One of my favourite things to do when abroad is to go to a local football match. I’m not talking about paying a hundred Euros to sit at the top of Nou Camp, or busting a gut making to go the Allianz Arena, everyone does that. What I like to do is go to a smaller, more local, lower league side and get a taste of what football is really like in that area. That’s how I found myself watching Chemik Bydgoszcz, a team from the wonderful city of Bydgoszcz, slap bang in the middle of Poland.
Chemik were founded in 1949 as a sports club for workers of a chemical factory in the area, after numerous name changes and a tumultuous history they find themselves in the IV League, the regionalised fifth tier of the Polish football pyramid. Finding information about the pyramid was relatively difficult for me, an English speaker, but I have made sure that yes, the fourth league is actually the fifth tier in Poland. The side historically played most of their football in the divisions above, even enjoying a few seasons in the II league but have since sunk lower. However, they’re on their way back up to greener pastures this season hopefully as they find themselves top of their league.
What drew me to Chemik was their ground. Stadion Czeslaw Kobus, named after the former president of the club who oversaw the building of the stadium, is undoubtedly a product of its era. The stadium was built in the 1970’s, while Poland still had a communist government, and it shows. It’s made up of two long, concrete terraces curve around the playing surface on either side, one slightly bigger than the other, that can apparently hold up to 15,000 spectators. There’s no roof and the remnants of a now long disused running track surrounds the pitch. Soviet-style apartment blocks loom behind the bare concrete of the larger terrace. In my eyes it’s a superb example of communist stadium design, something that I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing before. Admittedly, the ground has changed since the 20th century. Around 500 seats were recently installed to make match-going more comfortable and at either end of the ground were things you may not expect. From the right of where I was sat during the match, the back of an Aldi encroached onto the running track, on the other side that day a circus was being set up- big stripy tent and everything. It was in this setting that I was to experience my first taste of Polish football.
Top of the league Chemik were playing Lider Wloclawek who were 16th in the table at the time. I found out in the programme that their season was not just bad but terrible, having only won 3 games all season heading into the match. The programme was an A4 sheet of paper, that doubled up as a team sheet and was given to all spectators for free before the match kicked off. Not even the biggest clubs in the world would give out programmes for free- even if they’re only one page. Entry to the match was also free, with that kind of value anything that happens on the pitch is just a bonus, but I didn’t expect to be so thoroughly captivated by the game.
Chemik put Lider to the sword quite comfortably, as you might expect looking at the league table. The scoring was opened on 13 minutes by Chemik’s number 7 Piotr Siekirka after he met a lofted cross with a tidy finish at the back post.
Lider then levelled the game after 30 minutes, Patryk Cichocki firing the ball home from a close angle behind Chemik’s keeper Gracjan Let.
The team from Bydgoszcz managed to regain their lead before going into half time. Their number 2 Damian Kochmanski towered over all the Lider defenders to head the ball home from a freekick.
At halftime the skies opened, those in attendance put up their umbrellas and we had to hunker down for the time being with no roof above us to shelter us from rain. It was in the second half when the floodgates opened for Chemik though.
The goals came thick and fast, Chemik’s third was scored by Patryk Perlinski. He scrambled the ball past the line after Lider were unable to properly deal with a corner.
Chemik’s fourth goal of the day was by far their most spectacular. A freekick was lobbed into the Lider box, and after a Chemik midfielder could not find a way through the defence he decided to pull out something really special. He executed a rabona to cross the ball back into the box where it was met by Kochmanski to head the ball once again past Lider’s flailing goalkeeper.
A fifth was scored by Perlinski, his second goal of the game, on 84 minutes. It was a tidy shot with his left boot that was fired into the right hand side of the net.
And just 3 minutes later Chemik piled on more misery for Lider with their sixth. Substitute Kacper Klimkiewicz joined in on the fun, skipped past Lider’s beleaguered and bewildered defence and slotted it home.
Chemik thoroughly dismantled Lider Wloclawek who’s only fight came in the first half. In the second the side from Bydgoszcz were stronger, fitter and better on the ball making the match quite a one-sided show. With free entry, a free program and 7 goals on offer, I have no regrets about going all the way down to the Polish fifth tier to get my footballing fix. Yes, there were no superstars, no fireworks, but what I did get was some real authentic football, and nearly too many goals to count. Chemik will hope that they can fire themselves to promotion this year, and hopefully play at the level that they should think they belong in.
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