Back in the II liga Lechia finishing comfortably in 7th place. For the 1973–74 season the Polish second division experienced a change, with the tier going from 16 teams to 32, and being split into a North and South group. This, therefore, made it harder for teams to get out of the division, with teams now having to finish first to be promoted. The first season saw Lechia finishing 4th in the new format, before finishing second in the 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1977–78 seasons, just missing out on promotion by a few points each time. The following season they finished 3rd, and for the second season in a row missed out on top by a single point. In 1975, despite Lechia playing in the second tier, Zdzisław Puszkarz was called up to the Poland squad to face East Germany.