Back to where it all started

binny · April 15, 2004

Leagues Running: Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovakia (all divisions)

My very first CMS (FMS) story was about a Polish side, RKS Radomsko. I was particularly drawn to the club because they play in Radomsko, which could be the basis for my surname (still not sure by the way â€“ could by Radom or Radomsk as well).

The club play at Brzeznicka, which has 3500 seats, and room for another 1500 to stand. The club have decent enough facilities, but there are no finances available to me, and so free transfer and loan deals will be the order of the day.

The club ply their trade in the Polish Second Division, and are one of 18 teams competing in the division. The top two at the end of the season will be promoted, and the third place side will face a play-off against third bottom from the First Division. But the real pressure is on the sides at the bottom. The bottom four are all relegated, and the next four up playoff for two further relegation spots. Financial irregularities mean that Szczakowianka start the season with 10 points deducted, and they look set for a season struggling against the drop. But enough of them, Iâ€™ve got to concentrate on my own side. Speaking of which, hereâ€™s a quick look at whatâ€™s available to me:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Playing Staff

Borkowski, T GK Kozik, K GK

Markiewicz, M GK Prokop, A SW/D RC

Kowalski, A SW/D C Klepczynski, A D/DM RC

Kurek, R D/DM RC Lamch, A D RC

Nowak, M D RC Smolinski, K D RL

Chmielewski, L D L Osinski, M DM R

Wicher, D DM LC Dopierala, R DM C

Leszczynski, Z DM C Filipczak, D M RL

Lato, J M L Balecki, R AM RC

Jozwiak, B AM RC Dziuba, A AM L

Pluta, S AM/F L Berensztajn, J AM C

Gawronski, M F RLC Kowalczyk, R F RC

Tomasiak, S F C Folc, M S C

Smialek, L S C Stefanczyk, C S C

Wegier, P S C

Coaching Staff

Konopka, J Coach

Franke, P Coach

Nowerski, S Physio

Lemanowicz, G Physio

Rogowski, R Scout

Jarosz, T Scout

Management

Sliwakowski, J Chairman

Kowalczyk, D General Manager

Kawka, J Director of Football

</pre>

binny · April 15, 2004

Leagues Running: Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovakia (all divisions)

My very first CMS (FMS) story was about a Polish side, RKS Radomsko. I was particularly drawn to the club because they play in Radomsko, which could be the basis for my surname (still not sure by the way â€“ could by Radom or Radomsk as well).

The club play at Brzeznicka, which has 3500 seats, and room for another 1500 to stand. The club have decent enough facilities, but there are no finances available to me, and so free transfer and loan deals will be the order of the day.

The club ply their trade in the Polish Second Division, and are one of 18 teams competing in the division. The top two at the end of the season will be promoted, and the third place side will face a play-off against third bottom from the First Division. But the real pressure is on the sides at the bottom. The bottom four are all relegated, and the next four up playoff for two further relegation spots. Financial irregularities mean that Szczakowianka start the season with 10 points deducted, and they look set for a season struggling against the drop. But enough of them, Iâ€™ve got to concentrate on my own side. Speaking of which, hereâ€™s a quick look at whatâ€™s available to me:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Playing Staff

Borkowski, T GK Kozik, K GK

Markiewicz, M GK Prokop, A SW/D RC

Kowalski, A SW/D C Klepczynski, A D/DM RC

Kurek, R D/DM RC Lamch, A D RC

Nowak, M D RC Smolinski, K D RL

Chmielewski, L D L Osinski, M DM R

Wicher, D DM LC Dopierala, R DM C

Leszczynski, Z DM C Filipczak, D M RL

Lato, J M L Balecki, R AM RC

Jozwiak, B AM RC Dziuba, A AM L

Pluta, S AM/F L Berensztajn, J AM C

Gawronski, M F RLC Kowalczyk, R F RC

Tomasiak, S F C Folc, M S C

Smialek, L S C Stefanczyk, C S C

Wegier, P S C

Coaching Staff

Konopka, J Coach

Franke, P Coach

Nowerski, S Physio

Lemanowicz, G Physio

Rogowski, R Scout

Jarosz, T Scout

Management

Sliwakowski, J Chairman

Kowalczyk, D General Manager

Kawka, J Director of Football

</pre>

Dark_Soccer · April 16, 2004

Binny nice to see you playing in a league which i can relate to since im half polish

Will be very interesting

binny · April 17, 2004

Hope you enjoy

Preseason 2003

With no money to spend, and difficulties with getting clubs to agree to loan out players, Iâ€™ve struggled to bring in any fresh blood. Iâ€™ve been particularly looking for a left back and a relatively young defender, but so far nothing. I have managed to make one signing though. Artur Minkina, a defensive midfielder, may well be 37, but he can still play, although he will probably be second fiddle. More importantly though, he will also take on coaching duties, and will be my assistant manager.

I decided to give the squad a tough pre-season run. We played all of them at home, but all the games were against top-flight sides. First up was a visit from Widzew, and we never really in the game, conceding a goal in each half to them. Tomasiak scored a consolation in the final minute.

Kowalczyk put us ahead after just five minutes at home to Polkowice, and Minkina added a second just past the hour. Polkowice pulled a goal back, but we held on for a 2-1 victory.

Swit Lukullus were up next, and after a goalless first half Folc put us ahead eight minutes into the second half. The visitors equalised soon enough, but Folc scored three times in the last six minutes to give us an excellent 4-1 victory.

Folc was again on target as Lech came to town, but we had Kowalski sent off on the hour and crashed to a 3-1 defeat.

We also lost 3-1 in our last game, against Wisla Plock. Having said that, both Leszczynski and Tomasiak missed penalties, with Folc actually finding the net.

So, a mixed bag for us, and weâ€™ve shown enough to show that we might be able to compete during the season. Folc looks like an exciting prospect up front, and hopefully he can take his preseason form into the league campaign.

binny · April 17, 2004

July-August 2003

The season begins with the FA Cup, and we found ourselves with a tricky trip to Odra Opole. And things didnâ€™t start too well for us as Sobotta headed in for the home side inside two minutes. The home side had their chances to increase the lead, but we also could have equalised plenty of times. Thirteen minutes from time Kowalczyk struck, and the game entered extra time. Four minutes in Odra Opole had Lukasik sent off, but just three minutes later a horrible lack of communication in our defence allowed Sobon in to restore the lead for the home side, and six minutes later Tracz made sure.

Despite going out so early on, the bookmakers still think that weâ€™re in with a chance of gaining promotion come the end of the season. 16-1 are the odds that theyâ€™re giving us, which is about mid-table. And we were further strengthened by the loan signing for 3 months of Groclinâ€™s left back Lukasz Gorszkow. Our first league game was a home tie with Blekitni, and after 12 minutes we found ourselves behind again as Adamski headed in from a corner. But we kept plugging away, and Folc equalised five minutes before the break. Thatâ€™s how it stayed until the end of the game, and it was a decent enough start to the campaign.

With first-choice goalkeeper Tomasz Borkowski out injured for four months, I moved to secure the loan signing of 17-year-old Amica goalkeeper Pawel Iwanowski for four months. Heâ€™s not going to start too many games, but provides better cover than Markiewicz. Our second game was away at Aluminium, and we started superbly. Kowalczyk had us ahead inside eleven minutes, and Folc scored twice in a five-minute period to have us 3-0 up before half time. Folc completed his hatrick on the hour, and although Solnica pulled a goal back for Aluminium, Folc scored his fourth of the afternoon seven minutes from time to give us a 5-1 victory.

The transfer merry-go-round continued as I allowed Marcin Nowak to join Stasiak Opoczno. Theyâ€™ve paid us Â£10,000 and given us two defenders as well â€“ Darius Mrozek and Zbigniew Czerbniak. They were both on the bench as we hosted potential title challengers Zaglebie. But Bogdan Jozwiak scored a fantastic goal on 14 to put us ahead, and we controlled proceedings. Pluta doubled the lead on the hour mark, and it wasnâ€™t until the very last minute that Zaglebie got back into the match; Patalan getting the goal.

We travelled to struggling Polar midweek, and we found the going tough. Jozwiak broke the deadlock with another well-taken goal ten minutes before the break, and Tomasiak doubled the lead on 74. We conceded another late goal to Sorbian, but we held on for victory.

Prior to our trip to table-topping Piast I allowed reserve striker Mariusz Gawronski to move on as he joined Unia Skierniewice for Â£9,000. The game started fantastically well for us as Leszczynski headed us ahead in the very first minute. But Piast are no mugs, and Kocyba equalised on 17. Just before half time we had Artur Prokop sent off for a professional foul, and Piast broke through on the hour to take the lead through Stolarz. We kept firm at the back though, and ten minutes from time Tomasiak found an equaliser. But we couldnâ€™t quite hold on, and two goals from Wysoglad in the last six minutes condemned us to our first league defeat of the season.

Itâ€™s been a good start for us, and weâ€™ve shown some good promise in the early part of the season. Thereâ€™s still a long way to go though before anything is decided, but so far so good.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Jagiellonia 5 4 1 0 13 3 +10 13

2nd Piast 5 4 1 0 13 3 +10 13

---------------------------------------------------

3rd LKS 5 3 2 0 12 3 +9 11

---------------------------------------------------

4th Radomsko 5 3 1 1 12 8 +4 10

5th Belchatow 5 3 1 1 5 3 +2 10

6th Pogon 5 2 3 0 9 1 +8 9

7th Zaglebie 5 3 0 2 6 5 +1 9

8th Tloki 5 2 2 1 11 7 +4 8

9th Podbeskidzie 5 2 1 2 6 7 -1 7

10th Cracovia 5 2 1 2 6 10 -4 7

---------------------------------------------------

11th Arka 5 1 2 2 7 12 -5 5

12th Ruch Chorzow 5 1 2 2 8 9 -1 5

13th Blekitni 5 1 1 3 6 11 -5 4

14th Stasiak Opoczno 5 1 0 4 4 9 -5 3

---------------------------------------------------

15th Aluminium 5 0 2 3 2 9 -7 2

16th Polar 5 0 1 4 2 8 -6 1

17th KSZO 5 0 1 4 3 12 -9 1

18th Szczakowianka 5 1 2 2 4 9 -5 -5

</pre>

Raptor · April 18, 2004

Shame 13litZ isn't around anymore, or he'd insert a Poland/gay reference

Dark_Soccer · April 18, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Raptor:

Shame 13litZ isn't around anymore, or he'd insert a Poland/gay reference <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

HD · April 18, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Back to where it all started<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The save game editor?

binny · April 18, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by HD:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Back to where it all started<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The save game editor? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

September 2003

The month got off to a tough start, at home to Belchatow. We were put under a lot of pressure by them, and four minutes before the break Szarnecki put them ahead. Gargula doubled the lead early in the second half, but Folc pulled one back almost immediately. But instead of using it to spark a revival, we conceded again; Gortowski scoring a third on the hour. Kowalski was sent off with twenty minutes to go after handling the ball, and we had no way back after that.

We travelled to Tloki next, and we played well enough without threatening too much. Four minutes before the break Tloki broke to take the lead through Dziewulski, and they could have scored more before the break. As the game progressed we pushed forward increasingly, and six minutes from time Kowlaczyk equalised. Four minutes later Tomasiak struck on the break, and we had claimed victory from the jaws of defeat.

At the weekend we travelled to struggling KSZO, and inside ten minutes found ourselves 2-0 up with goals from Kowalczyk and Folc. Kowalczyk got a third on 22, and Folc made it 4-0 ten minutes before the break. Kowalczyk completed his hatrick four minutes before half time and we were cruising. KSZO did pull a goal back on 79 through Urbaniak before having Sobczynski sent off a minute later. Four minutes from time Wegier scored his first goal for the club as we thrashed our hosts 6-1.

We were dominant throughout the first half at home to Jagiellonia, and twice came within inches of taking the lead. Just before the hour we were caught on the break to concede a goal to Kubisz, but thirteen minutes later Folc struck to earn us a point.

Itâ€™s been another decent month for us, and weâ€™ve started to look a lot better up front. Kowlaczyk and Folc are linking up well up front, but itâ€™s at the back where Iâ€™ve got most concern â€“ weâ€™ve still not managed a clean sheet yet this season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Jagiellonia 9 6 2 1 21 6 +15 20

2nd Piast 9 6 1 2 17 7 +10 19

---------------------------------------------------

3rd Pogon 9 5 3 1 14 3 +11 18

---------------------------------------------------

4th Radomsko 9 5 2 2 22 14 +8 17

5th Arka 9 5 2 2 16 16 0 17

6th Belchatow 9 5 1 3 10 10 0 16

7th Zaglebie 9 5 0 4 17 13 +4 15

8th Cracovia 9 4 3 2 14 15 -1 15

9th Tloki 9 4 2 3 19 16 +3 14

10th LKS 9 3 3 3 16 10 +6 12

---------------------------------------------------

11th Ruch Chorzow 9 3 3 3 13 13 0 12

12th Podbeskidzie 9 3 1 5 10 14 -4 10

13th Aluminium 9 2 3 4 8 14 -6 9

14th Blekitni 9 2 2 5 13 17 -4 8

---------------------------------------------------

15th Stasiak Opoczno 9 2 1 6 10 16 -6 7

16th Polar 9 1 1 7 8 14 -6 4

17th Szczakowianka 9 3 3 3 9 14 -5 2

18th KSZO 9 0 1 8 5 30 -25 1

</pre>

OMDave · April 19, 2004

Well written, an interesting challenge and a little-played league...Great stuff

binny · April 19, 2004

Thanks for the support OMDave

October 2003

The month began with a visit from pre-season promotion favourites Ruch Chorzow. The game was quiet early on, but we were handed a boost when the visitors had Bartos sent off on 33. We took our time to take advantage, but midway through the second half Folc put us into the lead, and five minutes later Tomasiak squeezed in a second. Pluta added a third twelve minutes from time as we closed out a comfortable victory.

Next up was a trip to Cracovia, and midway through the first half Kowalczyk put us ahead. We had the opportunities to extend our lead, but we couldnâ€™t find the net again, and had to hang on in the latter stages of the game as we kept our second consecutive clean sheet.

Ten days later we hosted promotion-chasers Pogon, but both sides found the going tough. Just as it looked like ending goalless Folc was sent through to curl the ball past the goalkeeper, but the lead lasted less than two minutes, as Pogon earned themselves a point when Blazejwski headed home from a corner.

The trip to Lodz to face LKS started poorly when Raczka fired in a penalty after just 11 minutes. Twenty minutes later though Folc found an equaliser, and in first half injury time Leszczynski put us ahead from the penalty spot. Five minutes into the second half LKS were level as Kosmalski equalised. But just four minutes later LKS were down to ten men as Marcin Kowalczyk was given his marching orders. We started to use our advantage, but had to wait until the 77th-minute for Folc to finally secure all three points.

The home tie with Arka started poorly as we conceded inside 19 seconds to Jasinski. But just four minutes later Kowalski headed us level, and when Arka had Wodkiewicz sent off on the half hour, there was only ever one winner. Ten minutes into the second half Kowalczyk finally put us into the lead, and nine minutes later Folc made it 3-1. Wegier added a fourth late on as we ended the month on a high.

