After winning five games in a row, KFC Uerdingen face TVD Velbert on Sunday. Coach Alexander Voigt will have to do without several players.

Four match days have already been played in the Oberliga Niederrhein. KFC Uerdingen are the only team to have won all their games and are currently top of the table. Added to this is the 3:0 victory last week against ESC Rellinghausen in the first round of the Niederrheinpokal. All in all, the team, which was relegated from the Regionalliga, has successfully played five matches in this young season.

Alexander Voigt, head coach of KFC Uerdingen, is satisfied with the start to the season of the top favourites in the Oberliga: “I particularly like the victories, there is always room for improvement somewhere in the performance. But in terms of points, of course, it doesn’t get any better than this.” Above all, the KFC coach likes the fact that the team “performs as a team”.

After a difficult season last year, when they were pushed through from the third division to the top division, there are bright spots again at the Grotenburg. “We currently have many players who had nothing to do with the relegation. But for the environment and the fans, the relegation was of course not a nice moment. A series like this is good for them,” Voigt sums up the significance of the good run for the club and its supporters.

A successful start is also nice for the players. “The mood within the team is very good. But it was already that way during the preparation. That’s a bit surprising given the many new players, some of whom didn’t know each other beforehand,” says Uerdingen’s coach happily. He sees room for improvement especially in the use of chances: “If we dominate the game, we have to make the decision earlier. Not that we have to shake at the back.”

Next Saturday (27 August, 6pm), KFC can then extend their series against TVD Velbert. “I counted Velbert among the favourites before the season. They are a grown team with players who have played at higher levels. I expect a game at eye level,” says Voigt, preparing for a tough duel. In the home Grotenburg, 2,000 spectators will probably be there again, more are currently not allowed into the stadium. “The boys enjoy playing in front of such a crowd. It would be nice if the city would allow a few more spectators,” wishes the 44-year-old.

Only the many absences cast a shadow over the current situation of the league leaders. In addition to the three strikers Shun Terada, Charles Atsina and Younes Mouadden, who are still missing, captain Leonel Kadiata is also out for several weeks with a torn ligament.