Wednesday’s duel, already played after our national football team’s gold Olympic Games in Munich, was of vital importance for both teams in the autumn round of that season (as it later turned out, ending with the first Polish championship for Stal). Both teams were in the top half of the table before this meeting (after 9 incomplete series), but it was our team with 11 points that had two points more than the hosts.

The white-and-blue team, under the spotlight in the penetrating cold, impressed the local fans not only with their ambition and great will to fight, but also with smart and considerate play of all formations. They were by far the better team in the first 45 minutes, taking the lead as early as the 9th minute. It was then that the brains of the Mielec eleven, Henryk Kasperczak, who comes from the local Steel, dribbled past several rivals to play a left-footed pass to Karas. The latter passed the ball accurately, along the goal and over the heads of local defenders, to Stanislaw Stoj, who scored with an accurate header to give our team the lead, despite the desperate intervention of Kostka, who had the slippery ball go through his hands. In the miner’s team, only Szołtysik deserved good words in the second line on that day, the rest looked decidedly weaker. Mielczanie played very well in defence (especially Janus), time and again leading dangerous offensive actions towards the rivals’ goal.

After the change of sides, the pace of the game slowed down, with players of both clubs also hampered by the heavy snow. The game evened out a bit, and in the 61st minute a mistake was made by Kosinski (the weakest on this day in Mielec colours), who unnecessarily played the ball backwards to Kukla. Attempting to cover the path of this pass, Rześny let himself be overtaken by Szaryński, who immediately played it back to our later striker – Andrzej Szarmach, who was not used to wasting such opportunities. There was no shortage of praise for the Mielec team in the national press after the match, and Włodzimierz Lubański, who had returned to his team after two games through injury, commented on his team’s play: – We are not at our best. Up until the interval we were lost in the “thousand passes”. Despite the break due to the injury, I played pretty well. However, we will have to train diligently until the match against Dynamo.

18.10.1972 – Zabrze, 2nd round 1st league, Górnik Zabrze – FKS Stal Mielec 1-1 (0-1)

Referee: Stec (Lublin) Spectators: 10,000

Minnik: Kostka – Wraży, Oślizło, Gorgoń, Latocha, Deja (67 Kwaśny), Szołtysik, Skowronek, Banaś (56 Szaryński), Lubański, Szarmach Coach: G.Szűcs

Stal: Kukla – Rześny, Kosiński, Janus, Hansel, Gąsior, Kasperczak, Popowicz, Lato, Stój (66 Sekulski), Karaś Coach: A.Gajewski

Goals: Szarmach 61 – Stój 9 g min.

Steel’s league balances against Górnik at the two highest levels of the competition look as follows: in the Premier League the two teams faced each other 53 times (9 victories for Stali, 17 draws, 27 defeats; goals: 45-85), in the 1st League (second level of the competition) they competed 2 times (1 draw, 1 defeat, goals: 2-3). There were two duels in the Polish Cup (2 defeats, goals: 1-5).

Leszek Śledziona

Photo: Leszek Śledziona’s archive