The history of league meetings between Stal and the team from the Małopolska province is not long and only started in the autumn of 2014 in the second division, when on 16 August the blue-and-whites succumbed to their opponent 0-2 at their own stadium. Originally, this match described below was supposed to take place on 17 November, but was cancelled due to players’ national team call-ups.
Already in the first minutes, Stal took a corner kick from the right side of the penalty area. After Nowak’s pass, Šoljić’s shot was too light to surprise the visitors’ goalkeeper, while Prokić’s correction was off target. Stal continued to attack, in the 18th minute Bartek Nowak, the driving force behind our team’s actions, struck from the corner of the penalty area, but his flat shot after a long corner missed the goal. Later on, Spaniard Mendi, who was introduced in the first half, hit a half-volleyed shot from the corner, straight at the keeper. The visitors responded with a long-range strike by former Stala player Drzazga, who hit the buttock of another of our pupils, Stępień, on the penalty area line. In the 33rd minute, the action that decided the fate of the match took place. Nowak played the ball to the left to Prokić, who played it to Bergier, who was in an ideal position, but Michal Mikołajczyk, a defender from Płołomice, who was running towards him, cut the ball’s flight path and put it into his own goal. There was a chance to make it 2-0, but after a quick counter-attack by our players (Mendi, Prokić, Tomasiewicz), the ball went to Nowak, but the latter hit it straight into the hands of the rivals’ goalkeeper. Prokić also tried his chance, and Puszcza responded with only two ineffective attempts to create opportunities under our goal, in this part of the game.
The second half started with an attempted attack by the team from near Kraków (a strike from outside the 16 over Tomalski’s goal). Stal retaliated with a sharp strike from Bergier, which was deflected into the corner by goalkeeper Mleczko. Again, but this time from the right, the same player tried to centre, but the softly lobbed ball bounced off the crossbar. Stępień then struck from further out, but Kiełpin deflected the ball in instalments. In the 68th minute, after a cross from the right, Mendi was fouled in the penalty area. Mielec’s midfielder Grzegorz Tomasiewicz approached the eleven, but his not-so-strong strike into the right corner was easily caught by the Puszcza goalkeeper. Stal did not give up on increasing the score. Mendi’s long-range strike went over the crossbar, Nowak’s free-kick was extremely imprecise, Getinger’s kick was blocked by a guest defender and Prokić dribbled hard over the crossbar. Let’s hope that in Sunday’s game against this opponent our players will be more effective.
28.11.2018 – Mielec, 19th round of the 1st league, FKS Stal Mielec – Puszcza Niepołomice 1-0 (1-0)
Referee: Opalinski (Legnica) Spectators: 2,631
Stal: Kiełpin – Dobrotka, Grodzicki, de Amo, Getinger, Bergier (89 Sadłocha, ż), Šoljić (ż), Tomasiewicz (89 Leândro), Nowak, Prokić, Kuświk (22 Mendi) Coach: A.Skowronek
Puszcza: Mleczko – Furtak, Stępień (ż; 36 Tomalski), Stawarczyk, Mikołajczyk (ż), Fryc (59 Ryndak, ż), Bartków (ż), Kotwica, Stefanik, Żytek (75 Kuzma), Drzazga (ż) Coach: T.Tułacz
Goal: Mikołajczyk 33-sam.
Steel’s league balances with the Puszcza team at the three competition levels are as follows: in the premier league last season 2023/24 there were two matches (1 victory for Stali, 1 defeat, goals: 2-2), in the 1st league 6 times were contested (2 victories for Stali, 3 draws, 1 defeat, goals: 3-2). In the 2nd league, there were 4 matches (1 win, 2 draws, 1 defeat, goals: 5-6).
A summary of this match can be seen at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Qfd8Z-l34
Leszek Śledziona
Photo: Leszek Śledziona’s archive
