1. FC Bocholt has suffered a personnel setback. Goalkeeper Paul Grave will be out for an extended period due to injury. The goalkeeper, who signed for 1. FC Bocholt just a few weeks ago after his contract with VfL Bochum expired, will be out for around three to four months due to injury. The regional league club announced this in a statement. The 24-year-old goalkeeper was diagnosed with a torn posterior meniscus and underwent surgery on Wednesday. The operation was successful, but the new signing will be out until the fall. Christopher Schorch, Bocholt’s team manager and sporting director, told the club media: “I feel sorry for Paul’s injury, especially as he has made a very, very good impression so far. We will now discuss whether and how we will respond to this setback.”Grave, who was signed as a challenger to regular keeper Lucas Fox, came through the youth ranks at Westfalia Gemen and VfL Bochum, where he had been under contract since 2014. At VfL, he played numerous games in the youth and reserve teams, but did not make an appearance for the first team. In the 2023/24 season, he was loaned to Wuppertaler SV, but was unable to establish himself ahead of then-regular keeper and current Bocholt goalkeeping coach Sebastian Patzler. The 6-foot-4 goalkeeper played in ten Regionalliga matches for WSV.
Meanwhile, 1. FC Bocholt, who performed more than respectably in a 120-minute test match against FC Schalke at their home ground in Hünting on the last matchday, losing only 2-3 in the end, still have three test matches on their agenda in preparation for the new Regionalliga season.
On Saturday (July 12, 2 p.m.), Christopher Schorch’s team will face SV Biemenhorst, followed by a test match against third division side SC Verl three days later (July 15, 5:30 p.m.), before the dress rehearsal against SC St. Tönis on July 19 (2 p.m.).
Exactly one week later (July 26, 2 p.m.), Bocholt, who finished tenth last season and are aiming higher, will kick off the new Regionalliga season with a home game against the second team of 1. FC Köln.