difficult in the early days of his time at Brighton, he said: “I have not regretted the move for a moment. After a while, I started playing regularly in the side and the manager was pleased with me.
“I believe if we keep our players and bring in someone else, next season will be successful. But it will be very difficult because there is a lot of competition.”
He was not wrong there and especially in the wide position he favoured. With Anthony Knockaert virtually undroppable, Skalak almost alternated in the other wide berth with Jamie Murphy and later Solly March, when he came into the picture.
Even so, he managed 25 league and cup starts and eight appearances from the bench as Albion won promotion to the Premier League.
When Albion dispatched Norwich City 5-0 at the Amex in October 2016, Skalak was the provider for three of the goals: a left-wing cross for Glenn Murray to head his second goal, a lofted corner to the far post that Lewis Dunk buried with a header, and a neat angled pass into Anthony Knockaert’s path to complete the rout.
“When I played in England, my dad only visited one match and it was just this one so I never forget that game,” Skalak told Brian Owen, in a 2022 interview with The Argus. “This was my best game with assists.”
Asked if he found the season tough having had a shortened summer break, Skalak admitted: “Yes, it was hard. I did not lose so much physical condition and it was good at the beginning of the season but, in December, I started to lose strength and my body was tired because it did not rest after the season.”
After the famous 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic that sealed promotion, Skalak revelled in the post-match celebrations, joining Sam Baldock and Ollie Norwood in being crowd-surfed on a train heading into Brighton.
“I will never forget that promotion to the Premier League,” Skalak told The Argus. “I came to Brighton with a goal to get promoted and we did it. My dream came true. I can’t describe the feeling.”
Skalak also posted a picture online of himself (right) in his back garden bedecked in Albion colours and he recalled: “That photo was for the best fans in England: Brighton fans.”
Alas, once Albion were playing amongst the elite, Skalak drifted right out of the picture and only got first team outings in three cup matches, in the last of which he picked up an injury.
He had been hoping to go out on loan in January 2018 but Albion had already released Murphy to Rangers, and Hughton told Skalak he was needed.
He played from the outset in a fourth round FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough but got injured on the hour mark and was ruled out for six weeks. He didn’t play another competitive game for the Albion and was sold to Millwall just before the start of the 2018-19 season.
Born in the Czech Republic city of Pardubice on 12 March 1992, Skalak began his career with Sparta Prague, signing his first professional contract in 2010.
He was sent out on various loans: to MFK Ružomberok, 1. FC Slovácko, FC Zbrojovka Brno and FK Mladá Boleslav before joining Mladá Boleslav permanently in 2015. Skalak scored 23 goals in 153 appearances for Boleslav before making the switch to Brighton.
Millwall were reported to have paid around £800,000 when they signed Skalak from Brighton and he told the club’s website: “I had some nice years at Brighton but last season was hard. I didn’t play a lot, just some cup games.
“If you get the chance to play then you can be a better player – that was what I missed.
“Crosses, set plays, that’s my game – to get some nice crosses into the box for strikers to score goals.
“I feel good. All of pre-season I’ve been fit and I played one game. All last year I was fit – I just had one injury in January, but otherwise I was fit. I am fit, ready and hungry to play for Millwall.”
It seems his first two months were a familiar story: watching from the bench. In one game when he did start, in a 2-0 defeat against Brentford, he was panned by reporter Jake Sanders who said: “Skalak looked uninterested and showed a lack of fight at times.”
He ended up making only four league starts in 2018-19 and he told Southwark News: “It’s been really frustrating. From January I didn’t play until the last game of the season.
“It was a really hard time for me. I didn’t play for the national side either because I wasn’t playing here. It was a tough year.”
Just when it seemed he’d get his Millwall career back on track at the start of the following season, Skalak was subbed off with a heel injury in the 39th minute of Millwall’s 4-0 defeat at Fulham in August 2019 (his old Brighton teammate Knockaert scored his first goal for the Cottagers).
That setback sidelined him for another couple of months and, by the time he was fit, the manager who signed him, Neil Harris, had been replaced by Gary Rowett.
He was in Rowett’s starting line-up for the first time in a 1-1 draw at Birmingham in November 2019 when he played 85 minutes, his longest spell of league action in a Lions shirt.
“It was a great feeling after a long time out,” Skalak said. “Every week I feel better and better. I work hard.”
He added: “Hopefully this season will be better than last year and I get more chances to show what I can do for Millwall.”
But by February 2021, Skalak parted ways with the Lions having made only 38 appearances (15 starts + 23 as a sub), including just nine starts in the league.
He returned home and rejoined Mladá Boleslav, and in that 2022 interview with The Argus, explained: “It was a difficult time. All the situation with Covid, my wife was pregnant for the second time and at the time of Covid it was better for us to go back home so that the family is close to us and can help us.”
After two seasons at Mladá Boleslav, when he made 19 starts plus 31 sub appearances, in 2023 he moved on a free transfer to Dynamo České Budějovice.
