Adler Union Frintrop is spending the winter break in a relegation spot, but remains within striking distance of the non-relegation spots in the tightly contested Oberliga Niederrhein.

Marcel Cornelissen, coach of the Essen-based Oberliga club Adler Union Frintrop, will welcome his team back for training on January 5.

Five friendly matches have also been scheduled: January 10 (12 p.m.) at Viktoria Goch, January 17 (3:30 p.m.) against Blau-Weiß Mintard, January 18 (2:30 p.m.) at SV Schermbeck, January 24 (3 p.m.) against Arminia Klosterhardt (3 p.m.), and on January 25 (time TBD) at DSC Wanne-Eickel.

Marcel Cornelissen, how would you assess your team’s first half of the season?

Overall, the first half of the season was fine. With one exception—the SC St. Tönis game—we were basically always on equal footing with our opponents. You can also see that in the fact that our goal difference is almost even. Unfortunately, it feels like we’re missing three or four points that we certainly could have gotten with a bit of luck; then it would have been a really good first half of the season. Still, it’s not a given that we can keep up at this level.

What has been the highlight for you so far?

There are two: Of course, the explosive start against Schonnebeck right at the beginning. We played against Essen’s second-best team in the opener in front of over 1,000 spectators and secured our first derby win in this league. That was really special. Less glamorous, but perhaps even more important, was the win in Hilden after that seemingly endless winless streak. That was a huge relief, and it was also very, very important in terms of the standings.

And what was the biggest negative experience?

That’s definitely St. Tönis. Despite the opponent’s strength, a 1-7 loss isn’t exactly pleasant. The subsequent defeat against Monheim was also bitter because the reaction didn’t come until very late.

Will there be changes to the roster during the winter break?

Melvin Ridder is moving to the Bezirksliga; for nearly 1.5 years now, his schedule hasn’t aligned with the Oberliga. On the incoming side, nothing will likely happen. We’ve only had a few talks, none of which have been successful—at least not yet this winter. Ultimately, though, that’s fine; we didn’t try to force anything at all costs.

What is your goal for the rest of the season?

It remains the same: avoiding relegation. The last two wins have put us back in a position where we can aim to stay up. The league is so tight—there are certainly nine or ten rivals now, and we want to finish ahead of three of them.