Poland – ranked 20th. New rules started this season and were in place for the next 4 years: 3 points were given to a team winning by 3 or more goals. A team losing by 3 or more goals had 1 deducted. This complicated a bit the tables, for extra points or deduction had to be shown in brackets, but bigger complication in the introductory season was that few teams were penalized and ended the championship with 29 instead of 30 games. No infractions in the Second Division, but in the First Zaglebie – Ruch, Olimpia – Stal, and Lech – Polonia were canceled and records stripped because of allegations of match-fixing. However, no further penalties, so the allegations most likely were not proven. One match had to be replayed, though: Gornik Walbrzych – Motor originally ended 4-0, but the result was canceled because of ‘lack of motivation on the part of visitor team’. The match was replayed and unlike the previous 4 teams, Walbrzych and Motor finished with 30 games.
Four teams were relegated and four promoted from the Second Division – the last two in the top league were directly relegated and the the winners of the 2 groups making Second Division – directly promoted. The other two relegated teams were decided in play-offs between 11th and 14th and 12th vs13th in the final table of the season. Meantime, the 2nd and the 3rd in each Second Division group played for the remaining 2 promotional spots. The same relegation rule applied to the bottom of the Second Division groups, where also 4 teams were relegated and replaced by 4 teams promoted from Third Division.
In passing, let mention the promoted from Third Division: ZAGŁĘBIE (Wałbrzych), STAL STOCZNIA (Szczecin), STOCZNIOWIEC (Gdańsk), ODRA (Opole) were promoted to Group 1 and STAL (Rzeszów),
GKS (Bełchatów), GWARDIA (Szczytno), BŁĘKITNI (Kielce) went to Group 2. A mixed bag of teams, including some fromer top league members and little known clubs, including GKS Belchatow, which emerged from obscurity only after the fall of Communism.
The Second Division continued in its familiar structure – 2 groups of 16 teams each. And anomaly was also continued: the representatives of the city of Radom were not in one group and thus there was no city derby. However, such separation applied only to this city – cities with more than team in the league had them playing in the same group. Down on there luck were some former First Division members: Arka (Gdynia) was relegated to third level, Gwardia (Warszawa) survived only after winning relegation play-off, and
Zaglebie (Sosnowiec) was 6th in Group 2.
But the biggest decline was seen in Krakow – if Hutnik was small club, Wisla was one of the most famous and successful Polish clubs. Not only Krakow did not have a team in the top division, but both Wisla and Hutnik failed to reach even promotional ply-offs: both teams played in Group 2, Wisla finished 4th and Hutnik – 5th. Lesser teams did the same or better than famed Wisla.
Stilon (Gorzow) was 4th in Group 1.
Piast (Gliwice) in front and Zawisza (Bydgoszcz) behind Piast ended 3rd and 5th in Group 1 – Piast went to promotional play-offs.
As for the strangely separated team from Radom,
Radomiak finished 8th in Group 1, but there rivals Bron were 12th in Group 2 and went to relegation play-offs. They barely survived thanks to away-goal rule.
At the top of tables – two teams fought for top position in Group 1.
Szombierki (Bytom) clinched the victory with 46 points and returned to top flight.
Baltyk (Gdynia) lost the championship by a single point. In the promotion play-off they met 3rd placed Piast (Gliwice) and prevailed 1-1 and 2-0. Baltyk also returned to First Division.
Jagiellonia (Bialystok) was absolutely dominant in Group 2 – they won the championship with 55 points: 15 points ahead of the second-placed. Promoted, of course.
Stal (Stalowa Wola) had to settle for indirect chance for promotion – they finished distant 2nd and met Gornik (Knurow), 3rd, but only because of worse goal-difference, in the play-off. It was till close battle – Gornik won in Knurow 2-1, but Stal managed to win 2-0 at home and won, and was happily promoted.
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