With thirteen points picked up from a maximum of fifteen this month things are really starting to look up for us, and promotion, or at least the play-offs, are now firmly in our sights. The results this month didnâ€™t go unnoticed, as I was awarded the Manager of the Month award.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Jagiellonia 14 9 3 2 30 10 +20 30

2nd Radomsko 14 9 3 2 34 18 +16 30

---------------------------------------------------

3rd Piast 14 8 2 4 25 16 +9 26

---------------------------------------------------

4th Arka 14 8 2 4 23 23 0 26

5th Pogon 14 6 7 1 23 9 +14 25

6th Tloki 14 7 4 3 32 20 +12 25

7th Zaglebie 14 7 2 5 25 20 +5 23

8th Cracovia 14 6 4 4 19 21 -2 22

9th Belchatow 14 6 2 6 17 19 -2 20

10th LKS 14 4 5 5 24 19 +5 17

---------------------------------------------------

11th Stasiak Opoczno 14 5 2 7 17 19 -2 17

12th Podbeskidzie 14 4 4 6 16 18 -2 16

13th Ruch Chorzow 14 4 4 6 20 23 -3 16

14th Aluminium 14 3 5 6 11 18 -7 14

---------------------------------------------------

15th Blekitni 14 3 3 8 18 24 -6 12

16th Szczakowianka 14 5 5 4 14 19 -5 10

17th Polar 14 2 2 10 12 23 -11 8

18th KSZO 14 0 1 13 5 46 -41 1

</pre>

binny · April 20, 2004

November-December 2003

We were poor as we travelled to Stasiak Opoczno, and midway through the second half conceded a goal to Bala. We improved a little in the second half, but couldnâ€™t find the net and lost 1-0.

Jacek Berensztajn scored his first goal for the club early on in the home tie with Podbeskidzie, but Wozniak headed the visitors on the half hour with their only attack of the game. Just before the break we were handed a penalty that Leszczynski put away. Kowalczyk added a third midway through the second half, and we were back on track.

We got off to a poor start away at Szczakowianka, conceding to Krol in the very first minute. We got our act together as the half wore on, and seven minutes before the break Folc equalised. Leszczynski put us ahead just after the restart, and before the hour mark Kowalski fired in a third. We eased up after that, but the result was assured.

Poor defending early on at Blekitni saw us go 2-0 down inside 12 minutes to goals from Kosiorowski and Rudnicki, and it seemed that Blekitni would score on every foray forward. In the end, they had to settle for just one more, Rudnicki getting it eight minutes before the break.

Our last game before the winter break was a home tie with Aluminium, and it wasnâ€™t pretty. We were slightly better, and ten minutes from time won the game through a Leszczynski penalty. Kruk was sent off five minutes from time for the visitors, but a win is a win.

Itâ€™s been a difficult month for us, but with Jagiellonia also struggling to string too many results together, we still find ourselves up there in contention. That being said, the top three do seem to be pulling away, and itâ€™s just a matter of whether or not we can stay in the top two for the rest of the season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Jagiellonia 19 11 6 2 37 14 +23 39

2nd Radomsko 19 12 3 4 41 24 +17 39

---------------------------------------------------

3rd Arka 19 11 4 4 33 28 +5 37

---------------------------------------------------

4th Pogon 19 8 8 3 35 16 +19 32

5th Zaglebie 19 10 2 7 35 30 +5 32

6th Tloki 19 9 4 6 37 28 +9 31

7th Cracovia 19 9 4 6 31 28 +3 31

8th Piast 19 8 5 6 32 27 +5 29

9th Stasiak Opoczno 19 8 4 7 23 21 +2 28

10th LKS 19 7 5 7 36 25 +11 26

---------------------------------------------------

11th Ruch Chorzow 19 7 4 8 33 31 +2 25

12th Blekitni 19 7 3 9 30 28 +2 24

13th Podbeskidzie 19 6 5 8 24 25 -1 23

14th Belchatow 19 6 2 11 22 33 -11 20

---------------------------------------------------

15th Szczakowianka 19 8 5 6 24 28 -4 19

16th Aluminium 19 4 5 10 17 26 -9 17

17th Polar 19 4 2 13 17 33 -16 14

18th KSZO 19 0 1 18 8 70 -62 1

</pre>

binny · April 21, 2004

Winter Break 2003-2004

Eleven weeks is a long time, especially when thereâ€™s no football to be playing. And with the transfer window only opening in early February, it was a bit boring around the club. We donâ€™t have a lot of money to splash around, and there was only one signing during the period. That was 24-year-old right winger Michal Godras for Â£2,000 from Pogon, although heâ€™ll be hard pushed to dislodge Bogdan Jowiak from the first team.

binny · April 22, 2004

February 2004

We were back in action away at Zaglebie, and were soon behind to a Lobodzinski strike. But we soon got back into the game, and Marcin Folc equalised on twenty minutes. We were playing well now, and just before the break Folc put us ahead. Zaglebie came out strong in the second half, and equalised within five minutes through Sobdewski. But we have a fantastic strike in the form of Folc, and on 63 he grabbed his hatrick to put us back in front. Seven minutes later Jozwiak added a fourth and we had a very good win.

Next up was a home tie with Polar, and both sides were terrible. Chances were at a premium all game, until four minutes from time when Budka struck to condemn us to defeat.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Radomsko 21 13 3 5 45 27 +18 42

2nd Jagiellonia 21 11 8 2 39 16 +23 41

---------------------------------------------------

3rd Arka 21 12 4 5 37 33 +4 40

---------------------------------------------------

4th Pogon 21 10 8 3 41 20 +21 38

5th Cracovia 21 10 5 6 37 32 +5 35

6th Tloki 21 10 4 7 39 31 +8 34

7th Piast 21 9 6 6 36 30 +6 33

8th Zaglebie 21 10 2 9 39 37 +2 32

9th Stasiak Opoczno 21 9 5 7 29 23 +6 32

10th Blekitni 21 8 4 9 35 31 +4 28

---------------------------------------------------

11th Podbeskidzie 21 7 6 8 27 26 +1 27

12th LKS 21 7 6 8 40 30 +10 27

13th Ruch Chorzow 21 7 5 9 35 34 +1 26

14th Belchatow 21 6 4 11 26 37 -11 22

---------------------------------------------------

15th Szczakowianka 21 8 6 7 26 31 -5 20

16th Aluminium 21 4 7 10 19 28 -9 19

17th Polar 21 5 2 14 20 36 -16 17

18th KSZO 21 0 1 20 9 77 -68 1

</pre>

binny · April 24, 2004

March 2004

First up was a home tie with Piast, and after a dominant but unfruitful first half we were awarded a penalty early in the second half and Leszczynski put us ahead from the spot. Twelve minutes later Leszczynski added a second. Baluszynski pulled a goal back for the visitors nine minutes from time, but we held on for a victory.

We had been holding out well at Belchatow, but in first half injury time Pokladowski was on hand to put the home side ahead. Two minutes into the second half Mrowiec doubled the lead, and although Kowalczyk pulled a goal back on the hour, we couldnâ€™t find another one.

Folc scored early on at home to Tloki, and that should have signalled a goal rush. But we failed to take advantage of our dominance, and seven minutes into the second period Szmuc struck to draw Tloki level. We though have an excellent striker in Marcin Folc, and he struck on 74 to give us a somewhat undeserved victory.

We welcomed KSZO to Brzeznicka, but we soon found ourselves a goal down to a Golaszewski effort. We battered them for the rest of the first half without any success, and we tired in the second half as the visitors claimed their first victory of the season, only to learn that they had been relegated anyway.

The trip to high-flying Jagiellonia was going to be a crucial match, and after just two minutes Kowalczyk had us ahead. There was no more scoring before half time, although it wasnâ€™t for a lack of trying. Twenty minutes into the second half Folc doubled our lead, but four minutes later Kobeszko pulled a goal back. Six minutes later though Kowalczyk made it 3-1, and although Kubisz pulled another goal back, Folc made sure of the points with a fourth in injury time.

Weâ€™ve been in no sort of form since the winter break â€“ winning four and losing three of our seven games. Worse is that after a win, we lose, and after a loss, we win. Itâ€™s so frustrating, but such is the form of the other sides in the league, that we still remain top with only eight games to go.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Radomsko 26 16 3 7 54 34 +20 51

2nd Jagiellonia 26 14 8 4 49 23 +26 50

-----------------------------------------------------

3rd Arka 26 14 4 8 43 43 0 46

-----------------------------------------------------

4th Pogon 26 12 8 6 49 27 +22 44

5th Stasiak Opoczno 26 12 6 8 41 28 +13 42

6th Tloki 26 12 4 10 48 40 +8 40

7th Podbeskidzie 26 10 8 8 33 27 +6 38

8th LKS 26 10 8 8 47 32 +15 38

9th Blekitni 26 11 5 10 47 38 +9 38

10th Cracovia 26 10 7 9 42 43 -1 37

-----------------------------------------------------

11th Piast 26 10 7 9 40 39 +1 37

12th Ruch Chorzow 26 10 6 10 43 40 +3 36

13th Zaglebie 26 11 2 13 45 48 -3 35

14th Belchatow 26 9 6 11 34 41 -7 33

-----------------------------------------------------

15th Aluminium 26 7 7 12 29 34 -5 28

16th Szczakowianka 26 10 7 9 30 37 -7 27

17th Polar 26 5 3 18 25 50 -25 18

18th R KSZO 26 1 1 24 12 87 -75 4

</pre>

binny · April 24, 2004

April 2004

We were on the back foot from the 9th minute away at Ruch Chorzow when Bizacki put them ahead, and we never really recovered from that. Bizacki doubled the lead just before the break, and although Folc pulled a goal back for us just after the restart, Suker struck twenty minutes from time to condemn us to yet another loss.

The home tie with Cracovia started well, and goals from Tomasiak and Folc has us 2-0 up at half time. But nine minutes into the second half Zawadzki pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, and with twenty minutes left Zawadzki equalised; again from the penalty spot. The game was turned on itsâ€™ head when Zawadzki completed his hatrick, but Godrasâ€™ first goal for the club gave us a frustrating draw.

The trip to Pogon was another important game, and we played well. Ten minutes before the break Tomasiak gave us the lead, and we were in command. And when Jozwiak scored a second on the hour things were looking good. But twelve minutes later Drumlak pulled a goal back for the home side and things were started to look dodgy again. Tomasiak restored our two-goal lead from the penalty spot soon after, but just four minutes later Blazejwski scored for Pogon to set up a tense finale. And in the last minute of injury time Moskalewicz wrestled two points away from us, earning Pogon a 3-3 draw.

The last game of the month was a disappointing home tie with LKS. We looked sharp in the first half, but fell away in the second, even when LKS has Kryskinski sent off seven minutes into the second half.

There are just four games left now, and theyâ€™re going to be massive for all clubs involved. Everyone down to Pogon in 6th can have realistic ambitions of a top-three position, and our trip to Arka in early May is going to be an enormous game for both clubs.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Jagiellonia 30 16 8 6 56 27 +29 56

2nd Radomsko 30 16 6 8 61 43 +18 54

------------------------------------------------------

3rd Arka 30 15 6 9 52 52 0 51

------------------------------------------------------

4th Stasiak Opoczno 30 14 8 8 44 29 +15 50

5th Tloki 30 15 4 11 54 43 +11 49

6th Pogon 30 12 12 6 57 35 +22 48

7th LKS 30 12 10 8 52 34 +18 46

8th Podbeskidzie 30 12 9 9 39 31 +8 45

9th Piast 30 12 9 9 50 43 +7 45

10th Ruch Chorzow 30 12 7 11 49 44 +5 43

------------------------------------------------------

11th Blekitni 30 11 6 13 52 48 +4 39

12th Zaglebie 30 12 3 15 53 58 -5 39

13th Cracovia 30 10 8 12 48 55 -7 38

14th Belchatow 30 10 7 13 39 49 -10 37

------------------------------------------------------

15th Aluminium 30 8 10 12 34 37 -3 34

16th Pl Szczakowianka 30 10 10 10 34 42 -8 30

17th R Polar 30 6 5 19 28 53 -25 23

18th R KSZO 30 2 2 26 18 97 -79 8

</pre>

binny · April 25, 2004

May 2004

The trip to Arka was to prove to be a classic. Both sides had their chances early on, but just before the half hour Folc struck twice to put us in a strong position. Arka came back immediately; Jasinski pulling a goal back on 38, and then equalising in first half injury time. Ten minutes into the second half Arka had Bubnowicz sent off, and on 67 Kowalczyk put us back in front. Arka pummelled us for the last twenty minutes, and five minutes from time they earned themselves a 3-3 draw thanks to a Siara strike.

Another important game was up next as we hosted Stasiak Opoczno. We were on top throughout the game, and we helped when the visitors had Bazler sent off on 27 minutes. But for all of our efforts, we couldnâ€™t quite find the net, and it was turning out to be a very frustrating afternoon. Twelve minutes from time Folc finally broke though, and he added a second two minutes later to leave us on the very of promotion.

But things werenâ€™t to go to plan as we travelled to Podbeskidzie, and we fell to a 70th-minute from Salami to set up a tense final day of the season.

Jagiellonia had already won promotion, but we went into our home tie with relegated Szczakowianka knowing that we could still miss out, even on a playoff place. Folc had the nerves calmed when he struck on 18 minutes with a well-struck free kick, but Rudnicki equalised for the visitors five minutes before the break. Kurek restored our lead almost immediately, and on the hour Berensztajn put us 3-1 ahead. Kompala pulled a goal back six minutes later to make things interesting, but Kowalczyk responded with a fourth, and Folc wrapped up the victory and promotion with a fifth twelve minutes from time.

Jagiellonia could only manage a draw at home to LKS, and that means that we win the Second Division.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st C Radomsko 34 18 7 9 71 49 +22 61

2nd P Jagiellonia 34 17 10 7 61 31 +30 61

-----------------------------------------------------

3rd P Pogon 34 14 14 6 63 39 +24 56

-----------------------------------------------------

4th Stasiak Opoczno 34 16 8 10 50 34 +16 56

5th Tloki 34 17 4 13 61 49 +12 55

6th Arka 34 16 7 11 60 62 -2 55

7th Podbeskidzie 34 14 11 9 43 33 +10 53

8th LKS 34 13 12 9 56 38 +18 51

9th Ruch Chorzow 34 14 9 11 52 45 +7 51

10th Piast 34 13 10 11 55 52 +3 49

-----------------------------------------------------

11th R Cracovia 34 12 9 13 57 60 -3 45

12th Belchatow 34 11 9 14 44 54 -10 42

13th R Aluminium 34 10 12 12 38 39 -1 42

14th Blekitni 34 12 6 16 55 54 +1 42

-----------------------------------------------------

15th R Zaglebie 34 12 4 18 54 63 -9 40

16th R Szczakowianka 34 11 12 11 41 50 -9 35

17th R Polar 34 7 5 22 30 57 -27 26

18th R KSZO 34 3 3 28 20 102 -82 12

</pre>

Itâ€™s been a very good season for us, and winning the championship just crowns our season. It was probably no real surprise that I was awarded the Manager of the Year award for the division, but I thought that the Pogon manager would have that honour having won the FA Cup and promotion. There were no surprises that Marcin Folc was voted by the Radomsko fans as their Player of the Year, and the young striker was also voted as the Second Division Player of the Year â€“ no surprise given that he scored 30 league goals.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Apps Gls Asts MoM Av R

Balecki, R 2 (5) 0 1 0 7.00

Berensztajn, J 34 2 5 1 7.32

Borkowski, T 18 0 0 0 7.11

Chmielewski, L 2 (7) 0 0 0 6.22

Czerbniak, Z 29 (1) 0 1 1 6.97

Dopierala, R 1 (1) 0 0 0 6.50

Dziuba, A - - - - ----

Filipczak, D - - - - ----

Folc, M 35 30 11 8 7.91

Godras, M 1 (7) 1 0 0 6.13

Jozwiak, B 33 4 9 1 7.06

Klepczynski, A 0 (2) 0 0 0 6.00

Kowalczyk, R 31 14 11 1 7.16

Kowalski, A 31 2 2 4 7.26

Kozik, K 17 0 0 0 6.88

Kurek, R 2 (2) 1 0 0 6.75

Lamch, A 34 0 3 3 7.15

Lato, J 17 0 6 0 7.29

Leszczynski, Z 28 7 2 2 7.32

Markiewicz, M - - - - ----

Minkina, A 5 (15) 0 0 0 6.80

Mrozek, D 5 (14) 0 0 1 6.63

Osinski, M - - - - ----

Pluta, S 18 2 7 1 7.50

Prokop, A 30 (1) 0 1 0 6.58

Smialek, L - - - - ----

Smolinski, K - - - - ----

Stefanczyk, C - - - - ----

Tomasiak, S 4 (18) 7 6 0 6.95

Wegier, P 0 (6) 2 1 0 6.67

Wicher, D - - - - ----

-------------------------------------------

Gawronski, M - - - - ----

Nowak, M 3 0 0 0 7.67

</pre>

Despite all of the jubilation surrounding the club, I was never really satisfied with our form, and we know that we have to perform next season just to stay up. Thatâ€™s going to mean a few new faces, although they will have to be free transfers as we have very little money available to spend.

binny · April 26, 2004

Preseason 2004

Without much money to spend, Iâ€™ve only managed to bring in a few faces on free transfers, and most are experienced enough to see us through our first season back in the top-flight. Ilian Kiryakov, 33, is an experienced Bulgarian international defender, and he joins as a player-coach from Chumerna. Waldemar Zelasko is an experienced midfielder who joins from Potkowice, and Przemyslaw Pluta, who plays on either flank, joins from Odra Wodzislaw. By far the biggest signing is that of 36-year-old centre back Frank Lebouef, who leaves the riches of Al Sadd in Qatar to join our legion. The other two players are youngsters with a lot of talent; - Omar Daley, a Jamaican winger, comes in from Portmore United, and Ghanaian international striker Baffour Gyan joins from Slovan Liberec. There was one retirement with Artur Lamch calling it a day, and Iâ€™ve also allowed Rafal Dopierala to join Belchatow on loan for the first three months of the season.

