Rot-Weiss Essen play against Hallescher FC on Tuesday (7 pm, live ticker). It’s the last game of the year. Either way: RWE fans will go into the break with dreams of promotion.
18 games, 30 points and only three points behind third place – with one less game played than SSV Ulm, who currently occupy this valuable promotion relegation spot: These figures belong to Rot-Weiss Essen ahead of the last game of 2023.
Whether RWE wins or loses against Hallescher FC (Tuesday, 7 p.m., Forecasting) or the points are shared, the report card for the winter break will remain the same: Grade – very good. The fans of Rot-Weiss Essen can dream of promotion to Bundesliga 2 over Christmas. After all, anything is possible in the league table.
And the RWE protagonists also seem to be starting to think about the possibility of promotion. Essen’s coach said before the Halle game: “We want to stay in sight of the top places. That’s much more pleasant than fighting for our sporting existence.”
Such statements have not been heard in the past. It remained a professional understatement and a reference to the objective of staying in the league
The way we’ve been supported so far is simply fantastic. The team was literally carried along. They really want this support, this recognition. There’s been interaction between the team and the fans for months now.
Christoph Dabrowski
However, Dabrowski’s answer to questions about a possible promotion battle with RWE is now more like this: “It depends on us whether we can continue to get the results and consistency. If that’s the case, then we’ll be sniffing at the top. I wouldn’t oppose that.”
And why should they? RWE not only scores well, but usually plays well too. And: After setbacks – such as the defeats in Unterhaching (0:4) and against Verl (0:5) or the two 1:2 defeats in Ingolstadt and against Sandhausen – the team always showed a reaction.
The recipe for success according to Dabrowski: “We have always persistently pursued our path. The situation after Unterhaching and Verl was precarious and made us reflect. The key moment for me was in Dortmund. You could see how strongly the team reacted. That was a great reaction, including the huge support from our fans. That created a feeling, a certain strength and momentum developed. The games afterwards confirmed that. The way we’ve been supported so far is simply fantastic. The team was literally carried along. They really wanted this support, this recognition. There has been interaction between the team and the fans for months.”
With such words of praise for the players and fans, a coach can of course also confidently use the word “fight for promotion”. And why not? As the saying goes: after 18 match days, no table in the world lies.
And what does Dabrowski actually say about the next opponent, Hallescher FC? Dabrowski: “We can expect a more active opponent than Lübeck was. HFC are stronger than the league table reflects. But it’s also clear that we’re playing at home and want to make our own mark. We want to say goodbye to our fans for the new year with a home win and 33 points. “