Recap
Final Flourish, Final Farewell
The Dragoons rounded off their campaign in style with a hard-fought 2–0 away win against Kmita II Zabierzów in their final game of the season.
With their final scheduled fixture cancelled after Victoria Smroków’s withdrawal from the league, this match marked the last opportunity to end on a high. There was added motivation too, as three beloved figures were pulling on the Dragoons shirt for the final time: Emre Çolakoğlu, Josh Dawson, and club hero Błażej Święcicki.
Team News
Following the emphatic victory over Czarni 03 Grzegorzowice last weekend, Head Coach Hugo Cruz was forced into four changes to the starting line-up.
⚽️ LINE UP ⚽️
Final matchday of the season!
Here’s how Head Coach Hugo Cruz 🇵🇹 lines up the team for the last outing of the 2024/25 campaign 👇
🧤 GK: 🇵🇱
🛡️ DEF: 🇦🇷 |🏴| 🇮🇹 | 🇵🇱
⚙️ MID: 🇪🇸 | 🇫🇮/🇮🇹 | 🇮🇳
🔥 ATT: 🇨🇿 | 🇵🇱 | 🇵🇱#COYD 💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/Mwxw8OG0DN— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) June 7, 2025
With Gabi Muñoz sidelined by illness, Marcin Obyrtacz returned in goal. At the back, Josh Dawson came in to partner Simon Calabrese in central defence, while Roman Bilovol and Szymon Urzędowski continued at right and left back respectively.
In midfield, Corneille Malonga dropped to the bench, with Fernando Gámez stepping in to partner Enrico Forabosco and Rohit Chandran in the centre of the pitch.
Up front, Martin Voženílek and Jan Kołodziejski retained their places on the wings, with club hero Błażej Święcicki leading the line in what would be his farewell appearance.
Bright Start
The Dragoons started brightly and showed their intent from the opening whistle. A sharp passing move ended with Roman Bilovol firing a long-range effort over the bar.
Kmita also showed early promise, but the Expats limited the hosts to speculative efforts from distance that never troubled Obyrtacz.
Despite both sides playing on the front foot, neither could carve out a clear opening early on. The Dragoons came closest in the 10th minute, when Voženílek whipped an inviting ball across goal, only for Jan Kołodziejski to narrowly miss making contact at full stretch.
Dragoons Push Forward
The Dragoons continued to press and nearly found a breakthrough in the 25th minute. Josh Dawson climbed highest to nod down a lofted free-kick from Forabosco into Voženílek’s path. With the goal at his mercy, the Czech winger leapt like a salmon but could only steer a tame header straight at the keeper.
Five minutes later, Forabosco curled in a teasing ball into the six-yard box, but Gámez just failed to get a decisive touch as the Expats pressed hard for an opener.
Another big chance came in the 33rd minute. Chandran’s searching cross found Voženílek unmarked inside the area. Caught in two minds between volleying or heading, he ended up doing neither and the chance was gone.
Kmita’s Response
Kmita registered their first real effort in the 42nd minute. Jakub Prostak cut in from the right and lashed a firm drive goalwards, but Obyrtacz was equal to it, gathering at the second attempt.
Just before the break, the Dragoons carved out another brilliant chance. Chandran intercepted a loose pass high up the pitch and muscled his way into the box. He laid the ball to Kołodziejski, who ghosted past his man and surged toward goal. With Święcicki available square, Kołodziejski went for goal himself but fired straight at the keeper.
Moments later, the referee brought the half to a close. The Dragoons had enjoyed more possession and created the better chances, but had yet to find the breakthrough.
Second-Half
Kmita came flying out of the blocks and nearly grabbed the lead within minutes of the restart. Wiktor Furtak broke from his own half and drove at the back-pedalling Dragoons defence. Fortunately, Calabrese stopped the run and did well to divert Furtak’s shot out for a corner.
Gradually, the Dragoons regained composure and began to dominate possession again. However, their final pass continued to let them down in the attacking third.
As the half wore on, Kmita began seeing more of the ball and started to ask questions of the Dragoons backline. Obyrtacz was called into action in the 63rd minute, getting down smartly to deny a low effort.
Fariytale Moment
However, just one minute later, the deadlock was broken. Szymon Urzędowski channelled his inner David Beckham with a sublime delivery from deep into the box. The ball looped over the head of the defender and dropped perfectly for Błażej Święcicki, who lashed it home first-time. A fairytale goal for the departing club legend, and a deserved lead for the Dragoons.
𝐒́𝐰𝐢𝐞̨𝐜𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟 👏
A moment worthy of the big screen 🎬
One final appearance. One last goal.
Błażej Święcicki 🇵🇱 signs off in style, tucking home after a glorious ball from Szymon Urzędowski 🇵🇱#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/LY6mD2jah5
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) June 10, 2025
Moments after, Święcicki was withdrawn to applause from fans, coaches and fellow players alike. Voženílek also made way, with Emre Çolakoğlu and Corneille Malonga entering the fray as Cruz looked to rotate his bench.
Mounting Pressure
Kmita responded well and began to push again. In the 69th minute, they managed to work the ball into a shooting position, but the low strike was again comfortably saved by Obyrtacz.
The hosts continued to press, and Obyrtacz was called into action once more, reacting sharply to palm away a fierce long-range strike from Filip Obal.
