FC Gütersloh ended the first half of the season in the Regionalliga West with a 3-0 win over FC Wegberg-Beeck. Julian Hesse is “very proud” of ninth place after the first half of the season.
At the end of the first half of the season, FC Gütersloh were able to secure their seventh win of the season in the battle of the promoted teams with Wegberg-Beeck. The hosts initially had a hard time against a compact defense, but two goals from Patrik Twardzik around half-time (44th and 53rd) and one from Eduard Probst (62nd) ensured a clear 3-0 win in the end.
“For us, it was a task to stay focused, because you could tell that the main stand in particular would have liked to have seen the game decided by half-time. I think the boys did well,” said head coach Julian Hesse after the game.
That the FCG can bring a clean sheet victory over time, that was not always the case. “Almost exactly a year ago, we played 3-3 against Sporckhövel,” said Hesse, recalling the past Oberliga season. “We were in a dynamic where you always had the feeling that you would concede a goal in the games. How that can change in a year. Now we are sitting here, in the top 10 of the regional league 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 the last few months. The reward: with 25 points, Gütersloh is the best promoted team in ninth place after the first half of the season – a snapshot that can definitely be enjoyed.
“I think we can be extremely satisfied. To be honest, I have to 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 performed.
When you want to go home after training and 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 results from a “great working atmosphere” at the Oberliga Westfalen champion. “If you want to go home after training and see that an hour after the session, ten guys are still sitting together in the changing room, that makes me proud.”
However, it is important not to feel safe. “We now have nine points to the relegation place and sometimes it’s automatic in sports that when you think you’re in a comfortable situation, you just give two or three percentage points less. We have to counteract this, because the games we still have before the winter break are extremely important,” warned Hesse. The FCG will next play at home against fellow promoted team SC Paderborn II on Sunday (2 p.m.).