FC Gütersloh ended the first half of the Regionalliga West season with a 3-0 win over FC Wegberg-Beeck. Julian Hesse is ‘very proud’ of the team’s ninth place after the first half of the season.
At the end of the first half of the season, FC Gütersloh secured its seventh win of the season in the clash between the two promoted teams against Wegberg-Beeck. The hosts initially struggled against a compact defense, but two goals from Patrik Twardzik around the break (44th/53rd) and a goal from Eduard Probst (62nd) ultimately secured a clear 3-0 victory.
“It was important for us to stay focused because you could tell that the fans in the main stand in particular would have liked to see the game decided by halftime. I think the guys did well,” head coach Julian Hesse praised his team after the game.
It hasn’t always been easy for FCG to hold on to a clean sheet. “Almost exactly a year ago, we played 3-3 against Sporckhövel,” Hesse recalled of last season’s Oberliga campaign. ”We were in a dynamic where you always had the feeling that you were going to concede another goal in the games. How things can change in a year. Now we’re sitting here, currently in the top 10 of the Regionalliga and in a very positive mood.”
25 points in the first half of the season: “I didn’t expect that”
His team has grown together as a ‘unit’ in recent months. The reward: with 25 points, Gütersloh is the best promoted team in the first half of the season and is currently in ninth place – a snapshot that is certainly worth enjoying.
“I think we can be extremely satisfied. I have to be honest and say that I didn’t necessarily expect 25 points in the first half of the season because I think that if you look at the last decade, with the exception of Kaan-Marienborn last year, the promoted teams have always had extreme problems in this league,” emphasized the 34-year-old, who was not only pleased with the results but also with the way his team is performing.
When you want to go home after training and you see that an hour after the session, ten guys are still sitting together in the locker room, that makes me proud.
Julian Hesse
The good sporting situation is the result of a “great working atmosphere” at the Oberliga Westfalen champions. “When you want to go home after training and you see that ten guys are still sitting together in the locker room an hour after the session, that makes me proud.”
However, it is important not to feel complacent. “We are now nine points clear of the relegation zone, and sometimes in sport, when you find yourself in a comfortable situation, you automatically give two or three percent less. We have to counteract that because the games we have left before the winter break are extremely important,” warned Hesse. The FCG’s next game is at home against fellow promoted team SC Paderborn II on Sunday (2 p.m.).