What ultimately determined the choice of a new club? – From the very beginning, all activists knew that we really care about good logistics and the ability to combine speedway riding with science. We did get a lot of offers, but we didn’t want to turn our lives upside down. If we signed a contract in a club 600 kilometers away from Tarnów, the only solution would be to move to this city for six months. Otherwise, we would be wasting so much time on commuting that it would have to affect our results. We rejected such proposals in the first place – admits the player’s father, Mirosław Cierniak. An experienced trainer ensures that such a large number of contract proposals has surprised them a lot, but above all motivated them to work even harder. The only clubs from PGE Ekstraliga that did not strive for a talented player were Fogo Unia Leszno and Eltrox Włókniarz Częstochowa.
Initially, the competitor himself did not want to leave Tarnów at all. He had great support in the club and he felt very comfortable in the team. Ultimately, however, he realized that this season could be the perfect time to start his adventure in the best speedway league in the world.
– A lot of players have turned junior and a lot of debutants will appear in PGE Ekstriga. For Mateusz, it will also be only the third league season, so the transition between leagues next season may be quite smooth. Additionally, in Lublin there is a chance for a really cool youth duo and there are many players in the club that you can learn from. We do not set any specific goals for ourselves, because the most important thing is that Mateusz thinks and draws conclusions in each run. At this stage of the career, it is an absolute priority – adds Cierniak.
Importantly, the Cierniak family ended negotiations with Unia Tarnów in good relations, and Mateusz’s dad will still work in this club as a youth coach. Currently, he has 10-12 players under his wings, who dream of a similar career to his son in the future. The extension of the contract with Mirosław Cierniak in Tarnów was not so obvious, because some clubs wanted his father to join Mateusz as a coach. – We had everything we needed in Tarnów, and we have only good memories with this city and the club. We were in constant contact with the Union’s authorities, and activists knew about our negotiations and understood our arguments. We are not leaving Unia with nothing, because there are still a lot of young, talented players in the club, and in the coming years I will try to train more. Of course, for me, Mateusz will have priority and I will accompany him during all trainings and matches, but this should not interfere with the duties of the UKS Jaskółka coach. I have an agreement with Paweł Baran that, if necessary, he will replace me in this role – admitted Mirosław Cierniak.
–
