Hutnik Kraków : Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała

On Saturday, the plan was to tackle the "3 matches in one day" project. It kicked off with the third-division match between Hutnik Kraków and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała. Hutnik Kraków played in the top flight between 1990 and 1997 and even finished third in 1996.

Their home ground is the somewhat ageing Stadion Miejski Hutnik Kraków. The running track and the poor view from the stands, due to the players’ benches positioned at the edge of the pitch, detract somewhat from the experience. However, the delicious stadium sausage and the good, cheap beer more than make up for it.

The match between the local rivals also attracted numerous away fans, which was evident from the somewhat excessive police presence. The fans were also very keen to sing and set off pyrotechnics several times during the match.

Unfortunately, the performance on the pitch failed to match the atmosphere in the stands. The third-tier nature of the match was evident throughout, and a fiercely contested game developed – particularly from the home side – though it offered few moments of real quality. It was therefore hardly surprising that the only goal of the match came from a long-range shot by Kacper Prusiński, aided by a major goalkeeping error. At the end of the

day, however, the players of relegation-threatened Hutnik Kraków didn’t care, and they celebrated the victory extensively with the fans and the mascots. We didn’t have much time to join in the celebrations, though, as the journey to the next match was already awaiting us.