Alemannia Aachen are on the verge of promotion to the 3rd division. The euphoria is great – even for former striker Erik Meijer.

First place in the Regionalliga West, eight points ahead of the competition: Alemannia Aachen’s dream of promotion to the 3rd division is alive and well. “There’s a great atmosphere and a very positive feeling,” Aachen icon Erik Meijer told the SID: “The people all have the belief and confidence that this squad can make it back to the professional level.”

Aachen have been playing in the fourth division since 2013. Just nine years earlier, the club had reached the final of the DFB Cup as a second-division team and even played internationally. But the high was followed by a deep fall – also with former sporting director Meijer.

“That’s a black page in my book, because I saw for myself how nice it is at this club and what wonderful successes we were able to celebrate in the years when I was a player there,” said the current Sky pundit.

Now, however, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. The league leaders have not conceded a defeat since the beginning of November and their return to professional soccer is within reach eight matchdays before the end of the season. Meijer does not know whether the positive trend is “long-term”, as promotion is “another step upwards”. Nevertheless, the Dutchman is “surprised at how well Alemannia Aachen are playing soccer at the moment.”