We played a number of pre-season friendlies, starting with a home tie against Slovak side Zilina. Kowalczyk and Folc put us 2-0 up after 23 minutes, but the Slovakians hit back with two quick goals, and the game ended 2-2.

Folc gave us an early lead on our travels to Swit Lukullus, and Gyan added a second midway through the second half. The home side pulled a goal back late on, but we held on to win.

Next up was a trip to Slask, and two first half strikes from Folc were enough to give us a 2-0 win.

Our only loss of the preseason was at GKS Katowice. Tomasiak grabbed our consolation as we lost 3-1.

The last away game was at Hetman, and after struggling early on, goals from Folc and Sebastian Pluta in the last 25 minutes gave us a comfortable 2-0 win.

Two quick-fire goals from Folc and Tomasiak gave us a 2-0 lead early on at home to Polonia, and although they pulled a goal back, a Wicher penalty two minutes from time gave us a 3-1 win.

The last game of the preseason was against Czech side Sigma Olomouc, and although we fell 2-0 down early on, goals from Folc and Gyan rescued a 2-2 draw for us.

Weâ€™ve had a good preseason workout, and the squad look like theyâ€™ll settle in nicely to the top division. Still, with odds of 100-1 to win the league, we know that itâ€™s not going to be easy.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Borkowski, T GK Kozik, K GK

Markiewicz, M GK Prokop, A SW/D RC

Kowalski, A SW/D C Leboeuf, F SW/D C

Klepczynski, A D/DM RC Kurek, R D/DM RC

Mrozek, D D RC Pluta, P D/M RL

Smolinski, K D RL Chmielewski, L D L

Czerbniak, Z D LC Kiryakov, I D/M LC

Zelasko, W D/DM LC Osinski, M DM R

Minkina, A DM LC Wicher, D DM LC

Dopierala, R (out on loan) DM C Leszczynski, Z DM C

Filipczak, D M RL Godras, M M R

Lato, J M L Balecki, R AM RC

Daley, O AM/F RC Jozwiak, B AM RC

Dziuba, A AM L Pluta, S AM/F L

Berensztajn, J AM C Gyan, B F RC

Kowalczyk, R F RC Tomasiak, S F C

Folc, M S C Smialek, L S C

Stefanczyk, C S C Wegier, P S C

</pre>

binny · April 27, 2004

August 2004

The season began with an FA Cup tie away at GKS Katowice where we had lost during preseason. And after a promising start we found ourselves behind to a quick break on 11 minutes, and Fanfara scored for the home side. Folc had to come off late in the first half, and just four minutes into the second half his replacement, Kowalczyk, equalised. That spurred us on, and sixteen minutes from time Kowalczyk put us ahead. Kowalczyk wrapped up his hatrick and our passage into the third round five minutes from time as we won 3-1.

The Third Round gave us another away trip â€“ this time to Ruch Chorzow. After a very quiet first half hour we fell behind to a Srutwa strike, and five minutes before the break Szynsrowski doubled the lead with a free kick. Gancarczyk made it 3-0 immediately after the restart, and although Gyan pulled a goal back six minutes later, we were out of the competition.

Prior to the first league game of the season I allowed young striker Przemyslaw Wegier to join Piast on loan for three months. The first team action will do him good. The game at Groclin went badly. Mila put the home side ahead with a free kick on 12, and around the half hour both Niedzielan and Lorens added further goals. Rasiak added a fourth early in the second half, and although Folc got one back ten minutes from time, it was nothing more than a consolation.

Andrzej Dzuiba was allowed to join Rafal Doperiala at Belchatow, joining the second division side on loan for the next three months. Our first home game of the season was against Gornik Zabrze, and after 11 minutes Sebastian Pluta had us ahead. But the visitors hit back and Sladojevic equalised fourteen minutes later. It was a tight match after that, but midway through the second half Sebastian Pluta doubled his tally for the game to restore our lead. Seven minutes from time Gyan added a third, and in the last two minutes Gyan and Folc added further goals as we completed a 5-1 rout.

There was yet another loan move out of the club as young striker Cezary Stefanczyk dropped down a division to join Siarka for the next three months. The game at Polkowice was tight, although our confidence saw us doing most of the attacking. Quite how we failed to score in the first half I donâ€™t know, but we kept plugging away and on 63 Folc had us ahead. Four minutes later though poor defending allowed Gorzad in to equalise, and nine minutes from time Piegzik struck to condemn us to an undeserved defeat.

Things didnâ€™t look too good after the result at Ruch Chorzow and Groclin, but weâ€™ve played really well in the last two games. Our attacking style paid off against Gornik Zabrze, but we still have to improve at the back. Frank Lebouef should be back from injury early next month, and Iâ€™m hoping that the Frenchman can help sort out our defence.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9

2nd Wisla Plock 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7

3rd Pogon 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5

4th Wisla 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5

5th Jagiellonia 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4

6th Lech 3 1 1 1 1 3 -2 4

7th Legia 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4

8th Leczna 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4

9th Groclin 3 1 1 1 5 3 +2 4

10th Polkowice 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4

11th Radomsko 3 1 0 2 7 7 0 3

--------------------------------------------------

12th Odra Wodzislaw 3 1 0 2 4 5 -1 3

--------------------------------------------------

13th Gornik Zabrze 3 0 1 2 3 8 -5 1

14th Widzew 3 0 0 3 2 7 -5 0

</pre>

binny · April 28, 2004

September 2004

The first game of the month was a home tie with high-flying Wisla Plock. We were doing well at keeping them at armâ€™s length, and twelve minutes into the second half Gyan struck to give us the lead. But just five minutes later Pachelski equalised, and ten minutes from time Gevorgyan scored to give the visitors a 2-1 win.

The trip to Widzew started well as Omar Daley scored his first goal for the club after just 8 minutes. Six minutes later Widzew were level thanks to a BrasÃlia strike, only for Folc to restore our lead three minutes later. Folc made it 3-1 ten minutes before the break, and thatâ€™s how it finished.

The last game of the month was a disappointing home tie with Leczna. We failed to compete at all, and goals in either half from Czereszewski and Klosinksi saw us go down 2-0.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla Plock 6 5 1 0 12 4 +8 16

2nd Amica 6 5 1 0 10 2 +8 16

3rd Lech 6 4 1 1 10 6 +4 13

4th Wisla 6 3 2 1 6 2 +4 11

5th Pogon 6 3 2 1 11 8 +3 11

6th Groclin 6 2 2 2 9 6 +3 8

7th Legia 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8

8th Polkowice 6 2 1 3 6 7 -1 7

9th Leczna 6 2 1 3 8 9 -1 7

10th Jagiellonia 6 2 1 3 8 8 0 7

11th Radomsko 6 2 0 4 11 12 -1 6

--------------------------------------------------

12th Odra Wodzislaw 6 1 1 4 5 11 -6 4

--------------------------------------------------

13th Gornik Zabrze 6 1 1 4 5 15 -10 4

14th Widzew 6 0 0 6 4 16 -12 0

</pre>

binny · April 29, 2004

October 2004

We began the month with a trip to Legia, and after nine minutes fell behind to a Tyczkowski strike. But just two minutes later Folc equalised and Sebastian Pluta put us ahead five minutes later. We managed to hold Legia at armâ€™s length for a while after this, and just before the hour Gyan extended our lead. There were nervous moments on 67 when Saganowski made it 3-2, but within four minutes Gyan restored our two-goal advantage. And six minutes from time Gyan completed his hatrick, and we had an excellent 5-2 win.

The trip to Wisla started well, as Gyan put us ahead after 20 minutes, and added a second on the half hour. And when Kowalczyk made it 3-0 early in the second half, things were looking rosy. Five minutes later though Szymkowiak pulled a goal back for the Krakow side, and when Pawel Brozek made it 3-2 on 71, there was to be a very nervy last twenty minutes. We had our chances to extend our lead, but we couldnâ€™t quite do it, and as the game entered injury time Przemyslaw Pluta scored an unfortunate own goal. And it was to get worse as Uche won the game for the home side in the last minute of injury time.

Odra Wodzislaw came to town next, and after dominating the first half, finally took the lead just before the break when Sebastian Pluta fired in a free kick. We could, and should, have extended our lead, and failing to do so was to cost us as Radzewicz rescued a point for the visitors five minutes from time.

High-flying Lech took the lead through a Gajtkowski strike after just 16 minutes, but three minutes later Jozwiak levelled things up with his first goal of the season. And eight minutes before the break Folc fired in a free kick to send us into half time ahead. Midway through the second half Lech found an equaliser through Gajtkowski, and we were to be heartbroken again when Gajtkowski stole in to win the game in the very last minute.

Champions-elect Amica visited us in the final game of the month, and after holding out for half an hour on a snow-covered pitch, found ourselves behind to a Kryszalowicz strike. We never really looked like getting back into the match, and we werenâ€™t helped when Frank Lebouef was sent off ten minutes into the second half for a professional foul. Ten minutes later Kryszalowicz doubled the lead for Amica, and he then scored two quick-fire goals to leave us reeling. And the rout was completed when Krol scored from a free kick two minutes from time.

A game lasts for 90 minutes and injury time. It seems that some of the team have forgotten that, as goals in the final five minutes of games this month has cost us six points, and we need every point that is going at the moment.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 11 9 2 0 22 5 +17 29

2nd Lech 11 7 2 2 20 13 +7 23

3rd Wisla Plock 11 5 5 1 16 9 +7 20

4th Wisla 11 5 3 3 15 11 +4 18

5th Leczna 11 5 2 4 20 15 +5 17

6th Pogon 11 5 2 4 17 16 +1 17

7th Jagiellonia 11 4 3 4 15 13 +2 15

8th Groclin 11 4 3 4 15 14 +1 15

9th Polkowice 11 4 2 5 13 14 -1 14

10th Legia 11 3 2 6 15 19 -4 11

11th Radomsko 11 3 1 7 22 27 -5 10

--------------------------------------------------

12th Odra Wodzislaw 11 2 3 6 12 19 -7 9

--------------------------------------------------

13th Gornik Zabrze 11 2 3 6 10 26 -16 9

14th Widzew 11 1 3 7 10 21 -11 6

</pre>

binny · May 1, 2004

November 2004

A trip to Pogon was first up for us, and after 27 minutes Baffour Gyan gave us the lead. Pogon came at us after that, and just after the break Bugaj equalised. We held on when for the rest of the game, and a draw a good result for us.

A visit from Jagiellonia wasnâ€™t going to be easy, but we dominated the first half, and three minutes before the break Folc put us ahead with a fantastic strike. The visitors threatened more as the game wore on, but we somehow held firm at the back to claim our first clean sheet of the season, and a very welcome victory.

The home tie with Groclin got off to a poor start when Niedzielan broke through to score for the visitors. Somehow they failed to add to their score, and as the game wore on, we started to look more threatening. Fifteen minutes from time Batata was sent off for the visitors for a second booking, and Omar Daley equalised with the resultant free kick.

The crucial trip to Gornik Zabrze went from bad to worse. Sladojevic put them ahead after 12 minutes, and fifteen minutes later Sikora doubled the lead. Ficulak added a third early in the second half, and although they had Moskal sent off on the hour, we couldnâ€™t take advantage.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 15 9 4 2 27 13 +14 31

2nd Lech 15 9 3 3 27 18 +9 30

3rd Wisla 15 9 3 3 21 12 +9 30

4th Wisla Plock 15 6 7 2 21 13 +8 25

5th Pogon 15 6 4 5 19 18 +1 22

6th Jagiellonia 15 6 3 6 23 19 +4 21

7th Leczna 15 5 5 5 26 23 +3 20

8th Groclin 15 5 4 6 17 20 -3 19

9th Legia 15 5 3 7 24 26 -2 18

10th Polkowice 15 5 2 8 18 20 -2 17

11th Odra Wodzislaw 15 4 4 7 17 23 -6 16

--------------------------------------------------

12th Radomsko 15 4 3 8 25 32 -7 15

--------------------------------------------------

13th Gornik Zabrze 15 3 5 7 15 29 -14 14

14th Widzew 15 2 4 9 13 27 -14 10

</pre>

binny · May 1, 2004

Winter Break 2004-5

The one area that had really troubled me this season is our defence, and during the winter break I managed to bring in two new defenders. Lukasz Gorszkow, who spent three months on loan with us last season, joins on a free transfer from Groclin, and Korean international Choi Jin-Chul came in for free from Chonbuk. The only other signing was that of our former striker Tomasz Kazimierowicz, who joined from Podbeskidzie in a deal that took Andrzej Dzuiba in the other direction. They also paid us Â£18,000 for the winger.

Rafal Balecki was loaned out to Kotwica for three months, and Adrian Klepczynski went out for the same period to Hetman. Also joining Hetman was Lukasz Chmielewski, who left on a free transfer.

binny · May 2, 2004

March 2005

The final straight began with a home tie against Polkowice, and it seemed that it was just going to be one of those days. We had chance after chance, but how we didnâ€™t score, I do not know. Seventeen minutes from time Folc got up to head us into the lead from a corner, and although Polkowice almost equalised immediately, Kowlaczyk doubled the lead nine minutes from time and we claimed a good victory.

We were under pressure straight from the start away at Wisla Plock, and it was only the excellent Tomasz Borkowski in goal who kept them at bay. We lacked the cutting edge on the break, and it was only a matter of when the home side would take the lead. It came twelve minutes into the second half when Jelen finally broke through, and just three minutes later Pachelski doubled the lead. We were disappointing, and Gevorgyan added a soft third on 73.

