Poles apart

WHO could ever forget that Wembley night in 1974?

Brian Clough was in the commentary box rambling on, with some justification, about "the clown" in the Poland goal.

But it was English tears that were shed at the end, and not those of the alleged clown - one Jan Tomaszewski, the goalkeeper who wrecked our World Cup qualifying hopes.

There have been other major confrontations between the two nations down the years, with another crucial one to come this summer as the current World Cup qualifying campaign heads for its climax.

Despite the acute sporting rivalry, however, there has long been a great affinity between the peoples - I suspect since the Second World War when England and Poland were comrades in arms.

And, given the way strong Polish communities have blended in so well, it's surprising that one of their main exports - professional footballers - has not proved more successful. Perhaps Marek Citko can be a "first" if he completes his move to Blackburn Rovers from Widzew Lodz over the coming week.

Scandinavians, and now Italians, have set a great example of how to integrate into English football. There's no obvious reason why Poles shouldn't adapt and there are some obvious examples of his fellow-countrymen excelling abroad.

Zbigniew Boniek was a star in stripes for Juventus after learning his trade at Citko's present club Lodz.

And Andrzej Juskowiak, a player Rovers tried to sign from Lech Poznan four years ago, has made good in Italy after first sparkling with Sporting in Portugal.

But, while their talent was not in doubt, the impact on English football of Polish imports has been negligible.

That is still the case even when you think of one of their greatest names, Kazimierz Deyna, who tragically died in 1989 while only in his early forties.

Deyna, an attacking player of sublime ability, earned a century of full international caps for his country. Yet, after joining Manchester City from those prolific exporters Legia Warsaw in November 1978, he made only 34 full League appearances over the course of a couple of seasons. Though he did score a dozen goals.

Even closer to home, Burnden Park regulars had a soft spot for winger Tadeusz Nowak.

His stay, however, proved equally brief and comprised just 22 League starts.

Like Deyna, Nowak was a Legia product. So too was Dariusz Dziekanowski who went to Bristol City via Celtic in 1992 with a big reputation. Sadly, he failed to live up to it.

If things had worked out differently, Rovers could already have an imported Pole star on their books.

For, in 1992, they set up a £500,000 deal for under-21 international keeper Aleksander Klak. But, as with Juskowiak, it fell through.

Will it be third time lucky for Citko?

And, if he completes the move, can he grasp the opportunity which has seen others appear Poles apart?

Hopefully, the answer will be a resounding 'yes'.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.