The departure of player-coach Sava Ivanić, along with Živorad Berbakov and Petar Fa, combined with the retirement of Milorad Berbakov and Vladimir Davidović from water polo during the previous two years, dealt a severe blow to Jedinstvo’s water polo team. As a result, players aged only 22 and 23 suddenly became the oldest and most experienced members of the squad, with Zlatoje Marić and Milorad Kiselički taking on leading roles.
Such a rapid generational transition inevitably affected the team’s performances. Jedinstvo began losing to opponents it had comfortably defeated only a few years earlier. Particularly notable were defeats to Odred from Kikinda (3:8 and 3:10), as well as unsuccessful encounters with Student from Belgrade and Vojvodina from Novi Sad, a club that was itself experiencing one of the most difficult periods in its history at the time.
The Serbian League season was played through two tournament stages, held in Kikinda and Bela Crkva. The final standings clearly reflected the struggles of the young and inexperienced Novi Bečej side. Jedinstvo finished the season in fifth place, avoiding the bottom of the table only because Radnički from Ćuprija endured an even more difficult campaign.
Final Serbian League Standings, 1963
| Position | Club | P | W | D | L | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bečej | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 82:28 | 18 |
| 2 | Jezero (Bela Crkva) | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 76:29 | 16 |
| 3 | Odred (Kikinda) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 75:43 | 15 |
| 4 | Student (Belgrade) | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 22:94 | 9 |
| 5 | Jedinstvo (Novi Bečej) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 18:97 | 4 |
| 6 | Radnički (Ćuprija) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 16:105 | 0 |
Bečej and Jezero from Bela Crkva secured qualification for the Second Federal League playoffs. Bečej successfully seized the opportunity and earned promotion to the federal level of competition that same year.
Source: “Kikindska komuna”, No. 56, August 15, 1963.
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