Their first game in the Croatian First League ended in a 2–0 defeat away at Hrvatski dragovoljac. However, they clinched their first top-flight point in their first home fixture of the season, being held to a 2–2 draw in a derby game against NK Varteks. Their first top-flight win came in their fourth game of the season, when they grabbed a surprising 2–0 win at home to Hajduk Split, who went on to clinch the league title at the end of the season. The team continued to deliver some good results during the autumn of 2000, including a goalless draw at home to Dinamo Zagreb, and even fought for a spot in the top-6 group, the Championship League, but eventually fell short by 5 points and finished the first part of the season in 7th place. This meant they continued to play in the bottom-6 group, the Relegation League, after the league was split in two groups in March 2001. Finishing 2nd in the Relegation League, they clinched 8th place in the overall standings. Their league record for the season included 10 wins, 9 draws and 13 defeats.