Resurgent Noteć Czarnków Stun Lipno Stęszew With Convincing 3-0 Victory, Reigniting Hope in III Liga Survival Battle

On a brisk October afternoon at Stadion Noteć Czarnków, the narrative of Noteć Czarnków’s season shifted—at least, for one cathartic 90-minute stretch. Struggling near the foot of the III Liga Group 2 table, Noteć produced a commanding 3-0 win over mid-table Lipno Stęszew, a result that brings both clarity and fresh questions about the ambitions and anxieties animating this division.

The significance was not lost on home supporters or players. Noteć entered the contest sitting 14th, battered by a winless run that had seen them claim only two victories in their opening eleven matches. The point haul was meager: ten, matched to a record that read like a warning—two wins, four draws, and five defeats. Lipno, for all their recent improvements, arrived in Czarnków with eyes still on the upper half, but left with a performance that will prompt soul-searching.

It took less than a quarter-hour for momentum to reveal itself. From the outset, Noteć pressed with urgency that belied their table position. Their intent was rewarded early when a surging attack split Lipno’s defensive lines, culminating in a composed finish that sent the home fans to their feet. The opener was the product of tenacity: a clever exchange at the edge of the penalty area, followed by a clinical shot driven low beyond the visiting goalkeeper.

Lipno’s response was subdued. Their recent run—a seven-point haul from their last three, including back-to-back wins—had been built on resilience and opportunism, but on Sunday, they labored for rhythm. Noteć’s midfield harried and hustled, denying Lipno the time and space that had allowed for four goals just a week earlier at Pogoń Szczecin II.

The match’s turning point came late in the first half. Lipno, pushing for an equalizer, overcommitted, and Noteć struck on the counter. A sweeping move down the right saw the ball squared to the top of the box, where Noteć’s midfielder—unpressured and unhurried—lashed home a second. The cushion was decisive and, for the visitors, demoralizing.

Lipno’s frustration threatened to boil over after the break. A yellow card on 56 minutes for a late challenge signaled their mounting impatience, but no further disciplinary drama followed. Instead, Noteć played with growing confidence, protecting their lead through organized defending and precise midfield play. In the final quarter-hour, the hosts sealed an emphatic victory: a corner kick nodded down at the far post was met by a crashing finish, sending the scoreboard to 3-0 and the audience into raucous applause.

For Noteć, this result is more than just three points—it arrests a dispiriting run in which goals and moments of joy had been in short supply. In their previous five, they had managed only one win (a 2-0 triumph over Lech Poznań II), with two draws and two defeats that underscored both their defensive frailties and attacking struggles. Sunday’s clean sheet, paired with three well-taken goals, amounts to their most assertive statement of the campaign.

Lipno, meanwhile, must confront their own inconsistency. Ninth in the table at kickoff, they had breathed life into their campaign with a pair of crucial wins—the stunning 4-3 shootout at Pogoń Szczecin II chief among them. But for all their attacking verve, defensive lapses have haunted them, and their inability to respond after conceding the opener in Czarnków reflects a squad still searching for identity and balance.

Historically, the head-to-head meetings between these two clubs have rarely been so one-sided. Encounters in recent years have often been cagey affairs, with slim margins and nervy endings. But if this afternoon is any evidence, Noteć may have found both the belief and the tactical clarity sorely missing in earlier rounds.

The victory has tangible implications. Noteć Czarnków lifts themselves, for now, out of immediate relegation panic, closing the gap on the pack above and providing coach and team a much-needed confidence injection. Yet the work is only beginning. The III Liga’s unforgiving schedule means that next week’s fixture takes on multiplied importance—turn one win into two, and a season can be transformed.

Lipno Stęszew, chastened but not condemned, remain in mid-table, their advantage over the drop zone narrowed. The challenge: rediscover the attacking sharpness and collective spirit that saw them light up September. A single defeat, however lopsided, need not define their autumn—but the manner of this loss will sting, and adjustments must follow.

October always sharpens the stakes in the lower tiers of Polish football. For Noteć, Sunday may be recalled as a day when fortunes—at least for an afternoon—pivoted. For Lipno Stęszew, the road ahead remains, as ever, uncertain, the next test waiting, just a week away.