Gornik Zabrze 1-3 Jagiellonia Bialystok, Saturday 8th August 2015

Gornik Zabrze 1-3 Jagiellonia Bialystok (att. 5,520)

Welcome to...Zabrze railway station!

This is what it’s all about. Being joined on the train one stop from Zabrze by the Ruda Slask ultras. Once decamped at Zabrze station, they announced their arrival: everyone stopped at the bottom of the stairs. As I passed them I saw a lit firecracker on the stairs. This was the cue for several flares to be lit and the chant go up: ‘ZABRZE! ZABRZE!’

I was well co-ordinated (for once) and knew how to get to the stadium, but the ultras went the opposite way. I couldn’t resist. I followed. They were cutting through various estates and within two streets the police had turned up to chaperone them. At first it was one van, then two…and within a few streets they were being followed by five police vehicles. As the fans cut through the estates (where no vehicles could get through) one police van would shoot ahead, while one would always bring up the rear. They were determined not to lose any ultras. This lasted all the way to the ground.

The game of cat and mouse continues.

I was met by a grand stadium surrounded by a building site.  The brand new stands have been enveloped in a sort of mesh…a downscale version of Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium. I had to walk around 3 sides to find an entrance. With increasing obviousness that the new stands weren’t open, I worried the game might be a sell out. For the uninitiated, even if you’ve never heard of them, Gornik are a famous old name within Poland and hold the record for the number of Polish championships won, along with local rivals Ruch Chorzow.  Panic!

The road to nowhere.

Did I say it was BAKING hot? So there was no cover as I queued at the portacabin ticket office. However, mustn’t grumble. The registration process was a lot quicker than Szczecin and Cracovia. I was in! Membership and match ticket: 25 PLZ. About 4 quid.

And although there was a beer garden outside, the beer flowed slowly (literally), so I went inside the stadium, hoping for better. The first thing that greeted me was a hosepipe spraying water everywhere. Genius! I’d like to think I started the craze of getting absolutely drenched. It was the only way to keep cool. Then a beer…then 2 more beers and a kombasa (sausage) for the match. I was all set!

I started all this.  I did.  I did.

My seat was in the one part of the stadium not rebuilt (yet). An uncovered lower tier of seating on crumbling terrace was backed by a small covered section. The rest of the stadium, 3 sides of seating on two tiers dwarfed this area. The stadium is huge – surely far too big for Zabrze, record holding champions or not. And surely they’re not going to leave this little stand once the rest is developed? Who would have the foresight to leave it standing, a quirky gem in the middle of the sparkling newbies? (Answer: no-one; I saw an artist’s drawing of the new stadium and this stand would be pulled down and rebuilt as symmetrical as the rest. A real shame, and I feel honoured to have visited while I had the chance.)

The old stand next to its bigger (younger) brother.

The ultras were behind the goal. So there WAS one part of the new stadium open, the lower tier to my right. Their ultras really made some noise, before their ultimate show. A banner was unfurled from the front, 22 minutes into the game, covering the whole tier. And it stayed there for 20 odd minutes. The fans continued chanting, unable to actually see any action. Unbelievable! (They also missed 2 goals.) Then, before half time, the flag was furled to the back and the flares were lit. What a sight! (The tannoy came on straightaway. If I’m not mistaken, the Polish for ‘consequences’ sounds uncannily like the English.) The ref took the players off for a spell and once the flares went out, the banner covered the fans again. You don’t come to Zabrze for the football, obviously.

The banner covers the whole end...

...before it's furled and the flares lit

Till then, I’d been fascinated by Jagiellonia’s strip, a sort of Melchester Rovers, as well as one of their forwards, a squat, chunky fella with some curls going on. A cross between Mickey Thomas and Mick Quinn. How could this guy be a footballer? Obviously he scored, a cracker with the outside of his right boot. Then it was 0-2, a well worked move down the right ending in a pullback and tap-in. There looked to be no hope for Gornik, but they pulled a goal back when….?  Dunno, can’t remember. Nor can I remember the goal wot killed them off. It’ll be on youtube somewhere.

Drinks and towel break for Melchester.

At half time I went and sat behind the goal. My earlier request to have a seat ‘high up’ (I had my hand raised) translated into ‘as close to the pitch as possible’. But when I saw an ultra sneak through a fence during the interval to have a go on the hosepipe, I snuck the other way. And I’d have got away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky kids. Although I sat at the far side of the stand, near the back, I was rumbled for sitting when I should have been standing. So I had a few ‘bounces’ with the home support. Though I was forgiven for not going topless, as the cheerleader urged everyone else to be. (Oddly, it’s always the men who go topless, not the women.)

The view from behind the goal.  Hypnotic.

I loved every minute at Gornik, but if they can’t fill a 1½ sided ground, what chance 4? Especially if the away team brings as few as Jagiellonia (zero, as far as I could tell). At full time the home players had to submit themselves to another 5-10 minutes of choreographed chanting, before running the gauntlet of handshakes at the front of the ‘terrace’. How must they have felt losing 1-3 and still having THIS support? Hopefully, embarrassed.
I drenched myself one last time and strolled to the station. It was onto GKS Katowice the same day! (Note: I got the KO time wrong at GKS and arrived at half time. I’d have certainly moved a bit quicker out of Gornik had I realised. Idiot.)

Only slightly disconcerting...

The Damage: 
PLZ 25 ent 
PLZ 5 beer (x3)
PLZ 7 kombasa
= PLZ 47(£8)

The Tunes: 
Ogdens Nut Gone Flake (Small Faces) 
Nowhere (Ride) 
Not Music (Stereolab)

ZABRZE! ZABRZE!

Someone call the fire brigade

Part stadium, part building site.

'Work in progress'.

Arena Zabrze's cape

The one way in.

Brand spanking new turnstiles (unused).

Back of the old stand.

The beer garden.

The ticket office.

I spy...the Jagiellonia team bus.

Seen better days...

It's coming on nice.

One end is nearly finished.

The teams come out.

I am definitely having one of them.

Old meets new (almost).

The teams line up.

Comedy mascot #1.

...and his mate.

A cheerful reminder there's a game on.

Unleash the beasts (flares that is)!

So the ultras can keep score.

The home end.

The Main Stand (!?)

This might have been Jag's 3rd.

Ambition costs nothing millions.

The view at full time.

The cheerleaders/drummers enjoying a break.

Clothes not optional.

'What are wearing tomorrow?'

I am doing whatever these guys tell me to.

Soon to be R.I.P.