Ryszard Kowenicki
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryszard Stefan Kowenicki[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Łódź, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1957– | ŁKS Łódź | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1975 | Start Łódź | ||
| 1975–1979 | Widzew Łódź | ||
| 1979–1981 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | (5) |
| 1981–1983 | Viborg FF | ||
| 1984–1985 | Nakskov BK | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ryszard Stefan Kowenicki (born 22 December 1948) is a Polish former professional footballer. He played both as a defender and later as an attacking midfielder. He played football in Poland, most prominently for Widzew Łódź, before transferring to English club Oldham Athletic in 1979, and he later played in Denmark with both Viborg FF and Nakskov BK.
Early life
Kowenicki was born in Łódź, Poland, on 22 December 1948.[1] His father was from Lviv.[3]
Career
Kowenicki played youth football with ŁKS Łódź, but was moved to Start Łódź as a senior player, where he remained until joining Widzew Łódź in 1975.[3][4] He was part of the Widzew Łódź team that took part in the 1977–78 UEFA Cup; he provided an assist in their first round victory over Manchester City, and scored in a second round defeat to PSV Eindhoven.[3][5] He played in the UEFA Cup again in the 1979–80 season.[5]
Kowenicki signed for English club Oldham Athletic in December 1979, for a transfer fee of around £15,000, making his debut for the club on 8 December 1979 in a home match against Chelsea.[6][7] He scored 5 times in 42 league appearances for Oldham.[1]
He was released by Oldham Athletic in summer 1981,[8] following a falling-out with the club chairman over Kowenicki's request for an improved contract.[3] He subsequently had a trial at Bradford City in August 1981.[6][8] He instead moved to Denmark however, with the help of former Widzew teammate Tadeusz Gapiński, and signed for Viborg FF.[3] He later played for Nakskov BK, before retiring in 1985.[4][9]
After football
Kowenicki settled in Denmark after the end of his playing career. Whilst living in Poland, he obtained a civil engineering degree from the Łódź University of Technology, and despite obtaining a master's degree from the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, Warsaw in view of a career in football coaching, he continued to work as a civil engineer.[3][4]
Style of play
Throughout much of his career in Poland, Kowenicki played as a defender (though he would regularly join the attack),[3] but he was used as an attacking midfielder at Oldham Athletic.[6] During his time at Oldham, he was noted for powerful shots and also for his throw-in technique.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Ryszard Kowenicki". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-36202-017-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bugajski, Antoni (21 April 2022). "Jako jeden z pierwszych Polaków grał w Anglii. "Prezes uważał, że zamiast pytać o podwyżkę, powinienem mu dziękować"". przegladsportowy.onet.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c "Kowenicki: "Widzew ma potencjał na ósemkę"". widzewiak.pl (in Polish). 9 October 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Ryszard Kowenicki » Statistics: Club Matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d Dykes, Garth (1988). Oldham Athletic Complete Record 1899–1988. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-907969-36-5.
- ^ Hince, Paul (16 February 1980). "Jim's bargain". Manchester Evening News. p. 31. Retrieved 3 February 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Pole on trial". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 3 August 1981. p. 24. Retrieved 3 February 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Ryszard Kowenicki » Profile". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 February 2026.