We started fantastically well at home to bottom club Widzew, but had to wait until 27 for Folc to finally find the net and put us ahead. But our dominance couldnâ€™t be turned into goals, and just after the hour mark Czaplarski equalised on the break. Out of nothing, Gyan restored our lead with twenty minutes to play, but just six minutes later Rybski struck for the visitors, and we had to settle for a draw.

Things are still looking decidedly dodgy for us, and we need to get as many points as possible from our last eight games. Iâ€™m not sure where theyâ€™re going to come from, but we still have to get them.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 18 11 5 2 35 16 +19 38

2nd Wisla 18 11 3 4 26 15 +11 36

3rd Lech 18 10 4 4 31 22 +9 34

4th Wisla Plock 18 8 8 2 26 14 +12 32

5th Jagiellonia 18 8 3 7 29 21 +8 27

6th Groclin 18 7 5 6 26 22 +4 26

7th Pogon 18 7 5 6 22 20 +2 26

8th Leczna 18 6 6 6 31 28 +3 24

9th Legia 18 6 3 9 27 33 -6 21

10th Radomsko 18 5 4 9 29 37 -8 19

11th Polkowice 18 5 3 10 19 25 -6 18

--------------------------------------------------

12th Odra Wodzislaw 18 4 5 9 21 30 -9 17

--------------------------------------------------

13th Widzew 18 3 5 10 18 32 -14 14

14th Gornik Zabrze 18 3 5 10 16 41 -25 14

</pre>

binny · May 3, 2004

April 2005

We began brightly away at Leczna, but on 17 were caught on the break and Klosinski put the home side ahead. Fourteen minutes later Pastuszka doubled the lead, but we managed to pull a goal back just before half time through Folc. We were really poor in the second half as well, and goals from Nikodem and Czereszewski saw us crash 4-1.

We absolutely battered Legia throughout at home, but for some reason, we couldnâ€™t keep anything on target. We kept pressing though, and eighteen minutes from time Gyan eventually found the net. That woke Legia up, and we had to defend deep for the rest of the match. And such has been our season that it was no surprise when Svitlica equalised five minutes from time. But we went up the other end of the field, and retook the lead in the penultimate minute through Folc. And with the last kick of the game, Folc wrapped up a 3-1 victory with a well-taken strike.

The crucial trip to Odra Wodzislaw started well as Kowlaczyk gave us the lead inside the first minute. The home side regrouped, and on the half hour levelled through Maslowski. Borkowski was keeping us in the game during the second half, but in the final four minutes we conceded goals to Jarosz and Radzewicz, and we were pegged back again.

The final game of the month was a home tie with Wisla. We began well, and on 28 Folc got through to give us the lead. Four minutes into the second half we were caught on the break by Zurawski who neatly equalised, and poor defending allowed Pawel Brozek to give them the lead sixteen minutes from time. Ten minutes from the end the visitors had Glowaki sent off, and two minutes later Folc rescued a point for us.

Four games to go, and weâ€™re far from safe. We do have a five-point gap ahead of the relegation zone, but the playoff is still a possibility. We have three away matches to come, including a trip to Amica, and things are going to be very, very tight.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 21 14 5 2 43 16 +27 47

2nd Wisla Plock 22 11 9 2 32 16 +16 42

3rd Lech 20 12 4 4 33 22 +11 40

4th Wisla 21 11 4 6 28 20 +8 37

5th Groclin 22 10 6 6 33 23 +10 36

6th Leczna 22 8 7 7 38 31 +7 31

7th Pogon 22 8 7 7 27 23 +4 31

8th Jagiellonia 22 8 3 11 29 30 -1 27

9th Legia 22 8 3 11 32 37 -5 27

10th Odra Wodzislaw 22 6 5 11 25 35 -10 23

11th Radomsko 22 6 5 11 36 47 -11 23

--------------------------------------------------

12th Widzew 22 5 6 11 24 35 -11 21

--------------------------------------------------

13th Polkowice 22 5 3 14 21 35 -14 18

14th Gornik Zabrze 22 4 5 13 18 49 -31 17

</pre>

binny · May 4, 2004

May 2005

The first game of the month was a trip to champions-elect Amica, but we got off to a fantastic start as Kowlaczyk sent us into a 2nd-minute lead. Amica were all over us, but somehow we kept them out, and seven minutes before the break Kowalczyk doubled the lead. Mielcarski pegged us back before half time, but we were still holding out early in the second half. But on 68 Kowalski was sent off, and within two minutes Lawa equalised for the home side. Ten minutes from time Bak struck for Amica, and we had thrown it away.

Our last home match of the season was against Pogon, and we were on top throughout. We were denied though at every turn early on, and we had to be wary of being caught on the break. Midway through the second period Gyan finally got the breakthrough, but things werenâ€™t confirmed until three minutes from time when Prokop netted his first goal of the season.

The trip to Lech started badly as we conceded to Sluskarski after just five minutes. We actually played well after that, and were helped when the home side had Kryger sent off ten minutes before the break. But we lacked the cutting edge up front, and went down 1-0.

Things were still tight as we went into the final game of the season away at Jagiellonia. Gornik Zabrze and Polkowice were already down, but it was neck and neck between ourselves and Widzew, who were hosting Leczna, for the playoff place. The first half came and went without any scoring, and neither side were creating too many chances. Eighteen minutes from time though Kubisz struck for the home side, and as full time came, we were sweating on the result from Lodz. It turns out that Leczna had beaten Widzew 2-1, and we had secured our place in the top flight for another season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st C Amica 26 15 6 5 50 27 +23 51

2nd Lech 26 15 5 6 39 29 +10 50

3rd Wisla Plock 26 12 12 2 36 19 +17 48

4th Wisla 26 13 6 7 32 23 +9 45

5th Groclin 26 11 8 7 37 25 +12 41

6th Pogon 26 11 7 8 34 25 +9 40

7th Legia 26 11 4 11 42 39 +3 37

8th Leczna 26 9 9 8 47 41 +6 36

9th Jagiellonia 26 9 3 14 30 35 -5 30

10th Odra Wodzislaw 26 7 8 11 30 38 -8 29

11th Radomsko 26 7 5 14 40 52 -12 26

----------------------------------------------------

12th Widzew 26 6 8 12 29 40 -11 26

----------------------------------------------------

13th R Polkowice 26 6 4 16 27 45 -18 22

14th R Gornik Zabrze 26 4 7 15 24 59 -35 19

</pre>

In the end, we achieved our aim of staying in the top flight, and I guess we canâ€™t be too disappointed. Looking at the league table though, we have the strike force to see us through to mid-table safety, but itâ€™s our defence that it letting us down â€“ only Gornik Zabrze conceded more than us. But, as I said, itâ€™s our attacking force that has been the good point of the season. Young winger Sebastian Pluta was named Young Player of the Year, capping a great season for the youngster who earned himself a place in the Under-21 squad. And after another impressive season up front, Marcin Folc saw himself retain the Player of the Year award from the Radomsko fans, and was named in 3rd place in the First Divison Player of the Year awards.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Apps Gls Asts MoM Av R

Balecki, R - - - - ----

Berensztajn, J 13 (9) 0 1 0 6.73

Borkowski, T 28 0 1 0 7.21

Choi Jin-Chul 8 0 1 0 6.25

Czerbniak, Z 16 (5) 0 1 0 6.81

Daley, O 26 2 2 1 7.58

Dopierala, R - - - - ----

Filipczak, D - - - - ----

Folc, M 27 15 5 4 7.63

Godras, M 0 (4) 0 0 0 6.50

Gorszkow, L 10 0 0 0 6.20

Gyan, B 25 13 12 1 7.20

Jozwiak, B 17 (7) 1 2 0 6.33

Kazimierowicz, T - - - - ----

Kiryakov, I 4 (12) 0 0 0 6.69

Klepczynski, A - - - - ----

Kowalczyk, R 4 (13) 8 0 1 6.76

Kowalski, A 25 0 0 0 7.08

Kozik, K - - - - ----

Kurek, R - - - - ----

Lato, J 2 0 1 0 7.00

Leboeuf, F 16 (2) 0 0 0 5.50

Leszczynski, Z 2 (2) 0 0 0 6.50

Markiewicz, M - - - - ----

Minkina, A - - - - ----

Mrozek, D 0 (7) 0 0 0 6.00

Osinski, M - - - - ----

Pluta, P 10 (1) 0 0 0 6.55

Pluta, S 26 4 10 3 7.19

Prokop, A 24 (2) 1 1 1 6.31

Smialek, L - - - - ----

Smolinski, K - - - - ----

Stefanczyk, C - - - - ----

Tomasiak, S 0 (4) 0 0 0 6.50

Wegier, P - - - - ----

Wicher, D 0 (2) 0 0 0 6.00

Zelasko, W 25 0 6 0 7.08

</pre>

I envisage quite a change of personnel over the summer, as we look to make things more comfortable for ourselves next season than this one just gone.

binny · May 5, 2004

Preseason 2005

There was a lot of transfer action around the club, but such is the financial situation in Poland that there was very little money flying around. Lebouef, Kiryakov and Minkina all retired from playing the game, but have agreed to all stay on as coaches. Minkina retains his place as assistant manager. Goalkeeper Marcin Markiewicz left the club by mutual consent. Michal Osinki joined Promien, Darius Filipczak moved to Swit Lukullus, Krzysztof Smolinski moved to Hetman and Rafal Dopierala joined Stasiak Opoczno, all on free transfers. Adrian Klepczynski made a surprise move to Amica for Â£18,000 and young goalkeeper Rafal Wroblewski, and Krzysztof Kozik moved to Gornik Zabrze for a nominal fee. Cezary Stefanczyk moved on loan to Aluminium for 3 months, and Przemyslaw Wegier moved to Odra Opole on loan for the same length of time.

We had 5 youngsters coming through the youth ranks, and most of them will spend the season with the reserves. Serbian goalkeeper Vojin Prole came in from Slovan Bratislava, and young Georgian defender Lash Chelidze came in from Kutaisi. Right-backs Przemyslaw Kulig and Tomasz Drag came in from Jagiellonia and Stastiak Opoczno respectively, and midfielders Bartosz Lawa and Andrzej Szlapa came to us from Amica and Groclin respectively. The only other signing was that of young midfielder Przemyslaw Malecki on loan for 6 months from Amica.

Our preseason began with a trip to Slovakian Second Division Champions Banska Bystrica, and Folc scored our goal just after half time in the 1-1 draw.

Russian side Saturn turned us over 2-0 at our place, but goals from Folc and Kowalczyk gave us a 2-2 draw in the Czech Republic against Zlin. Lawa also missed a penalty during the game.

Two goals early on from Marcin Folc and an own goal gave us a comfortable 3-0 win at Kietrz, and a wonderful hatrick from Baffour Gyan, added to a goal from Folc gave us a 4-0 win over Swit Lukullus.

Szlapa and Lawa were on target in our final warm-up game at Odra Opole, and Gyan added two more before the break. The home side pulled two goals back, but Kowalczyk added a fifth in injury time at the end of the game to give us a 5-2 victory.

Weâ€™ve had a good preseason workout, and the squad look like theyâ€™ve settled in nicely to the club. Still, with odds of 100-1 to win the league, we know that itâ€™s not going to be easy.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Position(s) Nat. Age Caps Goals Value

Adamski, P GK POL 14 0 0 Â£0

Balecki, R AM RC POL 24 0 0 Â£18K

Berensztajn, J AM C POL 31 1 0 Â£55K

Borkowski, T GK POL 29 0 0 Â£70K

Chelidze, L D RC GEO 20 6 0 Â£425K

Choi Jin-Chul D RC KOR 34 57 5 Â£22K

Czerbniak, Z D LC POL 33 0 0 Â£18K

Daley, O AM/F RC JAM 24 15 1 Â£1.4M

Drag, T D R POL 29 0 0 Â£40K

Dudka, K S C POL 14 0 0 Â£0

Folc, M S C POL 23 0 0 Â£425K

Godras, M M R POL 25 0 0 Â£85K

Gorszkow, L D LC POL 30 0 0 Â£65K

Gyan, B F RC GHA 25 16 6 Â£825K

Jarecki, T S C POL 17 0 0 Â£18K

Jozwiak, B AM RC POL 35 0 0 Â£18K

Kazimierowicz, T S C POL 26 0 0 Â£18K

Kowalczyk, R F RC POL 32 0 0 Â£22K

Kowalski, A SW/D C POL 33 0 0 Â£18K

Kulig, P D/ DM R POL 24 0 0 Â£120K

Kurek, R D/DM RC POL 33 0 0 Â£18K

Lato, J M L POL 28 0 0 Â£120K

Lawa, B AM/F L POL 26 0 0 Â£400K

Leszczynski, Z DM C POL 36 0 0 Â£18K

Majewski, P GK POL 16 0 0 Â£0

Malecki, P DM C POL 22 0 0 Â£70K

Mrozek, D D RC POL 30 0 0 Â£16K

Pluta, P D/M RL POL 26 0 0 Â£75K

Pluta, S AM/F L POL 22 0 0 Â£130K

Prokop, A SW/D RC POL 32 0 0 Â£18K

Prole, V GK SCG 29 2 0 Â£200K

Sikorski, P D C POL 14 0 0 Â£0

Smialek, L S C POL 23 0 0 Â£16K

Stefanczyk, C S C POL 21 0 0 Â£16K

Szlapa, A AM C POL 30 0 0 Â£250K

Tomasiak, S S C POL 26 0 0 Â£60K

Wegier, P S C POL 23 0 0 Â£18K

Wicher, D DM LC POL 22 0 0 Â£18K

Wroblewski, R GK POL 16 0 0 Â£16K

Zelasko, W D/DM LC POL 33 0 0 Â£18K

</pre>

binny · May 6, 2004

August 2005

The season began with a second round FA Cup trip to Slask, and within a minute Lawa headed us into the lead from a corner. We could, and should, have added to the score before half time, but five minutes into the second period, Folc doubled our lead. On the hour Gyan made it 3-0, and six minutes later Gyan doubled his tally for the game as we eased through to the third round.

The third round saw us host Tloki and after ten minutes we found ourselves ahead when Bednarz got in the way of a Folc shot. But we didnâ€™t build on that, and ten minutes before the break Stawecki broke to equalise for the visitors. Five minutes later though Stawecki went from hero to villain as he turned the ball past his own goalkeeper, and before the break Lasha Cheldize broke his duck to put 3-1 up at half time. The second half was a quiet affair, but five minutes from time Gyan struck to give us a 4-1 victory, and set up a two-legged quarterfinal against Korona.

Ironically, the first league game of the season saw us hosting Korona, and after a quiet opening, Lawa fired us ahead midway through the first period. Neither side were looking particularly potent, and midway through the second period Lawa wrapped up a 2-0 victory with a well-taken goal.

The trip to Belchatow started well as Gyan put us ahead inside six minutes, but we failed to add to that despite having the chances. Just before the break we were caught at the back as Szmuc equalised, and in the third minute of the second period Gortowski put the home side ahead. We couldnâ€™t recover after that, and in the final minute Danielewicz confirmed the points for the home side.

During the week I allowed Sebastian Pluta to go out on loan for the season to champions Amica. Heâ€™s lost his place to Bartosz Lawa, who has impressed since joining from the champions in the summer. Pluta wasnâ€™t allowed to play for his new club as the champions came to visit, and with just 19 seconds on the clock, Marcin Folc had us ahead. Ten minutes later Gyan struck a second, and the unthinkable seemed to be happening. It got even better on 58 when the visitors had Dudka sent off, but within four minutes Bak fired in to halve the deficit. But we reacted well to that goal, and eight minutes from time Folc struck to give us a memorable, and well-deserved, 3-1 victory.

