He was a fan favourite at both Rot-Weiss Essen and Hamburger SV. Forecasting spoke to Sascha Kirschstein ahead of the DFB Cup match between RWE and HSV.
58 games for Rot-Weiss Essen and 33 appearances for Hamburger SV: Sascha Kirschstein kept goal for both RWE and HSV in the 2000s and was extremely popular in both fan camps.
Born in Braunschweig and trained as a young Eintracht player, Kirschstein moved from Hamburger Straße to Hafenstraße in Essen in 2002. He spent two years in the RWE box in the then Regionalliga Nord – the third-highest division.
After convincing performances, the 1.96-metre man fulfilled his dream of playing in the 1st Bundesliga and moved to Hamburger SV in the summer of 2004. Kirschstein not only played 23 games for HSV in the Bundesliga, but also made three appearances in the Champions League.
RS spoke to Kirschstein, now 43, ahead of the DFB Cup clash between RWE and HSV on Sunday (13 August, 1 pm, Forecasting-Liveticker).
Sascha Kirschstein, how did you actually react to the DFB Cup draw between Rot-Weiss Essen and Hamburger SV?
(laughs) That was quite funny. I didn’t notice it at all. I read about it in the newspaper and had to smile. Of course, that’s a special praise for me, too. Essen was my second professional club, Hamburg my third.
What memories do you have of these stations?
RWE was extremely cool, of course. We were promoted in the 2003/2004 season. The first half of the season wasn’t good at all, but I think we scored 41 points in the second half. And then, shortly before the end of the season, we played Schalke II in Wattenscheid. We won 7:0 and were promoted. I can still see the pictures today. It was sensational. I was a professional for 19 years, but Essen was without a doubt one of the coolest places. The fans are crazy. I’m still in touch with some of the fans today. Soon an Essen fan will be joining me in Hamburg. And I played in the Bundesliga and Champions League at HSV. I still feel at home here today.
The last duel between Essen and Hamburg took place in 2008. Many young HSV fans probably don’t really know who Rot-Weiss Essen is, do they?
That’s right! Many Hamburg fans will take the train to Essen at 6 a.m. on Sunday and think they’re playing a normal third-division team! I say: You’re wrong. Many HSV fans don’t even know what’s going to happen in Essen on Sunday. Let me put it this way: Dear Hamburg fans, it can get loud at Hafenstraße (laughs). I’m looking forward to it and will be watching the game on TV.
What’s your tip?
2:2 and then it goes into extra time, maybe even a penalty shoot-out at the end. I don’t want to commit myself to who will win the game in the end.