Continuation
In today’s instalment, I will describe the football team’s period of play from 1961 to 1970.
During these years, BKS Bolesławiec played in the league of the former Wrocław Voivodeship, sometimes referred to as the third division, and later as the regional league.
Winning this league meant taking part in the competition for promotion to the second division. At that time, BKS’s rivals included Piast Nowa Ruda, Bielawianka, Lechia Dzierżoniów, Górnik Wałbrzych, Thorez Wałbrzych, Ślęza Wrocław, Olimpia Kowary, Śląsk Wrocław’s reserve team, which played in the first division, and others.
The Śląsk team included, among others, Władysław Żmuda and Lesław Ćmikiewicz, who later represented Poland.
In its first seasons, BKS Bolesławiec occupied mid-table positions, before becoming the autumn champion in the 1963/64 season. Unfortunately, the team was unable to maintain this position until the end of the competition. Thorez Wałbrzych won the league.
On 2 October, for the opening of the new stadium on Spółdzielcza Street, BKS hosted Lotnik Wrocław and won the match 2–1, with goals scored by B. Skowroński and St. Kołsut. Once again, in the 1966/67 season, BKS finished second in the table behind Gwardia Wrocław, and the winner was to be decided by a playoff, which ended goalless. Despite this, the Wrocław OZPN awarded first place to the team from Wrocław. From 1961 to 1968, the BKS Bolesławiec team was coached by Władysław Suchoń. The players who appeared most often in his team were: A. Klimczyk, the team’s long-serving captain, sadly now deceased (who does not remember “Dzidek” – the tall, powerfully built footballer?), R. Kasperczyk, B. Skowroński, R. Grzesik, M. Łachodiak, M. Stulin, H. Gallus, S. Zieliński, St. Kołsut and many, many others.
The 1969/70 season arrived, bringing such happiness to the BKS team. The long-awaited promotion to the third division was secured just before the end of the competition, when BKS overtook its most dangerous rival, Dolnoślązak Jelenia Góra, as well as Zagłębie Lubin. In 1970, Zagłębie was beginning its march towards the Polish championship. It is worth mentioning the heroes of this achievement here. The team’s coach was M. Jednoróg, MSc, while the following players appeared on the pitch: R. Kasperczyk, J. Bachusz, H. Maculewicz (yes, indeed – the later Poland international and participant in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina), H. Szołtysik, A. Klimczyk, W. Rupa, St. Kołsut, M. Stulin, A. Walczyk, A. Ociesa, J. Nowak, T. Kocniowski, Zb. Dybaś, E. Skrzypczyński and J. Chlebowicz. The team was supported by ZG “Konrad”, and the club’s president was J. Szczerba, MSc Eng. All of Bolesławiec celebrated the promotion of their favourites. It was a beautiful gift from the athletes for the BKS Club’s 15th anniversary.