1. FC Kleve has been unbeaten for seven games and is in fourth place in the Oberliga Niederrhein. Even the top team had to take a beating.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, 1. FC Kleve is currently on a roll in the Oberliga Niederrhein. After ten match days, coach Umut Akpinar’s team is in fourth place in the table. On Sunday, FCK scored a win against the previously unbeaten league leaders, SF Baumberg.

Akpinar is surprised by the good start to the season. “We are very happy with the way things have gone so far. We have shown in the first games what we can do. We’ve taken the good form from the preparation with us, which can’t be taken for granted.”

The Klever side scored in seven league games in a row. Akpinar: “We’ve managed to keep the performance consistently at the high level we started with.”

Last season, 1. FC Kleve finished in 14th place in the table, just ahead of a relegation spot. So far, the Kleve team has had nothing to do with that, and there’s a reason for that, Akpinar explains. “Compared to last season, we did a lot of things differently and had an injury-free preparation. There are always 20 to 22 players in training. That is also noticeable on the field. The guys are currently fully there. The new guys have also been well received and have found their place.”

However, the 46-year-old is not resting on his success so far. “We always want to develop further. We can take a lot from every game. There’s always something to improve.”

On Sunday, 1. FC Kleve was also able to take a lot with them: three points and a lot of self-confidence. Against the league leaders, SF Baumberg, who were unbeaten until then, the Kleve side managed a 3:1 victory in their own stadium.

“Baumberg have many strengths, but also a few weaknesses. We took advantage of those and showed our strengths. We showed a good performance for the whole 90 minutes. We know how to classify the victory well. We want to break away from the bottom as early as possible this season. A win like this helps, of course,” explains Akpinar.

Next Sunday (3 p.m.), SV Straelen is the guest in Kleve. Straelen currently occupies fifth place in the table, with just one point less than 1. FC Kleve.

Akpinar knows that a tough game awaits his team. “Straelen is one of the best five teams in the league and not for nothing. Straelen have the second-best offense and an incredible amount of quality in the team. It’s going to be intense. We’ll take the mood and the content with us from the last game. But a completely different opponent is waiting for us, and we’ll have to adapt to their strengths. “