Date: 14 October 2023 / League: Polish sixth tier (possibly!)
Final Score: 2-2 / Attendance: approx. 900
Experience
With most of the lower leagues already closed for the winter break, it’s doubtful that I’ll see anything till next year that will top my favourite experience of the season so far. Held at the archaic home of Gornik Piaski, the Czeladz derby provided for an incredible day of high-octane thrills.
Contested between Gornik and their cross-town rivals of CKS Czeladz, this was one of those matches that has you feeling sorry for those that weren’t there – they missed a treat.
As a derby, it’s got a cult reputation as ‘the connoisseur’s choice’, something evidenced by the number of Polish and international groundhoppers present – aside from me waving the flag for England, there was a high headcount of Germans on the touchline. Adding to the international feeling, on the pitch Czeladz found themselves fielding an Argentine, Spaniard and a Columbian.
Definitely the bigger side of the two, not so long back Czeladz could have been found playing in the third flight inside a stadium holding 20,000. Despite such salient differences, the clubs do share some common ground. Both founded in 1924, each can also boast a committed band of ultras that count Zaglebie Sosnowiec as their primary team. Yet despite this over-arching link, the rivalry between Czeladz and Piaski remains unflinchingly fierce.
With the international break further adding to the numbers on the gate, it was quite a sight to see Czeladz arriving mob-handed in a boisterous group of 300. And woah, what an atmosphere unfolded. At a guess I’d place the crowd at around nine hundred, with the majority of this figure occupying a broken terrace running down one side of the pitch. Framed on either side by trees and bushes, these provided a curious counterbalance to the rust and concrete and debris underfoot.
I hadn’t known what to expect from this ground but found myself falling immediately in love. Entering, visitors pass a decorative pond and rock garden embellished by such touches as an ornamental tiger. Backing onto the clubhouse in the corner, a set of shaded benches act as the VIP seating.
With all this perched up on a small hill overlooking the pitch, a set of stairs take fans and players down to a cinder track circling the field of play. On one side, a portable toilet stands carved into the grass slope, as well as a couple tents dispensing grilled sausages and frothing beers in plastic glasses. Separated from the low-rise apartments behind by a line of lollipop-shaped trees, it’s a wonderful marriage between the retro and the picturesque.
As a backdrop, this was a stage perfect for a match that had all the helter-skelter attributes you look for in a derby – a missed penalty, desperate tackles, whacked woodwork and heroic saves. But with the hosts cruising 2-0 with just minutes left on the clock, it was the visitors who has the last laugh scoring a brace with the last few kicks.
Dramatic as it all this may have been, never did it outshine the happenings in the crowd. Incredible this was with both sets of supporters offering a string of pyro shows, flag drops and ticker tape streams. In quieter moments, cans of beer would find themselves passed overhead through the foggy trails of mist left hanging by the flares.
I think, all of us football fans reserve a special place in our heart for some random game that somehow struck a chord, and in the context of this season then this is definitely mine. What a day. What a derby.
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