Sportfreunde Siegen are unbeaten after eleven match days in the Regionalliga West, but have already drawn six times. They are looking to secure their next three points against RWO.

Sportfreunde Siegen remain unbeaten after eleven games in the Regionalliga West, but have already recorded six draws after four consecutive draws. Now Rot-Weiß Oberhausen are coming to Siegerland.

Seven games, top of the table with 17 points – that was the situation at Sportfreunde Siegen in mid-September. Four match days later, the promoted team has slipped to fourth place after four consecutive draws. “We are still undefeated, which is something we can be proud of, of course,” says Sportfreunde coach Thorsten Nehrbauer, but he also adds: “The four draws hurt us a bit, especially because we were the better team in all but the Lotte game.”

There were draws against the youth teams of VfL Bochum (1-1) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-3), as well as against Sportfreunde Lotte (0-0) and Wuppertaler SV (1-1).

Nehrbauer struggles with many draws

“Anyone could have won the 0-0 draw in Lotte. We were clearly better than WSV, and in Bochum we were denied two clear penalties in my opinion. In Gladbach, we dominated the fifth-placed team but gave away the points due to individual mistakes,” said the coach, struggling to come to terms with the past few weeks.

The recent friendly against Borussia Dortmund’s U23s – which, fittingly, ended 1-1 – gives cause for optimism. “It was a good test, we were able to use some players who needed to catch up. We were able to test different systems against a high-quality opponent,” said Nehrbauer, satisfied with the recent game.

After the international break, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen will be a big test for Sportfreunde. RWO has won five of its last six games, including a celebrated victory against Rot-Weiss Essen in the Niederrhein Cup.

Of course, we want to stay at the top now. But we know how strong the league is and remain humble.

Thorsten Nehrbauer

“It’s a duel between two traditional clubs. We are of course wary and have Oberhausen’s recent performances on our radar. We want to maintain our streak and keep three points in Siegen. It will be an exciting duel between two evenly matched teams,” says Nehrbauer, looking forward to the game with anticipation.

Overall, the Siegen coach is absolutely satisfied with the season so far without any defeats. “We intend to continue to improve, but we are very happy with the development. The phase was less satisfactory in terms of results, but we wanted to get away from the relegation zone quickly, and every extra point helps. Of course, we now want to hold on to our position at the top. However, we know how strong the league is and remain humble.” The next chance to pick up points comes on Saturday (October 18) against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Kick-off at the Leimbachstadion is at 2 p.m.