Groclin rise to the occasion

By Pawel Dimow & Maciej Iwanski

A 1-0 aggregate win against Hertha BSC Berlin in the UEFA Cup was a sensational result for Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski. England's Manchester City FC will now need to keep their wits about them after being drawn against the Polish side in the second round.

Rising force
Groclin are a rising force in Polish football. The club have an excellent, compact stadium, a fine squad, good financial backing, and as Hertha learned to their cost, one of the most dangerous striking partnerships in the region in Grzegorz Rasiak and Andrzej Niedzielan.

Super strikers
Rasiak scored the 84th-minute goal which eliminated Hertha in the second leg of their tie, with Niedzielan providing the assist. But it was Rasiak who laid on Niedzielan for both his goals when Poland beat Hungary 2-1 in a recent UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifier.

Inauspicious beginnings
Formed in 1922 by a group of local football enthusiasts, this season has certainly seen a massive rise in Groclin's profile. From a town with a population of just 13,000, the club only reached the top flight for the first time in 1997 and were immediately relegated. However, since winning promotion again in 1999, they have not looked back.

Quality players
There is now quality throughout a squad led by former ŠK Slovan Bratislava coach Dusan Radolsky. With a €5m annual budget that dwarfs that of any of their domestic rivals, the Slovakian coach can call on Polish international midfield players Marcin Zajac, Radoslaw Sobolewski and Sebastian Mila as well as his two strikers.

Wealthy benefactor
The key to that strength is club owner, Zbigniew Drzymala, who has a car-seat upholstery business and won the president's award for the best Polish exporter of 2002. With some of his profits being lavished upon his beloved club, the small town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski, which lies 50 kilometres from Poznan, has a team and a 4,200-seater stadium to be proud of.

European ambitions
"The defeat of Hertha was a great success for us and we are dreaming of more," Drzymala told uefa.com. "I think the team are ready to face Manchester City. I am pleased we have the chance to test ourselves against high-profile opponents, because success in Europe is our main target at the moment. Of course, we are also planning to perform as well as possible in the league too."

'Goal factory'
Last season, Groclin finished second in the Ekstraklasa but that was not good enough for coach Boguslaw Kaczmarek who was replaced by the 53-year-old Radolsky. The Slovakian has encouraged the side to play exciting, attacking football which had German reporters referring to them as the "goal factory" ahead of the Hertha tie.

Rasiak excited
Now, with the Manchester City match looming, confidence is high. Rasiak told uefa.com: "The goal against Hertha was the most important in my career. Nobody gave us a chance before those games but we were not scared of the Germans. Now we have higher aims and although City are favourites we believe in ourselves and our coach. We play attacking football and will see what will happen against the English side."

Footballing feast
With Kevin Keegan's City enjoying a similar reputation for attacking football, the first leg at the City of Manchester stadium on 6 November promises to be a feast. Should they reach the third round, it could be a success that Groclin can dine out on for some time to come.