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 this time, the former striker scored 33 goals in 55 games in the Westphalia 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 back in East Westphalia.

In the end, the Kleeblätter were able to celebrate a commanding 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 pitch is not the best. Of course, the start played into our hands with the penalty and the quick 2-0 lead. We are then experienced enough not to let a game like this get away from us.”

The clovers were particularly efficient in converting their chances. They took cold-blooded advantage of the sometimes hair-raising mistakes made by Gütersloh and also didn’t let much slip by defensively. “I think that Gütersloh simply had a good opponent. We hadn’t shown the kind of performance we did on the pitch before in this form,” said Terranova, complimenting his team.

The win sees Red-White jump to fourth place in the table, at least temporarily, but can be pushed back to fifth if Fortuna Cologne get a three points. The Oberhausen team 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 p.m.) at the Niederrhein Stadium.