Rot-Weiß Oberhausen defeated FC Gütersloh 4-0 on match day 22 of the Regionalliga West. For RWO interim coach Mike Terranova, it was a happy reunion.

After the 3-1 defeat in the top game against leaders Alemannia Aachen last weekend, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen made an impressive comeback: RWO beat FC Gütersloh 4-0 (2-0) on match day 22 of the Regionalliga West at the Heidewaldstadion. The goals were scored by Moritz Stoppelkamp (7th, 21st), Sven Kreyer (56th) and Cottrell Ezekwem (64th).

Even before the kick-off, the Oberhausen fans who had traveled to the game provided a highlight – a large banner with the inscription “Thank you Thorsten” was hung on the fence. The supporters used it to express their gratitude for the term in office of former board chairman Thorsten Binder, who had recently resigned.

It was a special game for RWO interim coach Mike Terranova. The 47-year-old was under contract with FCG from 2000 to 2001. During that time, the former striker scored 33 goals in 55 games in the Westfalen Oberliga. “It’s nice to be back here. I had a very successful year and a half in Gütersloh,” said the Bochum native, pleased to be returning to East Westphalia.

In the end, the clovers were able to celebrate a confident and unchallenged victory. Terranova praised his team for the reaction they showed after the defeat against Aachen: ”It was very important for us to get back on the road to success. We traveled to Gütersloh with great respect because they are always well-prepared and the place is not the best. Of course, the start played into our hands with the penalty and the quick 2-0. We are then experienced enough not to let a game like this get away from us.”

The cloverleaves were particularly efficient in converting their chances. They made clinical use of some horrendous errors by Gütersloh and also kept things tight at the back. “I think Gütersloh just had a good opponent. We hadn’t shown the kind of performance we’ve been displaying before before today,” said Terranova, paying his team a compliment.

The win sees Red-White jump to fourth place in the table, at least temporarily, but they could drop back to fifth if Fortuna Cologne get a three points haul. The team from Oberhausen now have a little more time to prepare before the next league game on matchday 23. Then RWO will host the second team of Fortuna Düsseldorf (February 25, 2:00 pm) at the Niederrhein Stadium.