After winning the vice-championship of the 2nd division of the southern group in 1957, the Stalowcy team, led by Michał Matyas, expressed their aspirations of fighting for promotion to the elite of Polish football. A week earlier (16 March 1958), in the first round of the season, in an away game against another Upper Silesian club – AKS Kościuszko Chorzów – they twice managed to make up for their losses, drawing 2-2 on difficult terrain after goals from Helmut Tobollik and Henryk Robotycki. Sunday’s match, played at the stadium in Mielec, started at 3pm, with a fairly even game. But it was our team that enjoyed the first goal as early as the 20th minute of the match. In the confusion under the visitors’ goal, Ryszard Majka unluckily intervened and sent the ball towards his own goal, which surprised his teammate goalkeeper Norbert Kalicinski. After gaining the lead, the Mielecs began a determined push on their rivals’ goal, but only 120 seconds later, they were caught up in a quick counter-attack by the visitors, which ended with an accurate strike by Prutek. The best opportunity for the white and blue team came five minutes before the break, when our team’s best sniper Tobollik missed from 5 metres to an empty goal.

After the change of sides, the visitors were still in the locker room thinking and their relaxation was immediately exploited by the engine of Stal driving action – Henryk Czylok. With consecutive good shots from our attack towards an already empty goal, the team from Gliwice were lucky, as in the 56th and 60th minutes the ball hit the post and crossbar. The visitors tightened up the game, with the aforementioned scorer of the second goal for FKS falling victim in their penalty area eleven minutes before the end of regular time. The whistle of the referee from Wielkopolska remained silent at this point. Three minutes before the end of the match, luck got the opponent. One of Piast’s few counter-attacks in this phase ended successfully. The goal for 2-2 was scored by the legendary player of this club, Ewald Dera, who would be loaned by our club a year and a half later for our team’s autumn tour in Hungary. In our team the standouts of the day were: Grześko, Bielecki, Tobollik and Czylok, while in the visitors this afternoon the likes of: Mielnik, Prutek and Dera.

23.03.1958 – Mielec (15.00), 2nd round of 2. Liga, FKS Stal Mielec – KS Piast Gliwice 2-2 (1-1)

Referee: Henryk Dolata (Poznan) Spectators: 5,000

Stal: Ryszard Mysiak – Tadeusz Grześko, Kazimierz Bielecki, Jan Król, Józef Kęcki, Helmut Waleska, Henryk Robotycki, Alfred Gazda, Helmut Tobollik, Henryk Czylok, Stefan Gabrysiak Coach: Michał Matyas

Piast: Norbert Kaliciński – Jan Cieszowic, Adam Mielnik, Franciszek Laska, Ryszard Majka, Jerzy Kacy, Józef Gałeczka, Rudolf Prutek, Ewald Dera, Helmut Hein, Gerard Skubacz Coach : Edward Metzger

Goals: Ryszard Majka 20-sam., Henryk Czylok 46 – Rudolf Prutek 22, Ewald Dera 87 min.

Stal league balances against their rival from Gliwice at the two highest levels of the competition look as follows: in the top division the two teams faced each other 9 times (2 wins for Stal, 2 draws, 5 defeats; goals: 7-16), in the 2nd division they competed 12 times, including 1 match repeated due to a referee’s error (4 wins for Stal, 3 draws, 5 defeats, goals: 15-17). In the Polish Cup, Stal played against Piast four times (4 defeats, goals: 1-7 / penalties 3-4/).

Leszek Śledziona

Photo: Leszek Śledziona Archive