Poles in Ross-shire chip in to new football team's heavenly start!
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A NEW Polish football team, with strong links to Ross-shire, has made a wining start to the new season thanks to some divine intervention.
The newly formed Polonia FC, who play in division two of the of the Inverness and District Amateur League, have appointed a Polish priest, Father Piotr Rytel, from St Mary’s Catholic Church, in Inverness, as player, secretary and first aider.
Father Rytel, who went to the same school north east Poland as Celtic goalkeeper Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska, is Polish chaplain for the Polish communities in Aviemore, Inverness, Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Tain and Wick, and he may already worked a couple of miracles.
The team have won their first two games of the season, beating Sam’s 3-1 in the league last Wednesday and Caledonian by a similar score-line in the Highland Amateur Cup on Saturday.
Co-founders of the team, Jakub Olubek (27) and Dominik Studzinski, who both work at Summer Isles Foods in Alness, are delighted with the way the team have started the league, especially Father Rytel’s contribution.
Jakub told the Ross-shire Journal: “Yes, we have made a good start. You could say God has been on our side thanks to Father Rytel, who has done a great job of promoting us. But the most important thing is for us to have fun and spend some time together being creative — football is something we all enjoy.”
He added: “We would like to give a special mention to Ryszard Kluczynski, of Highland Cash for Clothes, who is our main sponsor. We couldn’t have got started without his help.”
The workers are keen to integrate into the local sporting community. The newly formed Polonia club are looking for offers of support and sponsorship, plus new players for their squad.
Their next match is against fellow division two side Caledonian at Culloden next Wednesday, kick-off 7pm.
l to r – Father Piotr Rytel, Piotr Szczodry, Jakub Olubek, Adrian Maziak, Dominik Studzinski, Bartek Sosnowski, Patryk Kruczkowski, Cezary Fic, Kamil Maziak, Marcin Dudklewicz. Front from l to r – Dawid Mosakowski, Lukasz Rybak, Mariusz Lesniowski, Jakub Hamerski, Marcin Szarfarz, Marcin Saluk, Krystian Jaworksi, Adrian Rzesiewicz, Maciej Hamerski.