Having beaten the champions, a trip to Odra Wodzislaw shouldnâ€™t have provided too many problems, but twenty minutes in we were deservedly behind to a Kuszyk goal. Ten minutes before the break though we broke well and Gyan sent us into half time level at 1-1. We were much improved in the second half, but twenty minutes from time Sawicki broke to restore the lead for the home side. It looked like we wouldnâ€™t get back into the game, but five minutes from time Folc rescued a point for us out of nothing.

Weâ€™ve had a very pleasing start to the season, and the side seems to be gelling together well. Lawa and Malecki have been particularly impressive, and things are looking much rosier for this season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 4 3 0 1 4 3 +1 9

2nd Wisla 4 2 2 0 4 2 +2 8

3rd Radomsko 4 2 1 1 8 6 +2 7

4th Pogon 4 2 0 2 6 2 +4 6

5th Odra Wodzislaw 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 6

6th Belchatow 4 2 0 2 5 6 -1 6

7th Korona 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6

8th Groclin 3 1 2 0 5 1 +4 5

9th Widzew 4 1 2 1 2 2 0 5

10th Jagiellonia 4 1 1 2 6 5 +1 4

11th Wisla Plock 4 1 1 2 6 6 0 4

--------------------------------------------------

12th Legia 4 1 1 2 4 9 -5 4

--------------------------------------------------

13th Lech 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3

14th Leczna 4 0 0 4 0 9 -9 0

</pre>

binny · May 8, 2004

September 2005

September began with the hosting of Leczna who had started the season terribly. And we werenâ€™t about to make it any better for them as Bogdan Jozwiak scored his first goal of the season midway through the first half to put us ahead. Six minutes into the second half Folc headed in from a corner, and although we had Malecki sent off on the hour, we were never in danger of losing our 2-0 lead.

We didnâ€™t play particularly well away at Lech, falling behind after just 12 minutes to a Grzelak strike. We did show a bit of attacking play after that, but on the half hour we were caught again and Golinksi doubled the lead. Gyan pulled a goal back seven minutes into the second half, but just after the hour mark we were opened up again and Gajtkowski ensured a 3-1 victory for Lech.

We started well in the home tie with Jagiellonia, and although we dominated, it was our visitors who took the lead on 33 through a quick break from Kobeszko. We slumped in the second half, and slipped to defeat.

The loss saw us drop from 3rd to 11th, but itâ€™s worth noting that at this stage of the season, we are as far behind the league leaders as we are ahead of 12th-placed Korona. So, still all to play for, and hopefully we can push on with a few results during October.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla 7 3 4 0 9 6 +3 13

2nd Belchatow 7 4 0 3 9 9 0 12

3rd Odra Wodzislaw 7 3 3 1 9 7 +2 12

4th Amica 7 4 0 3 6 6 0 12

5th Groclin 7 3 2 2 10 5 +5 11

6th Widzew 7 3 2 2 7 5 +2 11

7th Jagiellonia 7 3 1 3 11 7 +4 10

8th Lech 7 2 4 1 9 7 +2 10

9th Pogon 7 3 1 3 10 8 +2 10

10th Wisla Plock 7 3 1 3 11 10 +1 10

11th Radomsko 7 3 1 3 11 10 +1 10

--------------------------------------------------

12th Korona 7 2 1 4 8 11 -3 7

--------------------------------------------------

13th Legia 7 1 2 4 8 16 -8 5

14th Leczna 7 1 0 6 1 12 -11 3

</pre>

binny · May 8, 2004

October 2005

The month began with a trip to Wisla Plock, and we spent the first half defending our goal. We did that well, and on the hour mark broke forward to take the lead through Gyan. Ten minutes later Folc doubled the lead, and two minutes from time Folc doubled his tally and we had our first away league win of the season.

Next up was a trip to Korona for the first leg of our FA Cup quarterfinal tie. Ten minutes in Gyan had us ahead, and midway through the half Folc made it 2-0. We eased off after that. And although we had Kowalski sent off just after the hour, Korona could make no inroads and we had a decent lead to take into the second leg.

Before that though we hosted Legia, and after nine minutes were caught on the break as Tyczkowski put the visitors ahead. We regrouped slowly but surely, and ten minutes before the break Folc equalised. Three minutes later the visitors had Choto sent off, but within 120 seconds things were levelled up when Gorzkow was given his marching orders. Early in the second half Saganowski restored the lead for the visitors, but we did well to come back, and twenty minutes from time Folc rescued a point for us on the break.

We didnâ€™t play particularly well away at league leaders Wisla, and two goals in six minutes in the first 25 minutes from Pawel Brozek had us behind. Kowalczyk pulled a goal back eight minutes from time, but in first half injury time Juskowiak struck to restore the two-goal lead for Wisla. We didnâ€™t really compete in the second half, and were lucky not to concede again as we went down 3-1.

A visit from Groclin was next for us, and with 14 minutes on the clock Folc headed us into the lead. The visitors werenâ€™t getting past our makeshift defence, and just before the break Gyan doubled the lead. Folc added a third midway through the second period and we had another good victory.

The second leg of the FA Cup quarterfinal at home to Korona started badly as Nakielski headed in after just 6 minutes. We werenâ€™t looking like getting back into the match, and with half and hour gone Malecki was sent off. We managed to clear the resultant free kick and broke forward. Nakielski hacked down Gyan, and he was duly sent off to make it 10 vs 10. Early in the second half Folc equalised on the night, and that was enough to see us through to a semi-final meeting with Belchatow in April.

The final game of the month was away at Widzew, and after six minutes Gyan headed us ahead from a corner. That sparked Widzew into action, and midway through the first half Bruno equalised with a stunning goal. We had to defend well, but ten minutes into the second half we failed to clear our lines and Becalik put the home side ahead. We never really threatened to get back into match, and six minutes from time Rybski wrapped up a 3-1 victory for Widzew.

Itâ€™s been a decent month for us, and weâ€™re starting to look like we might finish in mid-table. Our home form is very good, but if we can just improve our away form, we can start to push up the table and away from the relegation zone.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla 12 7 5 0 21 8 +13 26

2nd Widzew 12 7 2 3 15 9 +6 23

3rd Jagiellonia 12 6 3 3 19 10 +9 21

4th Groclin 12 6 2 4 16 9 +7 20

5th Wisla Plock 12 5 3 4 16 14 +2 18

6th Odra Wodzislaw 12 4 5 3 11 10 +1 17

7th Lech 12 4 5 3 14 12 +2 17

8th Radomsko 12 5 2 5 21 18 +3 17

9th Pogon 12 4 3 5 18 18 0 15

10th Legia 12 4 3 5 20 23 -3 15

11th Amica 12 4 1 7 9 18 -9 13

--------------------------------------------------

12th Belchatow 12 4 0 8 10 22 -12 12

--------------------------------------------------

13th Korona 12 3 2 7 12 16 -4 11

14th Leczna 12 2 2 8 6 21 -15 8

</pre>

binny · May 9, 2004

November 2005

The month began with a home tie against Pogon, and after three minutes we were ahead when Tomasz Drag fired through a crowded box to open his account for the club. Pogon did threaten to get back into the game, but we defended well, and broke whenever possible. With an hour gone Folc doubled our advantage, and we had a good win.

We prodded throughout during the trip to Korona, and our breakthrough came just before the half hour when Malecki headed home from a corner. Kowlaczyk doubled the lead five minutes before the break, and Folc scored a third before half time. Bartosz Lawa added a fourth midway through the second half, and we had a good win.

The last game before the winter break was a home tie with Belchatow. We dominated throughout, and 18 minutes in Baffour Gyan had us ahead. Things were made easier for us ten minutes before the break when Belchatow had Jelonkowski sent off, and eight minutes after the restart Gyan scored a second.

Itâ€™s been a great month for us, winning all three games and without conceding a goal. It was no real surprise then when I was awarded the Manager of the Month award for November. We still have a long way to go in the season, but a mid-table finish is looking ever more likely.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla 15 9 5 1 26 10 +16 32

2nd Widzew 15 7 5 3 17 11 +6 26

3rd Radomsko 15 8 2 5 29 18 +11 26

4th Groclin 15 8 2 5 21 13 +8 26

5th Jagiellonia 15 7 4 4 24 13 +11 25

6th Lech 15 6 5 4 20 16 +4 23

7th Pogon 15 6 3 6 22 21 +1 21

8th Wisla Plock 15 5 4 6 16 19 -3 19

9th Legia 15 5 3 7 25 30 -5 18

10th Odra Wodzislaw 15 4 6 5 12 17 -5 18

11th Amica 15 5 2 8 14 20 -6 17

--------------------------------------------------

12th Leczna 15 4 2 9 10 24 -14 14

--------------------------------------------------

13th Belchatow 15 4 1 10 11 27 -16 13

14th Korona 15 3 4 8 13 21 -8 13

</pre>

binny · May 11, 2004

Winter Break 2005-6

There wasnâ€™t too much action around the club during the winter; primarily due to a lack of funds, and secondly, because Iâ€™m quite happy with the squad thatâ€™s available to me. I did manage to extend the loan of Przemyslaw Malecki from Amica until the end of the season, and only other signing was that of 24-year-old left back Robert Klos for Â£12,000 from Zaglebie.

binny · May 12, 2004

March 2006

We restarted our campaign with a trip to Amica. They are a shadow of the side they were last season, and during the first half we prodded our way through, without much luck. We kept going in the second half, and on 67 Gyan struck to give us the lead. We werenâ€™t helped when Kowalski was sent off four minutes later, but we defended well and broke quickly to double our lead, again through Gyan. In the final minute Gyan completed his hatrick, and we had another brilliant victory.

We didnâ€™t start off particularly well at home to Lech, and with 13 minutes gone, we were behind to a Gajtkowski strike. Out of nowhere Bartosz Lawa equalised with a fantastic strike on the half hour, and that was about it. We had Robert Klos sent off for a second booking fourteen minutes from time, but a 1-1 draw was a good result.

The last match of the month was a home tie with Odra Wodzislaw, and again we were on top. It took us until just after half time to take the lead, and Lukasz Gorszkow scored his first goal for the club to put us ahead. Ten minutes later we were awarded a penalty, and Sebastian Tomasiak made a scoring first appearance of the season.

Itâ€™s been a good month for us, and coupled with our results before the winter break, we surprisingly find ourselves in 2nd place with just eight games to go. If we can keep this sort of form up, we might even be able to qualify for Europe.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla 18 11 6 1 34 11 +23 39

2nd Radomsko 18 10 3 5 35 19 +16 33

3rd Lech 18 8 6 4 26 19 +7 30

4th Widzew 18 8 6 4 19 14 +5 30

5th Pogon 18 9 3 6 29 24 +5 30

6th Groclin 18 8 3 7 24 20 +4 27

7th Jagiellonia 18 7 5 6 25 18 +7 26

8th Wisla Plock 18 6 6 6 21 20 +1 24

9th Amica 18 7 2 9 19 23 -4 23

10th Legia 18 6 3 9 28 36 -8 21

11th Korona 18 5 4 9 19 28 -9 19

--------------------------------------------------

12th Odra Wodzislaw 18 4 6 8 13 24 -11 18

--------------------------------------------------

13th Leczna 18 5 2 11 14 28 -14 17

14th Belchatow 18 4 1 13 12 34 -22 13

</pre>

binny · May 12, 2004

April 2006

The month began with a trip to struggling Leczna, and after a decent start, we were a goal down to a Klosinki strike. Eighteen minutes later though Kowalczyk got in to equalise, and three minutes later we had a penalty. Gyan sent the spotkick into the arms of the goalkeeper, but the Ghanaian reacted well to turn in the rebound. Our lead didnâ€™t last too long though; on the stroke of half time Pastuszka equalised for the home side. We almost conceded immediately in the second half, but we weathered that storm and started to look threatening ourselves. Efforts just wouldnâ€™t stick though, and the game seemed to be heading for a draw. That was until three minutes into injury time when Gyan won the game for us with the final kick.

Our good form came to an end as we travelled to Jagiellonia. Wrobel put the home side ahead after 17 minutes, and we just didnâ€™t have enough to get back at them.

The first leg of our FA Cup semi-final took us to Belchatow, and with 18 minutes played, Gyan put us ahead. Kowalczyk doubled the lead five minutes later, and it was just a matter of how many. To their credit, Belcahtow battled well, and tried to pull a goal back during the second half. It wasnâ€™t to be though, as seven minutes from time Gyan added a third to give us a healthy lead.

Wisla Plock came to town, and midway through the first half we were in front thanks to a Kowalczyk strike. Ten minutes before the break though we had Bartosz Lawa sent off, and we were on the back foot. Wisla Plock attacked us hard early in the second half, and on 54 equalised through Ekwueme. We managed to hold them off after that, and 1-1 was how it finished.

The second leg with Belchatow was a quiet affair. We only really threatened from set pieces, and midway through the second period Szlapa won the game for us with his first goal for the club. We will face 2nd division Polonia in the final. They overcame Groclin in the semis, and we will travel to them first in May.

The last game of the month was away at Legia, and Kowlaczyk continued his good form to put us ahead on 17. Eight minutes later though ZÃ©nier equalised with a special strike, and just before half time Saganowski headed in from a corner from the home side. We could have fallen further behind early in the second half, but we held out, and sixteen minutes from time broke quickly to equalise through Gyan. Parity lasted just three minutes though as we were torn apart at the back and Akacki won the game for the home side.

Things have gone off the boil a little this month, but weâ€™re still in a fantastic position, and Europe is looking a distinct possibility. It will be definite if we win the FA Cup, and we have to fancy our chances against Polonia.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Wisla 22 13 7 2 40 15 +25 46

2nd Lech 22 11 6 5 33 22 +11 39

3rd Radomsko 22 11 4 7 41 26 +15 37

4th Groclin 22 11 4 7 31 23 +8 37

5th Widzew 22 9 7 6 24 20 +4 34

6th Jagiellonia 22 9 7 6 30 21 +9 34

7th Wisla Plock 22 8 8 6 30 22 +8 32

8th Pogon 22 9 3 10 33 38 -5 30

9th Legia 22 8 4 10 38 42 -4 28

10th Amica 22 8 4 10 22 26 -4 28

11th Leczna 22 8 2 12 25 36 -11 26

--------------------------------------------------

12th Korona 22 5 6 11 21 32 -11 21

--------------------------------------------------

13th Odra Wodzislaw 22 4 7 11 16 34 -18 19

14th Belchatow 22 5 1 16 16 43 -27 16

</pre>

binny · May 13, 2004

May 2006

We began with a home tie against champions-elect Wisla, and we played really well during the first half, doing everything right except finding the net. In the second minute of injury time we were caught on the break as Pawel Brozek put the visitors ahead, and we couldnâ€™t recover in the second half as we slipped to defeat.

The first leg of the FA Cup final at Polonia got off to a terrible start as Mazurkiewicz scored after a mere 17 seconds. We reacted well to that, but couldnâ€™t find the back of the net. Three minutes into the second half Baffour Gyan finally equalised, but when we were awarded a penalty twenty minutes later the Ghanaian shot straight at the goalkeeper. Three minutes from time Kowalczyk put us ahead, but Dubicki equalised with a minute to play to set up the second leg nicely.

We were totally outplayed at Groclin, never really competing well. Rasiak put them ahead on 28 minutes, and although the home side had Pawlak sent off just before half time, we were awful, and Bajera confirmed the win six minutes from time.

