Śmieszne Historie o Piłce Nożnej w Polsce: 20 YEARS Later, Watching Northern Ireland✋️☘️ in Poland Again!!

Śmieszne Historie o Piłce Nożnej w Polsce: 20 YEARS Later, Watching Northern Ireland in Poland Again!!

“When the day is dawning on a misty Belfast morning” – GAWA (March 2005).

In March 2005, I boarded a party train at Berlin East train station, bound for Warszawa Centralna in Poland. I didn’t know it then but it would have a crazy impact on my life. Changing my destiny, forever. I was on a trip with fellow Northern Ireland football supporters also known as GAWA headers and nutcases.

Warszawa Old Town Square with the Northern Ireland fans, 2005

(Possibly) The first ever photo of me in Poland, in 2005, arriving by train from Germany

After a few days partying up Manchester and Berlin, we were suddenly in Poland. The date? Wednesday 30th March 2005. The occasion? A World Cup qualifier between Poland and Northern Ireland at Legia Warszawa’s stadium. Oh, and it was also my 25th birthday. Wild.

I took a photo of my Northern Irish heroes that night: the moment that changed your life, but you didn't know it then.

Poland v. Northern Ireland (March 30th, 2005)

Northern Irishman in Poland in 2005.

Warszawa with the Northern Ireland fans, 2005

2005 – Poland 1-0 Northern Ireland. Polish Army Stadium. What a night.

I’ve written about that first trip to Poland before on this blog, on my Don’t Stop Living blog and in three different books (I Went To Gdańsk With Somebody, Don’t Look Back In Bangor, Champian Stewartnova).

Two of my books

Fast forward TWENTY years to February 2025 and Northern Ireland played away in Poland Again. This time, the women’s senior team, this time in the iconic seaside city of Gdańsk. Needless to say, I had to be there!

Polska Irlandia Polnocna 2025 in Gdansk!

On that trip in 2005, myself and my two childhood friends Michael and Gavin got custom made t-shirts. Here, twenty years later I decided to wear that exact same t-shirt! What a crazy journey it had been. In that twenty year gap, I had lived in 6 different countries, backpacked through 230 countries, released 8 printed books, written over 5,000 blog posts, been engaged and split up and now relocated to Poland! Plus, I had also been to watch Northern Ireland play Poland at Euro 2016 and in total thrice also in Belfast. I had also watched Northern Ireland under 16s play in Police, under 19s play in Gliwice and watch the under 19 women’s play twice in Poznan!

My 2005 t-shirt, worn again 20 years later

Polska Irlandia Polnocna 2025 in Gdansk!

At senior women’s level, Northern Ireland had played Poland thrice, lost all three and not even scored. The omens weren’t good but we’ll support you evermore!

Poland v Northern Ireland previous three matches

Olsztyn To Gdansk: The Party Train

In 2024, I moved to the city of Olsztyn which is only a few hours from Gdansk. This time, 20 years later I was travelling on my own.

Rise and shine on Matchday

I grabbed a coffee, sandwich and cheese from the local Zabka and boarded my train from Olsztyn Glowny train station. Just for old times sake, I bought a bottle of cold Łomża beer for the train too, which I’d drink just before arrival into Gdansk. I woke up in the snow at sunrise and walked to the train.

Olsztyn To Gdansk: The Party Train

Olsztyn To Gdansk: The Party Train, with a quick Łomża beer

Pre-match Beers

As much as I had hoped to have a repeat of the 2005 match with 300 GAWA here in Poland, it just wasn’t happening. I tried to organise a pre-match GAWA meet up on Gdansk old town, but nobody was up for it, not even long serving GAWA nut Shaun Schofield. I checked into my hostel and headed on my own to my favourite writer’s bar, Jozef K and then a quick pre match beer in Grass, the best football pub in Gdansk. I had my song sheets ready for the big match.

My dorm room at Gitarra Hostel, Gdansk

Pre match song notes in Gdansk

Backpacking in Gdansk pre-match

In Grass Bar in Gdansk pre-match by coincidence there was a couple from Belvoir in Belfast! A guy saw my shirt and flag and came over to introduce himself. He had no idea that our wee women were playing Poland away that night. I invited him, but alas they stayed in the bar and I headed on my merry way to Nowy Port, where the stadium is.

Pre-match beers in Grass, Gdansk

Getting to the stadium

Okay so I’ve been to the Lechia Gdańsk football stadium loads of times! I even did a COVID PCR test here in 2021 and made my Polish Ekstraklasa debut here, wearing green for Lechia Gdańsk 2-1 Lech Poznań in 2016. Oh, and I used to live nearby too, on Portcowca Street in Nowy Port. Our GAWA were in the red section E below.

Getting to the stadium

So I know how to get to the stadium. I was based in Old Town Gdańsk this time and usually it’s an easy 20 minute tram ride to the stadium. Not tonight. With the match being a 20.45 p.m. kick off, I thought leaving for my 20 minute tram at 18.45 p.m. would easily leave me enough time. But yet on a Friday, that direct tram stops at 18.33!!! So I missed it and had to get a tram, then a bus then another tram! I was surprised at the tram stop not to see other fans here. Where was everyone?

The cold wait for the buses and trams to the stadium

My match ticket

The match itself

I spotted the GAWA straight away, we had been placed in the VIP seats! They were green and white and this was my first ever time in VIP at any football match, and I’ve been to over 700 matches down the years.