Obyrtacz Heroics
However, the home side recycled possession quickly and came straight back at the Dragoons. A forward went down theatrically over Josh Dawson’s outstretched leg, and to the disbelief of the Expats, the referee pointed to the spot.
But Obyrtacz was not to be beaten. Dawid Stygar stepped up and aimed to the keeper’s left, only for Obyrtacz to guess right and prevent an equaliser. The rebound came back into play and Obal went crashing into Urzędowski, firing agonisingly wide in the process. Celebrations erupted on the Dragoons bench.
🧤 𝗢𝗯𝘆𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘇 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗹! 🧤
A game changing moment! 🛑
Diving to his left, Marcin Obyrtacz 🇵🇱 pulls off a penalty stop to keep the Dragoons in front 🧱#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/xZ2ynm1wCI
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) June 10, 2025
Cruz Responds
Sensing the momentum beginning to shift, Cruz made more changes to re-arrest control of the game. Kuba Drobny replaced Bilovol, and Vałdzis Fuhaš came on for captain Forabosco.
The changes paid off immediately. In the 79th minute, a swift counter-attack saw Dawson poke the ball forward for Kołodziejski, who burst down the flank and sent in a pinpoint cross. Fuhaš attacked it with purpose, stooping low to glance a superb header into the far corner to make it 2–0 to the Dragoons.
𝗙𝘂𝗵𝗮š 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝘁! 💥
⚡️ Rapid counter. Ruthless finish.
Vałdzis Fuhaš 🌍 arrives at the near post and glances a header into the far corner from Jan Kołodziejski’s 🇵🇱 pinpoint cross 🏹
A great moment to end the season on a high 👊#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/K3BRt2tidB
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) June 10, 2025
With the result seemingly secured, Obyrtacz was substituted in the 80th minute, making way for Bartolomei between the posts. A first appearance of the season for the veteran Italian custodian.
Finishing Strong
As the game ticked into the final minutes, the Dragoons could’ve and probably should’ve added a third. Çolakoğlu put the ball into the path of Rohit Chandran to go one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot was too close and parried away. The rebound fell back to him, however, on this occasion the Indian Whirlwind saw the ball hit the base of the post.
In the dying moments, Josh Dawson had one last chance to cap off his Dragoons career with a goal. The defender shimmied onto his left foot from Malonga’s pass but scooped his shot over the bar.
Final Whistle
Shortly after, the whistle blew to confirm a deserved 2–0 victory. The Dragoons ended their final game of the season on a high with a performance full of grit and determination.
🏅 MAN OF THE MATCH 🏅
A perfect farewell performance from the club hero!
Błażej 🇵🇱 signed off in style with his 13th goal, earning him the Man of the Match award in his final appearance for the club.
Always committed, always passionate, thank you for everything, Błażej! 💪 pic.twitter.com/eUZc0Ih39c
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) June 10, 2025
Most of all, it was a fitting send-off for three fine servants of the club.
Thank You, Emre 🇹🇷
The Turkish man-mountain, Emre Çolakoğlu, joined the Dragoons in the 2021/22 season and quickly became a commanding presence in the squad. Now, after three seasons of service, he bids farewell as he heads to Warsaw for a new chapter.
Emre grabbed his first goal for the club during a thrilling 5–3 encounter away to Borek. From there, the towering midfielder grew into a vital member of the team, known for his physicality, composure, and unwavering commitment.
Across 68 appearances, Emre scored three goals and provided five assists, but his impact went far beyond the stats. A dependable squad player, a calming influence, and a fantastic teammate.
Thank you, Josh 🏴
Josh Dawson has been a dependable and much-loved figure in the Dragoons squad since joining in the 2020/21 season. The English defender always played with a smile on his face and leaves as the highest-scoring defender in club history, netting an impressive 14 goals. Enough to earn a top 10 spot in the all time scorers chart.
After initially joining on trial, Josh made his debut in a 6–0 win over Rybitwy. He opened his Dragoons account soon after against Tramwaj II — the first of many headers powered home from an Enrico Forabosco set-piece, a combination that became a familiar sight.
Josh’s commitment, character, and consistency made him a popular presence both on and off the pitch. In total, he made 76 appearances and also contributed five assists before choosing to hang up his boots and retire gracefully from football.
Farewell to a Legend 🇵🇱
A club hero, a fans’ favourite, and a true original — thank you, Błażej.
One of the few remaining links to the pre-Dragoons social group, Błażej has been with the club since day one. He made his competitive debut in the Dragoons’ very first fixture, a resounding 6–0 Puchar Polski victory over Fairant Kraków.
His first goal came in the second round of that same competition during the 2019/20 season, finding the net against LKS Lotnik Kraków. While not always a regular starter, Błażej’s commitment never wavered. Whether on the pitch, on the bench, or in the stands (even while suspended) he was always present, always backing the team.
In true poetic fashion, the Polish forward scored on his 50th appearance against Czarni at the end of last season and again in his farewell match, a fitting end to a remarkable Dragoons journey.
Błażej bows out with 62 appearances, 13 goals, and 4 assists to his name will be moving to Germany but will hopefully remain an active part of the club.
Thank YOU 🫵
Lastly, massive thank you must also go to all our supporters, players and everyone who contributes in driving the Dragoons forward. Without you and your support, none of this would be possible.
Now, a well-earned rest for everyone and we will be back even stronger next season!
