Centrum Szkoleniowe Robotnicza
Robotnicza
44-100 Gliwice
Poland
Ground Number: 1353
Sunday 22nd September 2024
Piast Gliwice II 1-1 Gwarek Ornotowice
IV Liga Grupa Slaska
PIAST GLIWICE - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was founded in June 1945 by the Poles who had been forced to leave their homes in former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union (present-day Ukraine). The club's name comes from the Piast dynasty, which ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state in the 10th century, until 1370, and in the city itself until 1532.
In 1949, five local teams were merged with Piast, and the team was renamed to Metal Piast Gliwice, and then to Stal Gliwice, before its original name Piast Gliwice was restored in 1955. Piast continued to play their matches on ul. Robotniczej (the current venue for their reserve team) . In 1964, Piast merged with GKS Gliwice, a team formed in 1956 from a merger of the three other local clubs, and the name was changed to GKS Piast Gliwice. Since the 1950s, Piast mostly played in the Second Division. During that period, Piast have twice (1978, 1983) managed to reach the final of the Polish Cup, losing on both occasions.
In the 1990s, due to financial difficulties, the team was rebuilt from the Klasa B (7th tier), achieving four consecutive promotions from the seventh to the third tier between 1997–2001, and afterwards it won promotion to the II liga (second tier) in 2003. Piast played as many as 33 seasons in the Polish Second Division, before finally being promoted to the Ekstraklasa in 2008. Having played two seasons in the top division, the club was relegated in 2010 but bounced back in 2012. It is the first football team in Poland to gain promotion from the 7th tier to the Ekstraklasa (Polish top tier of football) and later to the European club competition. In the 2010s, Piast enjoyed its greatest success, being runners-up in the 2016 Ekstraklasa and winning its first Polish championship in the 2019. Their reserve team compete in the regional fifth tier of of Polish football.
MY VISIT
From my game at Gornik Zabrze last night, it was a 35-minute walk back to my room with most of the people being happy that their team had won. I was back around 11:10 and with the UK being an hour behind, I watched Match Of The Day. I was more than an hour behind on my blogs, but I did manage to get the first one from yesterday done before I went to sleep around half past midnight. I awake naturally just before 7 and have a shower and get dressed. I still have plenty of time to kill and so research yesterdays games post match. I still don't manage to get another blog done before I leave at 9.15. I've made two separate bookings for my room on account of my Sunday trip to Bohumin being abandoned due to flooding in the area. My wasted advance train ticket pales into comparison with what those poor locals have suffered, being flooded out of their homes.
I leave the hotel pretty much on time but I'm parched and so head to a shop. I get a cherry energy drink, a fruit juice, a cheese ham and pickle roll and some chocolate rice cakes. It takes ages to get served due to dawdling customers so I miss my first bus by 30 seconds. I always try and allow for this so I walk 20 minutes to another bus stop and thankfully that goes to plan with the bus on time. It's an express service between two cities. After being put off using the buses due to the complexity of buying a ticket, I am glad to see the local bus app received an update a few days ago. I'm now actually able to register and load some credit, 10 zlotys. It's not quite the piece of cake of tapping your contactless card but it's easy enough as long as you remember to end the journey. The consequence of this express service is that we speed past the ground due to the limited stops and I have to walk back 20 minutes. Still, for 60p, it's great value for money. Google Maps makes its occasional trick of wanting me to walk through walls but I find another way around. It also makes an error with what entrance to use, but this works in my favour, getting me to the ground twenty minutes before kickoff. It's another lovely ground and again admission is free. I take a spot on the far side in the shade, sitting on a grass bank.
The game is in the 5th tier of Polish Football in the IV Liga Grupa Slaska. Piast Gliwice are 3rd in the table with a record of won 6, drawn 1, lost 1. Last time out they beat Rakow Czestochowa II 2-1. Gwarek Ornotowice are 18th having won 2, drawn 1 and lost 5. Last time out they lost 4-1 at Roswoj Katowice. The hosts start brightly and it's only a great save that prevents them going ahead in the opening minute. Ornotowice grow into the game and don't look like a struggling side. They have a couple of chances before being awarded a free kick much to the chagrin of the home coach who berates the linesman. The free kick comes to little but the resulting corner sees a shot cleared off the line. They continue to press and force a cross over the line on 15 minutes, much to the delight of the good number of fans that have come to the game. They miss a chance on 25, screwing narrowly wide. They pay the price a couple of minutes later when Gliwice break and equalise through a deflected shot. The second half is more even, Ornotowice coming close on the hour mark. Gliwice then have a great spell, thumping the right-hand post with a great 30 yard free kick near the end. But there are no further goals and Ornotowice bely their lowly league position by grabbing a good point.
THE GROUND
CENTRUM SZKOLENIOWE ROBOTNICZA is another great ramshackle Polish ground. There are grass banks all around which provide a great view of the game. There is no cover but there is a seated stand holding around 300. I didn't see anything for sale not was any admission charged. Parking is plentiful and the ground is well-linked by buses.
