Junak Drohobycz
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| Full name |
Wojskowo-Cywilny Klub Sportowy Junak Drohobycz | ||
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| Founded | 1931 | ||
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Junak Drohobycz was a Polish soccer team, located in Drohobycz (now Drohobych, Ukraine), on the historic territory of Kresy Wschodnie (Polish Eastern Borderlands). It was disbanded by the Soviet occupying authorities in the fall of 1939, following Soviet attack on Eastern Poland. In early months of the war, members of Junak created the White Couriers, a boyscouting organization, which smuggled hundreds of persons from the area of Lwow to Hungary, across the Soviet-Hungarian border in the Carpathians.
History
In 1922, a sports club Czarni was founded in Drohobycz. In 1930 it changed name to Strzelec, and later, in 1931 - to Junak. For the first few years, the new team did not achieve anything significant in Polish soccer, lagging far behind top teams from Lwów. Crucial was the year 1937 - in March, Captain Mieczyslaw Mlotek from Drohobycz's Polish Army garrison was elected president of the club. He was a great fan of soccer. Using his influences, Mlotek organized Junak's council, which included the most influential citizens of the town (among them - the mayor of Drohobycz).
Drohobycz, as well as adjacent town of Borysław, were interwar centers of Polish oil mining. With the help of numerous factories and local government of both towns, Junak developed very fast. Numerous players were bought, mostly from renowned teams of Cracovia and Wisła Kraków, and in the spring of 1939 the team won local games of the Lwów region, beating, among others, Czarni Lwów and Polonia Przemyśl. Junak's matches were very popular, with up to 5000 fans watching them. Supporters would come not only from Drohobycz, but also from Boryslaw and Schodnica (Skhidnytsia now).
Before reaching play-offs for Polish Soccer League, Junak had to overcame more teams. In June and July 1939, the Drohobycz's side beat Unia Lublin (6-0 and 3-4), Policyjny KS Luck (7-0 and 3-2) and Strzelec-Gorka Stanisławów (6-1 and 0-4). Junak must have been a good team, which was proved in friendly games in the spring and early summer of 1939. It tied 2-2 with Cracovia, 3-3 with Wisła Kraków, also beat 2-1 the amateur champion of Hungary.
1939 - PLAY-OFFS FOR POLISH SOCCER LEAGUE
On August 13, 1939, Junak played the first game of the play-offs. In Poznań, against Legia, the score was good (1-1). Then, on August 20, at home, in a disappointing game versus Śląsk Świętochłowice, neither side scored. The next home game, planned on September 10, against Śmigły Wilno, never took place, because of German and Soviet invasions on Poland.
It is difficult to speculate if Junak would reach the League (out of participating 4 teams, 3 were going to be promoted). Back in 1939, all fans in Drohobycz were sure of it. We know that team's officials had far-reaching plans, hoping to win the Championship of Poland as early as 1940. Rumor has it that Junak was thinking about buying Ernest Willimowski - the forward player of both Ruch Chorzów and Polish national team, by far the best player in interwar Poland. Also, at the beginning of 1939, Junak bought another star of Polish soccer, Bolesław Habowski from Wisła Kraków.