The VIP seats!

I counted 7 GAWA which was –

Shaun Schofield, Tracey Halliday & Noel Halliday (Kerri Halliday’s parents), Julie McCluskey and her two kids and me, Jonny Blair. And that was us! Shaun took the below photo. We had flegs, hats and scarves and I was singing loudly.

Śmieszne Historie o Piłce Nożnej w Polsce: 20 YEARS Later, Watching Northern Ireland in Poland Again!! The GAWA!!

It all happened very quickly. National Anthems, handshakes, teams posing…then we started singing for the girls in green.

After about 10 minutes, Poland scored but it was disallowed for a foul on Jackie Burns. We breathed a 0-0 still sigh of relief…

Still 0-0

But our hope didn’t last long and it was Ewelina Kamczyk, who scored with a lob over Jackie Burns after 16 minutes. I have met Ewelina before and even played in a 5 a side tournament with her in Koscian, way back in 2017!! Then, after 20 minutes, Adriana Achcińska added a second. For a period, we showed some silky skills and I started singing “George Best, it’s just like watching George Best” which received a chuckle from the Polish fans to either side. Simone Magill had a shot on goal that went just wide but other than that, the first half was a non-event. Still we keept singing…

“She scored for Everton, she scored for Birmingham. Well she’s Simone Magill and she scores our goals”.

“Coming coming coming coming coming at your defence, she’s Lauren Wade. She’s Lauren Wade”.

“Northern Ireland du du du du de”

“Green and White Army!”

“Tanya give us a wave. Tanya Tanya give us a wave” (she did).

“It’s just like watching Brazil”
“We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland”

“Wader”

“2-0 and you still don’t sing”

“We’re gonna win 3-2”

At half-time I headed indoors to check out the VIP section as it was my first time to be in one ever! I wasn’t impressed though. A poor view of the pitch, not easy to sing inside and get an atmosphere, only 0.0% alcohol beer (and for the same price as a normal beer) and a massive queue. I did pick up the teamsheet though, as a souvenir to add to my match ticket.

Post Match Party

Not really. It was a cold and dark winter night, and public transport from here at Nowy Port back to the Old Town doesn’t seem to run after 23.00. The match was a 20.45 kick-off, which meant the final whislte ended up being around 22.40 and we stayed behind to applaud the girls and a few of the GAWA got chats and gifts from some of the players. As the crowd dispersed, I ran into Keri Halliday’s parents again – Tracey and Noel and they had booked an online taxi back to their hotel in Gdansk. By coincidence it was near my backpacker’s hostel – La Gitarra Hostel and they kindly offered for me to join them.

A cold night in Gdansk

I had a brief walk and admiration of the Gdansk skylight before deciding on the cheapest bar in town for a final drink and nightcap. I headed to Pijalnia Wodki i Piwo in the Old Town.

A cold night in Gdansk

In here, I had a Warka beer for 11 zlotych (£2) and a Chupa Chups shot for 8 zlotych (£1.50). It was time for bed, a lot calmer than my night in Warszawa twenty years earlier with the GAWA where we stayed out until 4 a.m. and I was still up for a flight out the next day at 10 a.m.!

My lonely post match beer at Pijalnia Wodki i Piwo

The teams Polska v Irlandia Polnocna

Here are the teams –

Poland:
1. Kinga Szemik
3. Wiktoria Zieniewicz 63′
( Sylwia Matysik )
5. Oliwia Woś 16′
4. Paulina Dudek
2. Martyna Wiankowska
23. Adriana Achcińska 20′ 88′
( Martyna Brodzik )
11. Tanja Pawollek
8. Ewelina Kamczyk 16′ 63′
( Dominika Grabowska )
19. Natalia Padilla
9. Ewa Pajor 20′ 78′
( Weronika Zawistowska )
18. Nadia Krezyman 63′
( Klaudia Jedlińska )
Northern Ireland:
1. Jacqueline Burns
2. Rebecca McKenna
5. Rachel Dugdale
6. Laura Rafferty 15′
15. Rebecca Holloway
14. Lauren Wade 88′
( Emily Wilson )
10. Keri Halliday 58′
( Caragh Hamilton Milligan )
7. Chloe McCarron 45′
( Ellie Mason )
4. Brenna McPartlan
17. Joely Andrews 74′
( Constance Schofield )
9. Simone Magill 74′
( Kascie Weir )

Substitutes:
22. Kinga Seweryn
12. Natalia Radkiewicz
16. Klaudia Jedlińska 63′
21. Natalia Wróbel
15. Jagoda Cyraniak
13. Martyna Brodzik 88′
10. Weronika Zawistowska 78′
7. Malgorzata Mesjasz
20. Aleksandra Zaremba
6. Sylwia Matysik 63′
14. Dominika Grabowska 63′
17. Klaudia Slowinska

12. Rachael Norney
23. Maddy Harvey-Clifford
16. Ellie Mason 45′
11. Danielle Maxwell
22. Nat Johnson
19. Emily Wilson 88′
18. Louise McDaniel
8. Constance Schofield 74′
13. Nadene Caldwell
21. Kascie Weir 74′
20. Caragh Hamilton Milligan 58′
3. Megan Bell
Zwiń