Defender Rok Pirtovšek has been one of the key players for Rogaška this season: Written off in winter, starting in the eleven for the fourth consecutive time in spring

Published on 10. April 2024 10. April 2024

Text: David Klemenc. Photo: Vid Ponikvar / Sportida

Football is often an unusual sport. Also strange and quirky, if you will. Above all, it is a very fine line that separates success from failure. Rok Pirtovšek could tell you a lot about that. He could write an essay and maybe even earn a doctorate on the question of how to succeed in football. Today, the 27-year-old defender is playing for the first time in the Prva Liga Telemach this season, a path that led him to the elite was long and arduous. Rok Pirtovšek hails from the football pool of Celje, but he didn’t wear the jersey of the club currently racing for the championship title. He started his career at Šampion, then moved to Ptuj to join Drava, also spent time at Nafta and Bistrica, before signing for Rogaška in 2021.

Rok Pirtovšek has played 72 matches in the 3rd SNL in his football career so far, adding 133 matches in the 2nd SNL, and has made 26 appearances in the Prva Liga Telemach to date. But in the style of his career so far, it wasn’t without obstacles on the way to this season’s four consecutive selections in the team of the round in the 1st SNL, according to the SofaScore website. Rok Pirtovšek was, believe it or not, already … written off in the winter transfer window!

“As for my path to the Prva Liga Telemach, it certainly wasn’t easy. I played quite a few matches in the second and even the third league. I had to prove myself day by day, nothing was given to me. Not even in winter, when I actually had a meeting with the club management in February. They told me I was no longer the first choice and gave me free rein. I was told I could leave or stay. In the end, I decided to stay. I was convinced I could still help, so I kept my head down, worked hard, and patiently waited for my chance. Then I got it quite quickly, and I think I played very well. In winter, I also lost the captain’s armband, which was the coach’s decision, which I respect. For me, the most important thing is to enjoy on the field and help the club earn points. I’m proud to defend the colors of Rogaška, and I’ll do everything to keep us among the elite,” Rok Pirtovšek told Planet nogomet.

In the opening matches of the new year against Olimpija and Domžale, he was still on the bench, against Celje he then played 12 minutes, and in the next seven matches, he remained on the field from the first to the last minute. At the same time, as mentioned, he was selected four times in the team of the round by the SofaScore website, and twice in a row also by the official website of the Prva Liga Telemach. Rok Pirtovšek is proof that after rain comes sunshine, but above all, that in football and in life in general, you should never give up. Even when it seems like everything is conspiring against you…

Rok Pirtovšek – Bachelor of Media Technology

Today, Rok Pirtovšek admits that he would like to try his luck abroad in his career someday, although for now, he is already happy to be playing in the Prva Liga Telemach. And the latter is, of course, currently associated with his biggest and most important football goals. “Who wouldn’t want to play abroad… Surely, that’s also my goal. But for now, Rogaška is on my mind. I repeat – I proudly wear their jersey, and I hope we will earn enough points and secure our stay among the best as quickly as possible,” says Rok Pirtovšek, who found time for studying while playing football and is now a graduate media technician. A job in the media will certainly wait, although it is not impossible that he has already thought a few times in the fall about whether it would be better to pursue a different profession. Rogaška then suffered modest results, was at the bottom of the table, and in the eyes of the public, mainly already crossed out and written off. Also, a lot of dust was raised around the club, which, of course, additionally influenced the public opinion about the newcomer among the elite.

“The beginning of the season was really tough. We felt like everything was against us. We noticeably lacked experience, the players were even somewhat scared because of everything that was happening. Then came that game in Koper, where a bureaucratic mistake happened, which, of course, we players had nothing to do with. But we were really sorry for the game then. We were well prepared, we went on the road the day before, and then we lost by a green table. In general, luck turned its back on us several times in autumn. Just remember the game against Olimpija… We played well, we were solid, but in the end, we lost due to a controversial penalty. There were games that hurt, but at the same time, we learned a lot from them and grew as a team,” described Rok Pirtovšek the months of adapting to the new environment. The lessons paid off, Rogaška put on a completely different face in autumn and started winning in a row.

“We know we have to keep our cool”

“Despite everything, we continued to believe in ourselves. We knew we had enough quality and that we had to be patient above all. We worked hard, prepared without pomp and sensational predictions. Likewise, the winter transfer window brought us quite a few new players who proved to be excellent reinforcements. And then it clicked for us. We went from game to game and started earning points,” said Rok Pirtovšek with a smile on his face, but he also warns that retaining the elite status is not yet guaranteed. And that’s why they don’t worry too much in Rogaška Slatina about the words of those who, based on the current form, assess that the black-and-white team is the main favorite to win the cup.

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“We know how it is with the public and the media. When you’re good, they praise and encourage you, when you’re bad, there are also criticisms. But we’re completely calm in the locker room. We know we have to keep our cool. Now there’s a bit more being written and said about us because of our performances in the second part of the season, we’ve become media interesting. Some even see us as quiet favorites for the cup; that’s nice, but slowly. We’ve come this far, and we want to go all the way, of course, retaining the Prva Liga Telemach is still our main goal,” emphasizes the defensive footballer, and regarding the battle for survival, he continues: “There are still quite a few matches until the end of the season. We haven’t secured our survival absolutely, and as long as it’s like that, we’ll have to keep earning points. Our rivals are also earning them, so it will be tense until the end. Our goal is clear: to secure our stay as soon as possible. As for the cup… Let’s take it one game at a time. When the time comes for the semifinals, we’ll start thinking about the cup. Otherwise, we’re completely focused on the next opponent in the league.”

If Rogaška manages to stay in the league and also win the cup while at it, and at the same time qualify for Europe, Rok Pirtovšek will truly be able to write a book about the incredible story of a footballer who had to go through a lot and was actually already written off, but despite everything, never gave up. A manual with instructions for young footballers? It’s also possible.