winning the league, but found themselves finish in second place due in part to Stal scoring 10 more goals than Lechia and having a much better goal difference. The immediate promotion and return to the I liga showed that at the time the club were in a position where they were competitive, but too good for the second division, yet struggled against the much better organised clubs in the first division. Early "Golden Years" and top division stay (1955–1963) Upon Lechias return to the Ekstraklasa, the players involved during these years and the initial success of the team upon their return to the I liga, were therefore seen as being the club's "golden years" of their early history. Players such as Bogdan Adamczyk, Henryk Gronowski, Robert Gronowski, Roman Korynt, Hubert Kusz, Czesław Lenc, Czesław Nowicki, and Roman Rogocz, all of whom had long playing careers with Lechia, were all important in making the club competitive upon their return to the league. Their first season back, 1955, was at the time the clubs most successful season in their history. On their way to a 5th-place finish in the league, their highest at that point, they beat strong teams at the time such as ŁKS Łódź, Lech Poznań, Zagłębie Sosnowiec, and the 1955 Polish champions Legia Warsaw. The season also provided the chance for the clubs first piece of silverware by reaching the Polish Cup final for the first time. Lechia's route in the Polish Cup () to the final saw them beating Sandecja Nowy Sącz, Wisła Kraków, Odra Opole and Gwardia Warsaw. The final saw Lechia play Legia Warsaw at the Polish Army Stadium, Legia's home stadium. Lechia lost the game 5–0 after a hat-trick from Kempny, and a goal each from Pohl and Słaboszowski seeing them finish as runners-up in the cup, and only the second team formed after the Second World War to feature in the Polish Cup final. In the league, the 1956 season was more successful than the year prior, seeing Lechia finish on the podium for the first time, with the club also becoming the first formed after the war to finish in the top three. Despite only scoring 25 goals in 22 games, Lechia finished the season in 3rd place. The club relied heavily on their defence that season keeping 10 clean sheets and conceding only 21, the second lowest in the league that season,