In their final match in Kudowa, against Włókniarz, BKS players concluded the autumn round of the 1995/96 season and said goodbye to their coach, Józef Kawałko. The coach travelled to the United Arab Emirates, where he is working with Janusz Wójcik, helping him manage that country’s Olympic national team.
Several impressive victories at the end of the season raised hopes of building a good football team capable of competing at the third-league level. There is a group of talented players, most of them BKS youth products, and there is a good coach. The minimum conditions for work need to be created; the coach’s departure has complicated the situation somewhat. Will he return? What could tip the balance in favour of our city and team? Will the fragile thread connecting the coach and the team be enough? Most people probably expected that a new mentor for the players would have to be found.
On 1 January, at noon, when BKS players were playing their traditional New Year’s match, coach J. Kawałko appeared on the pitch among the participants of the inaugural game and posed for a commemorative photograph. Only the brown tan on his face confirmed his presence under African skies. A few days later, after talking with the Club Board, he decided to take charge of the first team. Without delay, he began working, inspiring the entire squad with his enthusiasm and commitment.
Training sessions are held almost every day, along with frequent friendly matches. It is hard work. The effort of the players must be appreciated: after their jobs or school classes, they come to training. They, too, see the point of all this toil. Anyone who has played sport knows how much sacrifice and gritting one’s teeth it requires.
In February, the coach brought the players together for a two-week training camp locally. Training sessions now take place twice a day, along with friendly matches— as many as four a week. Attendance at training is nearly 100 percent. The coach’s authority and expertise are appreciated and confirmed by the players’ participation in the sessions.
Krzysztof Kamuda, Zdzisław Wiśniowiecki of Rybak Parowa, Artur Wilas and Remigiusz Wlaczyk have returned to the squad after resuming training. The extended first-team squad consists of: Piotr Bilski, Grzegorz Biżecki, Dariusz Czerkasiewicz, Artur Dębski, Tomasz Fulczyński, Dariusz Hałka, Krzysztof Kownacki, Krzysztof Kozioł, Włodzimierz Pałka, Robert Nitarski, Piotr Rosik, Grzegorz Ruciński, Mariusz Rutkowski, Rafał Stasiak, Janusz Stec, Marcin Szaja, Marek Kulczyński, Henryk Sługocki and Józef Pietrzak, signed from Miedź Legnica.
The coach, assisted by Stanisław Zapiór, is also looking for reinforcements in several positions. Candidates are being tested in friendly matches. By mid-February, matches had been played against: Promień Żary (1:3 and 4:4), GKS Raciborowice (1:0 and 2:1), Chojnowianka (3:3), Czarni Żagań (1:0 and 4:1), Górnik Polkowice (0:0), and Chrobry Nowogrodziec (1:3). Further matches are planned against Kem-Bud Jelenia Góra (formerly Karkonosze), Miedź Legnica, Lechia Dzierżoniów, Kuźnia Jawor and Chrobry Głogów. Even older BKS supporters cannot remember so many games before the season.
All activities, matches and training sessions take place on the grounds of the Military Unit, where BKS Club has a proven friend who understands the needs and circumstances of sport in the city. On behalf of the players, coaches and Board, we thank Commander Colonel Stanisław Chwojnicki and Major Michał Wałęza for their assistance.
From the extended squad, coach Józef Kawałko will select an 18-man team in March, which will begin the second half of the season, and he will await the results of his own hard work and that of his charges. Will dreams of better-quality football in Bolesławiec prove realistic? We will see on 23 March, in the derby against Nysa Zgorzelec. Keep your fingers crossed. They say dreams sometimes come true.