We battered Polonia without scoring for the first half in the second leg of our FA Cup final, but ten minutes into the second half Kowalczyk struck to give us the lead. We survived a few hairy minutes after that, but when Kowalczyk scored again on 71 we had claimed our first ever major trophy.

A trip to Pogon was next up for us, and Kowalczyk continued his good form, scoring after 17 minutes. We were in total command, and when Folc scored a second just after the restart, our victory was confirmed.

The last game of the season was a home tie with Widzew, and Folc put us ahead after 20 minutes. We would leap above them if we won, and we ensured that would be the case when Szlapa wrapped up our excellent season with a second twenty minutes from time.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st C Wisla 26 16 8 2 45 15 +30 56

2nd Lech 26 14 6 6 36 24 +12 48

3rd Groclin 26 13 5 8 38 26 +12 44

4th Jagiellonia 26 12 7 7 45 25 +20 43

5th Radomsko 26 13 4 9 45 29 +16 43

6th Widzew 26 11 8 7 34 27 +7 41

7th Wisla Plock 26 10 10 6 35 23 +12 40

8th Pogon 26 11 4 11 41 46 -5 37

9th Legia 26 10 5 11 50 46 +4 35

10th Amica 26 8 8 10 23 27 -4 32

11th Leczna 26 8 3 15 28 48 -20 27

----------------------------------------------------

12th R Odra Wodzislaw 26 5 7 14 19 41 -22 22

----------------------------------------------------

13th R Korona 26 5 6 15 24 47 -23 21

14th R Belchatow 26 5 1 20 21 60 -39 16

</pre>

Itâ€™s been a very good season for us, and weâ€™ve ensured an Inter-Toto Cup place with our 5th place finish. Unfortunately, our FA Cup win doesnâ€™t mean anything on the European front, but itâ€™s still a wonderful achievement. Despite missing two months of the season due to injury, Marcin Folc was still renamed by the fans as their Player of the Year, but in the official awards, it was his strike partner Baffour Gyan who claimed 2nd spot in the Player of the Year awards for the top flight.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Apps Conc Cln MoM Av R

Adamski, P - - - - ----

Borkowski, T 3 4 1 0 7.00

Majewski, P 25 21 13 0 7.32

Prole, V 7 (1) 9 2 0 6.63

Wroblewski, R - - - - ----

Name Apps Gls Asts MoM Av R

Balecki, R - - - - ----

Berensztajn, J 0 (21) 0 1 0 6.62

Chelidze, L 23 1 1 2 7.00

Choi Jin-Chul 27 0 1 1 7.22

Czerbniak, Z 10 (5) 0 2 2 6.93

Daley, O 19 0 8 2 7.68

Drag, T 15 (6) 1 0 1 6.81

Dudka, K - - - - ----

Folc, M 25 17 6 7 8.08

Godras, M 4 (6) 0 2 0 6.50

Gorszkow, L 18 (5) 1 1 2 6.78

Gyan, B 29 22 3 5 7.62

Jarecki, T - - - - ----

Jozwiak, B 15 (7) 1 2 0 6.41

Kazimierowicz, T - - - - ----

Klos, R 14 0 3 0 7.29

Kowalczyk, R 14 (6) 10 4 1 7.20

Kowalski, A 28 0 0 0 6.71

Kulig, P 2 (4) 0 0 0 6.50

Kurek, R - - - - ----

Lato, J 7 (1) 0 2 0 6.25

Lawa, B 28 5 9 1 7.93

Leszczynski, Z - - - - ----

Malecki, P 29 1 3 2 7.62

Mrozek, D - - - - ----

Pluta, P 1 (5) 0 0 0 6.50

Pluta, S - - - - ----

Prokop, A 1 (3) 0 0 0 5.75

Sikorski, P - - - - ----

Stefanczyk, C - - - - ----

Szlapa, A 32 2 1 0 6.94

Tomasiak, S 2 (3) 1 1 0 7.20

Wegier, P - - - - ----

Wicher, D 0 (3) 0 0 0 7.00

Zelasko, W 7 (3) 0 0 0 6.70

</pre>

Weâ€™ve had a good season, but there is still room for improvement. I can see a few of the fringe players moving out, and Iâ€™m sure weâ€™ll bring in a few players before the season kicks off again.

binny · May 15, 2004

Preseason 2006

There was a lot of transfer action around the club, but such is the financial situation in Poland that there was very little money flying around. Kurek and Leszczynski both retired from playing the game, and goalkeeper Tomasz Borkowski moved to Szczakowianka for Â£20,000. Strikers Lukasz Simalek and Cezary Stefanczyk moved to LKS and Radzionkow respectively, whilst we lost Jamaican international Omar Daley to Czech side Bohemians Prague on a free transfer. Artur Prokop was the other player to leave the club, joining Leczna for Â£22,000.

We had 7 youngsters coming through the youth ranks, and most of them will spend the season with the reserves. We signed another young goalkeeper in the form of Pawel Iwanowski from Amica, and defender Rafal Lasocki came in from Lech. Right winger Tomasz Sokolowski and New Zealand midfielder Aaran Lines joined from Legia and Ruch Chorzow respectively, and we also signed young English scout Simon Clifford.

The Inter-Toto Cup first round pitted us against Danish outfit Esbjerg fB, and we hosted them in late June in the first leg. It was a quiet match, but with 27 minutes gone we conceded a penalty and Johansson put it away. We didnâ€™t really created too many chances to get back into it, and had to settle for a 1-0 deficit as we travelled to Denmark.

The second leg was also a quiet again, but seven minutes before the break we conceded another penalty. This time though Johansson was denied by Majewski, and just before half time Gyan put us ahead on the day and level on aggregate. But terrible defending early in the second half allowed first Bechmann and then SchrÃ¸der to turn the game on itâ€™s head by the hour mark, and Bechmann just made sure with a third three minutes from time.

Once out of Europe, I decided that we should have a few more warm-up games, and we decided on a four-game tour of the Czech Republic. We began with a trip to Czech Cup winners Brno, but were awful in the second half, conceding three goals. We improved after the break, and Tomasiak scored a consolation in the final minute.

Baffour Gyan scored twice in the first half of our trip to Opava, and after conceding one in the second half, Godras made sure of a 3-1 victory with a goal six minutes from time.

We were again disappointing away at Teplice where Folc scored our goal in a 3-1 defeat, and despite Gyan giving us a 2-0 lead at half time in Jablonec, we collapsed in the second half to lose it 3-2.

Goals at either end of the game from Szlapa and Gorzskow gave us a 2-2 draw at home to Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv, and Kowalczyk ended our preseason on a high with a last-minute winner at home to French outfit Le Havre.

Weâ€™ve not had the best of preseasons, but Iâ€™m still confident that we can repeat our mid-table achievement of last season. With odds of 33-1 to win the league, thatâ€™s 6th-favourites, we know that itâ€™s expected of us as well.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Adamski, P GK Dylewski, J GK

Iwanowski, P GK Lech, A GK

Majewski, P GK Prole, V GK

Wroblewski, R GK Kowalski, A SW/D C

Budnyk, A D R Chelidze, L D RC

Choi Jin-Chul D RC Drag, T D R

Faltynski, M D RL Kulig, P D/DM R

Mrozek, D D RC Pluta, P D/M RL

Czerbniak, Z D LC Gorszkow, L D LC

Klos, R D L Lasocki, R D LC

Witkowski, A D/DM LC Zelasko, W D/DM LC

Dziuba, D D C Sikorski, P D C

Lines, A DM LC Wicher, D DM LC

Godras, M M R Lato, J M L

Balecki, R AM RC Jozwiak, B AM RC

Sokolowski, T AM R Lawa, B AM/F L

Pluta, S AM/F L Berensztajn, J AM C

Szlapa, A AM C Gyan, B F RC

Kowalczyk, R F RC Tomasiak, S F C

Dudka, K S C Folc, M S C

Jarecki, T S C Kazimierowicz, T S C

Kolodziejczyk, M S C Wegier, P S C

</pre>

binny · May 15, 2004

August 2006

Our defence of the FA Cup began with a second round trip to Radzionkow, and with four minutes gone Baffour Gyan had us ahead. We battered their defences in search of a second, but by half time we only had another Gyan effort to show for it. Folc added a third twenty minutes into the second period, and after incessant pressure, Gyan scored twice more in the last ten minutes. Radzionkow though had the last say, Oberaj scoring a consolation in the final minute as we progressed 5-1.

The third round pitted us at home against non-league Blekitni, but before that, I sold Przemsylaw Wegier to Miedz for a fee of Â£18,000. Blekitni frustrated us from start to finish, and we rarely looked like scoring. The last five minutes saw a quick flurry, but the game had to go into extra time. It was more of the same in extra time, and we could have been caught on the break as well. But with ten minutes to go, Berensztajn fired in what proved to be the winner, and we progressed through to a quarterfinal meeting with non-league Kietrz.

The league campaign began with a trip to Groclin, and we had the better of a goalless first half. We began the second half in similar fashion, but on 63 Groclin were awarded a harsh penalty and Zajac put them ahead. We tried to get back into the game, but as we attacked we opened up at the back, and Rasiak doubled the lead fifteen minutes from time. With seven minutes to go Gyan pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, but we couldnâ€™t lift ourselves to search for an equaliser.

A Friday night home tie with Wisla Plock was a bit of a shambles. The play was terrible from both sides, and if anything, we were worse. But we defended well, and the game ended 0-0.

The last game of the month was away at Gornik Zabrze, and for a while it seemed that it was going to be one of those days for us. But with 26 minutes gone Aaran Lines saw an effort creep in off the post, and five minutes later Folc headed in a second. Gyan added a third before half time, and on 52 Chelidze headed home a fourth. Twenty minutes into the second half Folc doubled his tally for the afternoon, and four minutes later saw Gorszkow add a sixth. The home side were all over the place defensively, and Folc completed his hatrick on 76 for a 7-0 rout.

We mustnâ€™t get carried away with that 7-0 win at Gornik Zabrze. They were very poor, and we might have even scored 15! Still, the win is much-needed, and the scale of the victory will lift spirits in the camp ahead of a difficult season ahead of us.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Pogon 3 3 0 0 8 3 +5 9

2nd Legia 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 6

3rd Jagiellonia 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 6

4th Widzew 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6

5th Leczna 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6

6th Groclin 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 6

7th Amica 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4

8th Polonia 3 1 1 1 5 6 -1 4

9th Radomsko 3 1 1 1 8 2 +6 4

10th Wisla 3 1 0 2 3 4 -1 3

11th Szczakowianka 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3

-------------------------------------------------

12th Lech 3 1 0 2 3 5 -2 3

-------------------------------------------------

13th Wisla Plock 3 0 1 2 0 2 -2 1

14th Gornik Zabrze 3 0 0 3 0 14 -14 0

</pre>

binny · May 16, 2004

September 2006

The month began with a home tie against newly promoted Szczakowianka, and with 13 minutes on the clock, Gyan had already scored twice. The visitors had Adamski sent off on 27, and before half time Folc scored a third. Folc added another goal with a free kick just after the hour, and Pluta made it 5-0 in the penultimate minute.

Our next match was against the third promoted side, Polonia. After a difficult start, Folc stunned the home crowd when he headed in ten minutes before the break, but it wasnâ€™t until the latter part of the game that we got into our groove. Gyan doubled the lead on 63 and Kowalczyk added a third ten minutes later. And we made it 16 goals in three games when Gyan added a fourth three minutes from time.

We hosted league leaders Pogon next, and soon found ourselves behind to a Keska strike. Somehow though we regrouped and just before half time Gyan drew us level. The second period was scrappy, and it ended 1-1.

The trip to Leczna was also poor, but five minutes before the break Folc had us ahead. But poor defending allowed Bajera to equalise soon after the break, only for Gyan to restore our lead just after the hour mark. We were looking good for a win, but two minutes into injury time Klosinski robbed us of two points with an equaliser.

Throwing the points away at Leczna didnâ€™t prevent me from picking up the manager of the month award, and eight points from a maximum of 12 is quite a good return. Things have been going well so far this season; weâ€™ve scored more than any other side and conceded fewer goals, but it has to be remembered that we have played all three of the promoted sides.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Legia 7 5 0 2 19 9 +10 15

2nd Pogon 7 4 3 0 14 6 +8 15

3rd Amica 7 4 2 1 13 6 +7 14

4th Jagiellonia 7 4 0 3 12 11 +1 12

5th Groclin 7 4 0 3 13 12 +1 12

6th Radomsko 7 3 3 1 20 5 +15 12

7th Widzew 7 3 2 2 9 6 +3 11

8th Lech 7 3 1 3 12 10 +2 10

9th Leczna 7 2 3 2 10 11 -1 9

10th Wisla 7 3 0 4 9 10 -1 9

11th Szczakowianka 7 3 0 4 8 16 -8 9

-------------------------------------------------

12th Wisla Plock 7 1 1 5 5 9 -4 4

-------------------------------------------------

13th Polonia 7 1 1 5 6 16 -10 4

14th Gornik Zabrze 7 1 0 6 4 27 -23 3

</pre>

binny · May 17, 2004

October 2006

The month began with a visit from non-league Kietrz in the first leg of the FA Cup quarterfinal. We didnâ€™t play particularly well in the first half, but just after half time Folc found a way through to put us ahead. We still werenâ€™t playing particularly well though, and midway through the second half we allowed Broniewicz in to claim an equaliser.

Back in league action we hosted Amica, and our performance was much improved. It took us just 13 minutes to take the lead through Marcin Folc, but we had to be at our best to keep Amica out at the back. We kept our charge up as well, and on 66 Gyan doubled the lead. Six minutes from time a goalkeeping gaff allowed Folc in to get a third, and we had yet another great result against Amica.

We found the going difficult against Widzew, although we never really looked like losing the game. On the hour Folc managed to find a way through, and three minutes later Gyan got a second. We played out the last 25 minutes happily, and seven minutes from time Berenzstajn stunned Widzew with a fantastically taken third goal.

An away game at Lech was not going to be easy for us, but just before the break Gyan struck to put us ahead. We couldnâ€™t get a second though, and eighteen minutes from time Gajtkowski capitalised on a rare defensive aberration, and equalised. Ten minutes later though Gyan somehow got in to restore our lead, and we held on for victory.

The trip to Kietrz in the FA Cup saw us play poorly again, and with 25 minutes gone the non-leaguers took the lead when Madejek scored directly from a corner. We improved a little after the break, and seven minutes in Gyan equalised. We could have lost it after that, but there was no more scoring before full time and the tie went into extra time. Neither side played well, but just before the break in extra time Szlapa booted the ball in from just outside the box, and we inched our way into the semi finals. Weâ€™ll face reigning champions Wisla there, hosting the first leg in April.

The last game of the month was a home tie with Legia, and after a quick opening by the visitors, we found ourselves behind to a 6th minute strike from Saganowski. We got ourselves back into the match though, and on 22 Gyan equalised. A long free kick from Magiera just after the break eluded everyone and ended up with Legia retaking the lead. But twenty minutes later Folc equalised with a free kick, and we earned ourselves a draw.

