It was mid-October 2024 when Mike Wunderlich resigned from his coaching position. Now, just over a month later, the club has found his successor.
Kevin Kruth will take over as head coach at SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 on January 1, 2025. The former Regionalliga West representative is having a disappointing season and is in second-to-last place in the Mittelrheinliga. However, the safety net is only two points away.
Mike Wunderlich had resigned as coach on October 15 – Forecasting reported. Former striker Kruth signed a contract until June 30, 2026. Coach Lukas Sinkiewicz’s engagement ends after the last game of the first half of the season, as agreed. He had stepped in at short notice after Wunderlich’s resignation in October and was only available for this period.
Kruth most recently coached Borussia Freialdenhoven. The new coach will be assisted by a well-known “Nullneun” player. Andy Habl, who has played in the SV 09 defense for many years, is hanging up his football boots a little earlier than planned and will assist the new man on the sidelines in the future. “With Kevin Kruth, we have been able to secure the services of a young and ambitious coach who knows the Mittelrheinliga well and already has a wealth of experience,” said sports director Christian Schlösser, looking forward to working with him. ”Kevin and I quickly found we were on the same wavelength, both as athletes and as people, and I’m sure that with him we will turn things around.”
Kruth said: “I’m really looking forward to the club and the team, whose quality I’m convinced of. SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 is an ambitious Mittelrheinliga team and I want to do my part to help the team get back into the league table regions where it belongs. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the guys and Lukas Sinkiewicz for the last two games before the winter break.” The 39-year-old holds a B license and successfully coached Borussia Freialdenhoven in the Mittelrheinliga for four years, consistently leading the team into the upper half of the table. He ended his involvement there in November 2023, as the club announced its withdrawal from the Mittelrheinliga at the time.