This was the first ever league match between these teams. The club from Kielce had been established just 10 years earlier, while the Stalowcy had spent the last 13 seasons in the elite of Polish football, achieving their greatest successes during that time. The undersigned watched that match live, so he remembers well the mutual affection shown by the fans (who were in the stadium at the time) of the two eleven for each other ( a consensus was then nailed down, which unfortunately did not stand the test of time). In the opening game of the second division, the Mielecs played with a much changed line-up, with just four players (Stawarz, Białek, Oratowski and Łatka, with Banasik coming in for a change) compared to their last match in the Premier League (19.06.1983, 1-4 against Pogoń in Szczecin), and with a new coach, Henryk Stroniarz .

Already the first half of the meeting showed that the white-blue strikers are not able to threaten the hosts’ goal too often. Only Fait, brought in from Zabrze Górnik (via GKS Tychy), wasted good opportunities twice. First in the 14th minute he shot straight at the goalkeeper, then at the beginning of the second half (Łatka’s pass) he hit a not very precise shot. These were the only goal-scoring opportunities for our team in this match.

Korona pressed harder after the change of halves and there were a few scrambles in front of Stawarz’s goal. First, in the 57th minute, Malolepszy wasn’t very accurate with his shot, while a quarter of an hour before the end Wyciślik stamped the post of our goal and Malolepszy’s header hit the net. Stal did not improve their game much until the end of the season, to end up in 3rd place (32 points) in the final table, with a loss of as many as 7 points to Radomiak, who were promoted to the 1st league for the first time in their history.

07.08.1983 – Kielce, 1st round of 2. liga, Korona Kielce – FKS PZL-Stal Mielec 0-0

Referee: Diakonowicz (Warsaw) Spectators: 5,000

Kielce: Goska – Tobolik, Nowak, Wolicki, Wojtasiński, Molenda, Gruszewski, Małolepszy, Wójcik (69 Bąk), Misiowiec, Wyciślik Coach: J.Golla

Stal: Stawarz – Skiba, Duchnowski, Bartoszewski, Białek, Marchewka (75 Banasik), Oratowski (46 Gruszecki), Tyburski, Lizończyk, Fait, Łatka Coach: H.Stroniarz

Stali’s league balances against their rival from Kielce at the two highest levels of the competition look as follows: in the premier league the two teams faced each other only 3 times (2 victories for Stal, 1 defeat, goals: 6-4), in the second league 4 matches were played (2 victories for Stal, 1 draw, 1 defeat), goals: 2-2. In two Polish Cup matches (season 2004/05) Stal suffered 2 defeats, goals: 2-8.

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