Itâ€™s been another good month, even if our worst performances have come against much inferior opposition, namely the FA Cup ties against Kietrz. Ten points from 12 has seen us climb to the top of the table, and Iâ€™ve also retained the Manager of the Month award.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Radomsko 11 6 4 1 30 8 +22 22

2nd Pogon 11 6 3 2 19 10 +9 21

3rd Groclin 11 6 2 3 19 13 +6 20

4th Amica 11 5 4 2 20 13 +7 19

5th Jagiellonia 11 6 1 4 18 15 +3 19

6th Legia 11 5 2 4 22 16 +6 17

7th Szczakowianka 11 5 2 4 12 18 -6 17

8th Lech 11 5 2 4 18 15 +3 17

9th Leczna 11 4 4 3 15 14 +1 16

10th Wisla 11 5 0 6 16 15 +1 15

11th Widzew 11 3 3 5 13 15 -2 12

-------------------------------------------------

12th Wisla Plock 11 2 3 6 8 13 -5 9

-------------------------------------------------

13th Polonia 11 1 2 8 6 24 -18 5

14th Gornik Zabrze 11 1 2 8 10 37 -27 5

</pre>

binny · May 18, 2004

November 2006

The month began with a trip to Jagiellonia, against whom we have struggled in recent years. And it was the same this time around as we struggled to contain them in a goalless first half. But just five minutes into the second half Kobeszko pounced on poor defending to put the home side ahead. Out of nowhere Gyan equalised on 69, but within three minutes Bak had restored the lead for Jagiellonia, and we slumped to defeat.

After a dodgy start, we started to get a grip at home to Wisla. Twelve minutes were on the clock when Folc put us ahead, and five minutes before the break the visitors had Glowacki sent off. How we didnâ€™t double our lead in the second half I will never know. It was to cost us dearly. Sixteen minutes from time Piotr Brozek rounded off a good move to equalise, and in injury time Pawl Brozek condemned us to another defeat.

The home tie with Groclin was a tight affair early on, but three minutes into the second half Kowalczyk fired us ahead. A slick move allowed Coronel to equalise on the hour, but fifteen minutes from time Gyan struck to give us all three points.

The last match before the winter break was a home tie with Gornik Zabrze, but we were poor. With 28 minutes on the clock we conceded a penalty, and Terlecki put the visitors ahead. We rarely looked like getting back into the game, and thirteen minutes from time another penalty was converted by Narwojsz and it was game over. Artur Kowalski was sent off eight minutes from the end for two bookings as things ended badly.

Itâ€™s been a disappointing month for us, and I would have expected at least four points more than the three that we got. Weâ€™re going to have to rebuild over the winter break, and hopefully we can get an outside title push back on track.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 15 8 5 2 28 14 +14 29

2nd Lech 15 8 3 4 25 16 +9 27

3rd Pogon 15 8 3 4 23 15 +8 27

4th Radomsko 15 7 4 4 34 15 +19 25

5th Groclin 15 7 4 4 24 17 +7 25

6th Jagiellonia 15 7 2 6 21 19 +2 23

7th Leczna 15 5 7 3 18 15 +3 22

8th Legia 15 6 4 5 26 21 +5 22

9th Wisla 15 7 1 7 20 19 +1 22

10th Szczakowianka 15 5 3 7 13 26 -13 18

11th Widzew 15 4 5 6 18 19 -1 17

-------------------------------------------------

12th Wisla Plock 15 3 5 7 14 17 -3 14

-------------------------------------------------

13th Polonia 15 2 4 9 9 28 -19 10

14th Gornik Zabrze 15 2 2 11 12 44 -32 8

</pre>

binny · May 19, 2004

Winter Break 2006-7

I broke the club transfer record by spending Â£95,000 on winger Marcin Janeczko from Lech. With no more money to spend, the other two signings were both on loan until the end of the season. Przemyslaw Malecki comes back in from Amica, and attacking midfielder Marcin Morawski joins from Legia. We will be hampered though in the final part of the season because Marcin Folc will be recovering from surgery to cure a groin problem. Iâ€™ve also allowed young striker Mariusz Kolodziejczyk to join Zaglebie S. on loan for three months.

binny · May 20, 2004

March 2007

We started back with a trip to Szczakowianka. Ten minutes in Kowalczyk put us ahead, and six minutes alter Gyan headed in a second. We could have added to that score throughout the game, but we seemed content with the 2-0 scoreline.

A trip to Wisla Plock was next up for us, and after a quiet opening, Kowalczyk put us ahead ten minutes before the break. We had the upper hand early in the second half, but soon our hosts started to come at us. We defended well, but two minutes into injury time Jelen come in to equalise and we had thrown away two points.

The last game of the month was a disgraceful display at home to Polonia. We dominated the first half, but couldnâ€™t find the target. Five minutes before the break a disgraceful decision saw Lukasz Gorszkow sent off, and in injury time Dubicki put the home side ahead. With only ten men we found it difficult to mount an attack, and twenty minutes from time Sztylka scored a second and we lost again.

Weâ€™re lacking any sort of form at the moment. I think that injuries and suspensions are starting to affect us adversely, but I donâ€™t really want to make excuses. Weâ€™re simply not good enough to compete at the highest level in Poland.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Lech 18 10 4 4 33 20 +13 34

2nd Amica 18 9 5 4 33 21 +12 32

3rd Wisla 18 9 2 7 26 21 +5 29

4th Radomsko 18 8 5 5 37 18 +19 29

5th Jagiellonia 18 8 3 7 28 25 +3 27

6th Groclin 18 7 6 5 29 23 +6 27

7th Pogon 18 8 3 7 25 21 +4 27

8th Leczna 18 6 8 4 21 20 +1 26

9th Legia 18 7 5 6 32 26 +6 26

10th Widzew 18 5 7 6 21 21 0 22

11th Wisla Plock 18 5 6 7 20 19 +1 21

-------------------------------------------------

12th Szczakowianka 18 5 4 9 15 33 -18 19

-------------------------------------------------

13th Polonia 18 4 5 9 14 30 -16 17

14th Gornik Zabrze 18 2 3 13 13 49 -36 9

</pre>

binny · May 22, 2004

April 2007

A trip to Pogon was first up for us, but we found ourselves behind after just four minutes to a Moskalewicz strike. Three minutes later though Lawa equalised, and six minutes later Wojtkowiak turned into his own net to give us the lead. Gyan added a third ten minutes before half time, and although Malecki was sent off early in the second half, we were never really in trouble. Blazejewski even missed an 88th-minute penalty, sending it straight into the arms of Majewski.

Leczna put us under pressure straight away as they came to visit, and goals from Nikodem and Bajera had them 2-0 up inside 13 minutes. We started to play a bit better after that, and six minutes before half time Lasocki pulled one back for us with his first goal for the club. We kept the pressure up in the second up, and seven minutes from time found an equaliser through Morawski.

Wisla came to town in the first leg of the FA Cup semi final, but with 14 minutes played Pawel Brozek had scored. And when Zurawski added a second from a dodgy penalty, we were basically down and out. Just to make sure, Pawel Brozek added a second midway through the second half and a second successive cup final looked highly unlikely.

Things didnâ€™t get much better for us as we travelled to Widzew. A penalty from Blachnio and a Wlodarczyk strike had us trailing, although Morawski pulled one back with a free kick before half time. The home side had Bruno sent off early in the second half, but they then just defended and we fell to yet another defeat.

Kowalczyk gave us a slimmer of hope as we travelled to Wisla, putting us ahead on 13 minutes. We had our chances to get another, but we couldnâ€™t take them, and were vulnerable to the break. The inevitable came on 56 when Kaczor equalised on the night and completed a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Kowalczyk had us ahead after just five minutes away at Amica, but the home side soon got into their stride and Kryszalowicz equalised ten minutes later. They pounded us for much of the rest of the match, and on 33 Tusitala put them ahead. It was a question of how many they would get in the second half, but we somehow held out until 73 when Kryszalowicz added a third. Five minutes later though Kowalczyk pulled a goal back, and in the fifth minute of injury time Tomasiak somehow scored an equaliser.

A season that had promised so much early on is threatening to end in relative failure, and thereâ€™s still the possibility that we wonâ€™t make the European spots. Weâ€™ve got only four matches left, and we know what we have to do. Weâ€™ll be going all out to do it.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Lech 22 12 5 5 44 23 +21 41

2nd Amica 22 10 7 5 40 27 +13 37

3rd Groclin 22 10 7 5 35 25 +10 37

4th Wisla 22 11 3 8 32 25 +7 36

5th Jagiellonia 22 11 3 8 34 30 +4 36

6th Radomsko 22 9 7 6 46 26 +20 34

7th Legia 22 9 5 8 41 35 +6 32

8th Widzew 22 8 8 6 26 22 +4 32

9th Leczna 22 6 10 6 23 26 -3 28

10th Pogon 22 8 3 11 29 37 -8 27

11th Polonia 22 6 7 9 22 34 -12 25

----------------------------------------------------

12th Wisla Plock 22 6 6 10 22 25 -3 24

----------------------------------------------------

13th Szczakowianka 22 6 4 12 19 40 -21 22

14th Pl Gornik Zabrze 22 3 3 16 16 54 -38 12

</pre>

binny · May 22, 2004

May 2007

We began the final run-in with a home tie against league leaders Lech. We gave them a good game, and four minutes before the break Morawski made a mazy run and ended it with a lovely goal. Twelve minutes after the break Malecki got in to double the advantage, and things got even better when Gojtkowski was sent off for the visitors. In the final minute Janecszko scored his first goal for the club and we had a good 3-0 victory.

It was backs-to-the-walls stuff as we travelled to Legia. Ten minutes before the break we cracked as Kielbowicz put the home side ahead and soon after half time Saganowski added a second. Kowalczyk scored what seemed to be a consolation on 77, but in injury time Kowalczyk scored a second and we had somehow scraped a draw.

The home tie with Jagiellonia was disappointing as we were never really in the game. In the end, a strike from Kobeszko six minutes from time was enough to settle the tie.

The last game of the season was a trip to Wisla and we were under pressure for much of the game. We did manage to break on occasion, but as the game wore on it seemed that it would end 0-0. But it wasnâ€™t to finish that way as Kowalczyk won it for us in injury time.

The last-gasp win at Wisla saw us leapfrog them into a final spot of 4th, and that means that weâ€™ll be playing in the UEFA Cup next season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st C Amica 26 14 7 5 48 29 +19 49

2nd Lech 26 14 5 7 50 30 +20 47

3rd Jagiellonia 26 13 3 10 38 36 +2 42

4th Radomsko 26 11 8 7 52 29 +23 41

5th Groclin 26 11 7 8 37 30 +7 40

6th Wisla 26 12 4 10 36 31 +5 40

7th Pogon 26 11 3 12 36 41 -5 36

8th Leczna 26 8 12 6 29 28 +1 36

9th Polonia 26 9 8 9 27 35 -8 35

10th Legia 26 9 7 10 45 42 +3 34

11th Widzew 26 8 9 9 28 28 0 33

---------------------------------------------------

12th Wisla Plock 26 8 7 11 27 28 -1 31

---------------------------------------------------

13th R Szczakowianka 26 7 4 15 20 44 -24 25

14th R Gornik Zabrze 26 3 4 19 19 61 -42 13

</pre>

Despite not scoring since early April, Baffour Gyan still managed to claim second spot in the top goalscorer charts, and also claimed third place in the Player of the Year awards. Unsurprisingly, the fans at the club named him as their Player of the Year as well. Young goalkeeper Pawel Majewski was recognised for his fantastic season by winning the Young Player of the Year award, and our good league position saw me finish 3rd in the Manager of the Year award.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Name Apps Conc Cln MoM Av R

Adamski, P - - - - ----

Dylewski, J - - - - ----

Iwanowski, P - - - - ----

Lech, A - - - - ----

Majewski, P 33 39 10 1 7.48

Prole, V - - - - ----

Wroblewski, R - - - - ----

Name Apps Gls Asts MoM Av R

Balecki, R - - - - ----

Berensztajn, J 1 (11) 2 0 0 7.25

Budnyk, A - - - - ----

Chelidze, L 24 1 0 0 7.17

Choi Jin-Chul 24 0 1 1 6.67

Czerbniak, Z 0 (4) 0 0 0 6.00

Drag, T 0 (3) 0 0 0 6.33

Dudka, K - - - - ----

Dziuba, D - - - - ----

Faltynski, M - - - - ----

Folc, M 18 14 5 3 8.00

Godras, M - - - - ----

Gorszkow, L 2 (22) 1 0 0 6.63

Gyan, B 32 23 11 5 7.50

Janeczko, M 13 1 1 0 7.08

Jarecki, T - - - - ----

Jozwiak, B 0 (1) 0 0 0 7.00

Kazimierowicz, T - - - - ----

Klos, R 32 0 2 2 7.75

Kolodziejczyk, M - - - - ----

Kowalczyk, R 13 (9) 10 2 2 7.27

Kowalski, A 0 (3) 0 0 0 6.00

Kulig, P 18 (9) 0 2 1 7.30

Lasocki, R 32 1 1 0 6.88

Lato, J - - - - ----

Lawa, B 33 1 17 1 7.67

Lines, A 15 (1) 1 4 0 7.69

Malecki, P 12 1 1 0 7.08

Morawski, M 13 3 2 2 7.85

Mrozek, D - - - - ----

Pluta, P - - - - ----

Pluta, S 0 (5) 1 1 0 7.20

Sikorski, P - - - - ----

Sokolowski, T 20 0 3 0 7.15

Szlapa, A 20 (3) 1 4 1 7.35

Tomasiak, S 3 (4) 1 1 0 6.14

Wicher, D 3 (2) 0 0 0 7.00

Witkowski, A - - - - ----

Zelasko, W 2 (2) 0 0 0 6.75

</pre>

One player that had really impressed me this season is Robert Klos who has been fantastic at left back this season. And with Marcin Folc expected back as preseason comes to an end, things are looking hopeful for the coming season.

binny · May 23, 2004

Preseason 2007

There was a bit of transfer action around the club, but such is the financial situation in Poland that there was very little money flying around. Zelasko, Jozwiak and Czerbniak all retired from playing the game, and Przemyslaw Pluta moved onto Polonia. The only other transfer out of the club was that of Darius Mrozek, on loan to Odra Opole for three months.

We had no fewer than 12 youngsters coming through the youth ranks, and most of them will spend the season with the youth and reserve squads. We signed defenders Dariusz Dudek and Mariusz Mowlik from Legia and Lech respectively, as well as defensive midfielder Marek Walburg from Widzew. More interestingly though was the signing of former Portuguese international Dani from Sporting, and Nigerian hotshot striker Julius Aghahowa from Ukrainean side Shakhtar.

Preseason began with a trip to Slovakia to take on Trencin. Lawa had us ahead after just five minutes and Aghahowa scored twice inside the next five. Gyan added two more before half time and completed his hatrick soon after the restart. Kowalczyk added a seventh on 85 and we had an excellent start.

Aghahowa and Gyan scored in the first half as we travelled to Miedz, and midway through the second half Szlapa added a third. We conceded two goals late on, but held on to win 3-2.

A trip to Odra Wodzislaw proved to be difficult, but just before half time Chelidze gave us the lead. Gyan got a second ten minutes before the end, and the home side pulled one back in injury time.

Goals from Janeczko, Aghahowa and Gyan in the last 15 minutes of the first half had us in control at non-league Gryf, and Godras added a fourth early in the second half as we cantered to an easy win.

Our only home tie of the preseason was against Belgian outfit Antwerp, and with six minutes gone Aghahowa had us ahead. Gyan added a second before half time, but we then had Lasocki sent off. Lawa got a third early in the second half and we held out for a 3-0 win.

The final game was a trip to Zaglebie S. Gyan and Dani scored within five minutes of each other early on, and Gyan scored a third just before the hour. Three minutes from time Pluta added a fourth, following up after seeing a penalty parried.

Weâ€™ve had a decent preseason, and Iâ€™m confident that we can repeat our mid-table achievement of last season. With odds of 20-1 to win the league, thatâ€™s 6th-favourites, we know that itâ€™s expected of us as well. The UEFA Cup Qualifying draw pitted us against Danish opposition again. This time weâ€™re up against OB, and will be in Denmark for the first leg.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Adamski, P GK Dylewski, J GK

Iwanowski, P GK Jankowski, T GK

Lech, A GK Majewski, P GK

Prole, V GK Wozniak, A GK

Wroblewski, R GK Kowalski, A SW/D C

Mowlik, M SW/D C Budnyk, A D R

Chelidze, L D RC Choi Jin-Chul D RC

Drag, T D R Dudek, D D/DM RC

Faltynski, M D RL Klos, M D/DM R

Kowalczyk, J D RC Kulig, P D/DM R

Markovic, I D R Marzec, P D/DM R

Mrozek, D D RC Gorszkow, L D LC

Klos, R D L Lasocki, R D LC

Witkowski, A D/DM LC Dziuba, D D C

Sikorski, P D C Walburg, M D/DM C

Kalinowski, T DM RC Kovalchuk, V DM R

Lines, A DM LC Wicher, D DM LC

Godras, M M R Lato, J M L

Balecki, R AM RC Janeczko, M AM RL

Sokolowski, T AM R Lawa, B AM/F L

Lewandowski, A AM L Pluta, S AM/F L

Baran, J AM C Berensztajn, J AM C

Dani AM C Szlapa, A AM C

Aghahowa, J F RC Gyan, B F RC

Kowalczyk, R F RC Tomasiak, S F C

Dudka, K S C Folc, M S C

Jarecki, T S C Kazimierowicz, T S C

Kolodziejczyk, M S C Kowalczyk, P S C

Socha, T S C

</pre>

binny · May 24, 2004

August 2007

The season began with the traditional FA Cup tie, travelling to Podbeskidzie in the second round. Aghahowa and Gyan scored within a minute of each other to get the ball rolling, and Aghahowa scored a third on 19 minutes. The Nigerian completed his hatrick just after half time, and Walburg scored a cracker to mark his debut. Folc came off the bench to add a sixth as we cruised through to the third round.

The third round took us to Odra Wodzislaw, but we started poorly, conceding twice to Maslowski inside the first 22 minutes. Lasocki was sent off ten minutes before the break and things looked ominous. The turning point came midway through the second period when the home side had their goalkeeper taken off injured, and having used all three substitutes, they resorted to putting a defender in goal. Folc came off the bench to pull a goal back on 76, and six minutes later Folc equalised. Four minutes from time Gyan scored a third and we scraped through to a quarterfinal tie with Wisla Plock.

The league campaign began with a trip to Legia, and it began perfectly as Gyan scored twice inside the first four minutes. Legia regrouped and on 18 pulled a goal back through Saganowski. They might have equalised soon after, but we held on and just before the break Gyan completed his hatrick. The second half saw Legia prod at us, and with 19 minutes to play Javi SÃ¡nchez pulled a goal back. Within two minutes though Dani cracked in his first goal for the club and we won the game 4-2.

The trip to OB in the UEFA Cup qualifying round was difficult for us, and with their first attack of the game the Danes scored through Lund. They were in control after that, and just before the break Jacobsen doubled the lead. They somewhat eased up in the second half and we have it all to do in the second leg.

The home tie Wisla started brightly, but our dominance in the first half wasnâ€™t rewarded by a goal. Early in the second half we were punished as Pawel Brozek scored two quick-fire goals, and although we tried to get back into the game, Pawel Brozek completed his hatrick in injury time.

Sebastian Tomasiak was allowed to join Odra Opole on loan for three months ahead of our trip to Amica. The game was poor from our perspective, starting badly as Kryszalowicz put them ahead after just three minutes. We never really recovered, especially when Chelidze was sent off ten minutes before the break. Kryszalowicz punished us two minutes later with a second, and they pummelled us for a third in the second half. Gyan pulled one back midway through the second half, but we never really threatened an equalised. Eight minutes from time Klepczynski scored his first goal for Amica to wrap up a 3-1 victory.

Ahead of the return leg against OB I allowed Damian Wicher to join Aluminium on loan for three months. We needed an early goal against the Danes, and we got it after 7 minutes when Folc cracked home a free kick. Eleven minutes later Folc scored a second and the aggregate scores were level. Robert Klos put us ahead for the first time in the tie with his first strike for the club early in the second half, but we knew that an OB goal would see them go through on the away goal rule. Nine minutes from time Kulig headed in his first goal for the club as we wrapped up a 4-0 win on the night and a 4-2 aggregate victory.

The first round draw had pitted us against Slovakians Slovan Bratislava, and we will travel to their place for the first leg. We must though use our result against OB to springboard our league campaign that has started poorly.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Amica 4 3 1 0 9 3 +6 10

2nd Wisla 4 3 1 0 8 2 +6 10

3rd Ruch Chorzow 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10

4th Legia 5 3 0 2 11 10 +1 9

5th Jagiellonia 4 2 0 2 9 6 +3 6

6th Leczna 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6

7th Lech 4 2 0 2 6 7 -1 6

8th Groclin 5 1 1 3 6 8 -2 4

9th Arka 4 1 1 2 6 9 -3 4

10th Polonia 4 1 1 2 3 8 -5 4

11th Pogon 4 1 0 3 7 7 0 3

-------------------------------------------------

12th Radomsko 3 1 0 2 5 8 -3 3

-------------------------------------------------

13th Widzew 4 1 0 3 3 7 -4 3

14th Wisla Plock 4 0 2 2 1 5 -4 2

</pre>

binny · May 27, 2004

September 2007

We began the month with a trip to Pogon. It wasnâ€™t pretty, but as the game progressed the home side took the initiative. Just past the hour Keska put them ahead, but we responded well, equalising through Aghahowa seven minutes later. Three minutes later though Keska scored a lovely goal, and we slumped to yet another defeat.

Midweek we played our catch-up game at home to Leczna. With 27 minutes gone Aghahowa put us ahead, and ten minutes into the second half Kowalczyk doubled the lead as we claimed a good victory.

We began well at home to Widzew, but on 13 we were caught at the back and fell behind to a Rybski strike. Nine minutes later Kulig found an equaliser, but we shot ourselves in the foot seven minutes from time, conceding a penalty that Rybski converted. We made all the running in the second half, but couldnâ€™t find an equaliser.

We were under the cosh from the off at Groclin, and on the half hour Zajac gave them the lead. How we kept it at 1-0 was beyond understanding, but eight minutes from time Aghahowa got through to earn us a point.

A trip to Bratislava to face Slovan in the UEFA Cup was next for us, and after competing well early on we fell behind to a Vittek strike ten minutes before the break. In injury time we conceded a second to Sestak and it looked ominous. We came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, and ten minutes into the second period Seman deflected Aghahowaâ€™s shot into his own net. Gyan equalised twelve minutes later and it was level again. Eight minutes from time Gyan put us ahead, and Aghahowa scored a fourth to give us a good lead to take back to our place.

The trip to Polonia started poorly as Dubicki put them ahead inside four minutes, but nine minutes later Gyan equalised from the penalty spot. Four minutes later though Mazurkiewicz restored their lead, and ten minutes before the break Dubicki scored a third. Aghahowa gave us hope of a comeback on 63, but we never threatened it, and five minutes from time Kakietek made sure with a fourth for Polonia.

Itâ€™s been a poor month for us as weâ€™ve struggled to find any sort of form in the league. Weâ€™re doing well in Europe though, we just have to try to play like that against domestic opposition as well.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Ruch Chorzow 8 6 2 0 13 5 +8 20

2nd Amica 8 5 3 0 17 8 +9 18

3rd Wisla 8 5 1 2 15 10 +5 16

4th Legia 8 5 0 3 17 12 +5 15

5th Widzew 8 4 0 4 9 10 -1 12

6th Lech 8 3 2 3 14 15 -1 11

7th Groclin 8 3 2 3 9 9 0 11

8th Wisla Plock 8 3 2 3 10 10 0 11

9th Arka 8 3 1 4 13 17 -4 10

10th Pogon 8 3 0 5 13 12 +1 9

11th Polonia 8 2 2 4 10 16 -6 8

-------------------------------------------------

12th Radomsko 8 2 1 5 12 17 -5 7

-------------------------------------------------

13th Jagiellonia 8 2 0 6 15 17 -2 6

14th Leczna 8 2 0 6 3 12 -9 6

</pre>

binny · May 27, 2004

October 2007

We hosted Wisla Plock in the first leg of the FA Cup quarterfinal. It was a tight game, and seemed as if it would end goalless. But seven minutes from time Dani struck and we had a slim lead to take with us.

Arka came to town in the league, and soon put us under pressure. Holc and Dzienis scored within four minutes of each other to put them 2-0 up at half time, and just before the break Donicik scored a third. Six minutes later though Folc pulled a goal back, and the comeback was on when Aghahowa made it 3-2 on 69. A minute later though Donocik scored another for Arka and that was it. In injury time Chelidze was sent off, although Folc did pull another goal back.

Wisla Plock came to visit on league duty, and after a poor first half we took the lead on 48 through Lawa. Wisla Plock woke up after that, and although we defended well, Jelen found an equaliser five minutes from time.

The return leg with Slovan Bratislava saw us look to take the lead. We couldnâ€™t though, but Slovan didnâ€™t really threaten us either. That was until the hour when Vladimir Bednar put them into the lead on the night, but fifteen minutes from time Gyan scored an equaliser, and we were through to the second half 5-3 on aggregate. Slovan also had Polgar sent off in the last minute, and we will take on Italian side Chievo Verona.

The trip to surprise league leaders Ruch Chorzow started well as Folc put us ahead on 9 minutes, and seven minutes before the break Aghahowa had us two goals up. Folc made it 3-0 on the hour, and although Giza pulled a goal back, we held on for a crucial victory.

The return FA Cup quarterfinal tie at Wisla Plock began well for us, with Folc putting us ahead on the night after nine minutes. Romuzga equalised soon afterwards, but we held on well. The pressure told three minutes from time when Jelen struck, but we progressed through to a semi-final meeting with Belchatow on the away goals rule.

The last game of the month was a poor affair at home with Jagiellonia. There were few chances, and the game was settled by Kobeszkoâ€™s goal on 16 minutes.

I donâ€™t know why we havenâ€™t been able to convert our good cup play into league action. Things are going to be decidedly tight for the rest of the season.

binny · May 28, 2004

November 2007

We travelled to Lech and gave them a good game. Gyan put us ahead on the half hour, but in first half injury time Slusarski scored a cruel equaliser. We kept going in the second half, and on 57 Janeczko restored our lead. A minute later though Klos was sent off, and we had to defend deeply. We held on for ages, but deep into injury time Slusarski hit us with another equaliser and we had no time to hit back.

Chievo came to visit on UEFA Cup duty, and with just eight minutes gone Pellissier put them ahead. We played well, and had a few chances to get back into the game, but couldnâ€™t take them. Our best chance fell midway through the second period. Moro was sent off for felling Gyan in the box, but the Ghanaian saw his penalty saved by the goalkeeper.

Pawel Brozek put Wisla ahead after just minutes as we travelled to them, and things looked decidedly dodgy for us. Somehow they didnâ€™t manage to get a second, and we slowly got back into the game. Twenty minutes from time Folc equalised, and six minutes later Gyan had us ahead. Gyan added a third seven minutes from time and we had another much-needed victory.

The home tie with Legia started well. They had Magiera sent off after just two minutes for a professional foul, and Folc cracked in the free kick. We couldnâ€™t get another though, and four minutes before the break Saganowski equalised. It didnâ€™t get much better in the second half, and midway through the second period Javi SÃ¡nchez headed home a winner.

Our last match before the winter break was the trip to Verona to play Chievo in the UEFA Cup. We battled well early on to no avail, and early in the second half Barzagli and Franceschini scored two quick goals to kill the tie. Carignano scored a third on 71 as Chievo progressed through to the third round 4-0 aggregate winners.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts

1st Legia 15 10 0 5 34 18 +16 30

2nd Amica 15 8 5 2 26 13 +13 29

3rd Ruch Chorzow 15 9 2 4 28 23 +5 29

4th Wisla Plock 15 7 4 4 22 15 +7 25

5th Groclin 15 7 4 4 26 17 +9 25

6th Wisla 15 7 2 6 23 21 +2 23

7th Polonia 15 6 5 4 23 21 +2 23

8th Widzew 15 7 0 8 14 19 -5 21

9th Leczna 15 6 2 7 12 17 -5 20

10th Pogon 15 6 1 8 24 21 +3 19

11th Radomsko 15 4 3 8 25 29 -4 15

-------------------------------------------------

12th Lech 15 4 3 8 20 29 -9 15

-------------------------------------------------

13th Arka 15 4 1 10 22 44 -22 13

14th Jagiellonia 15 4 0 11 20 32 -12 12

</pre>

binny · May 29, 2004

Winter Break 2007-8

I had spent December and the early part of January trying to decide how I was going to keep Radomsko outside the bottom three. I had though been getting disillusioned with life at the club, and with the Russian season in itsâ€™ close season, I looked eastwards for a new job. In the end, I was offered the job at newly promoted First Division side Znamya Truda Orekhovo-Zeuvo. The first part of the sideâ€™s name is also the name of the 6000-capacity stadium in which they play and the second part of the sideâ€™s name is the town in which they play. The season kicks off in March, and our aim for the season is clear â€“ steer clear of the bottom five of the 22 sides. The top two sides at the end of the season get promoted, but I canâ€™t see us getting there come the end of the season. The squad is small, but well covered in most positions.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Makarov, A GK Sitchikhin, O GK

Veselov, D SW/D RC Smirnov, I D RC

Timashov, V D R Kozmin, K D L

Kulak, K D L Kanipov, R D C

Roschin, V D C Polovinchuk, D M RC

Shestakov, I M R Kravtsov, A M L

Ponomarev, K M L Valiev, M M L

Borzenkov, A AM/F RL Filimonov, A AM/F R

Kireev, A AM R Shevchenko, S AM RC

Umerov, R AM RL Yakimov, K AM/F L

Nikishin, K AM C Busurin, R F RL

Kuznetsov, N S C

</pre>

One area of the squad that needed the most strengthening was the backroom staff. I moved quickly to sign Russian Victor Derbunov and Belizean RenÃ© Wiltshire as coaches, and former Polish international Dariusz Adamczuk joins as assistant manager. I did make a few signings as well before the season began. Young striker Valdimir Kulik came in on a free transfer and Fakel allowed us to take striker Sergey Gorokhov on loan for the season. Arsenal Tula defender Roman Dumanskiy and Sergey Stepanenko, a goalkeeper from Terek, also came in on loan for the season. The only other signing was that of Bosnian midfielder Ahmed Hosic, who joined on loan for the season from Polish side Szczakowianka.

We played five warm-up games, as I tried to see what this side was capable of. Gorokhov and Kulik both scored as we held Spartak Moscow to a 2-2 draw, and a last-minute strike by Busurin gave us a 2-1 vicotry against Torpedo Moscow. We had earlier taken the lead through Kravtsov.

Kulik scored a consolation as we fell to Fakel, and a fantastic last twenty minutes at non-league Irtysh saw six goals shared between the two sides. Our goals came courtesy of Kuzentsov, Nikishin and Busurin.

The last game was a home tie with Rotor, but they outplayed us and we slumped to a 2-0 defeat.

We showed enough to give me hope of a mid-table finish, and with odds of 80-1 to win the division, that seems to be a realistic target for me.

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