Rot Weiss Ahlen must be careful in the Regionalliga that the team does not fall through after a great start.

Rot Weiss Ahlen made a fabulous start to the season in the Regionalliga West. Three games, seven points, the SG Wattenscheid was beaten brilliantly with 8:0.

But after that the wind changed. Eight games followed, of which only one could be won. The last game was a draw against second-placed SV Rödinghausen.

The consequence of the downward slide: only the goal difference saves Ahlen from the first relegation place, which is currently held by 1. FC Bocholt.

And in view of the long list of absentees, the programme for the coming weeks is not encouraging. They face third (Schalke II), fifth (Kaan-Marienborn) and fourth (Rot-Weiß Oberhausen).

Rot Weiss Ahlen: At least seven failures against Schalke II

And it feels like the last squad. Because, as the Ahlen team announced, seven players are currently missing. Via Facebook, Ahlen announced: “After three players – Kevin Kahlert, Nico Hecker and Pascal Itter – are out with long-term injuries, there are several players who are now also unfit for action. Elmar Skrijelj has been suffering from tonsillitis for weeks and had surgery during the week. Mike Pihl has torn a muscle fibre and will be out for some time. Leonardo Marino is suffering from an ankle injury and is currently only training in rehabilitation mode. Newcomer Sören Jankhöfer has been diagnosed with a knee injury and is receiving conservative treatment, so he is not expected to play in the near future.”

A small glimmer of hope: Hüseyin Bulut, Gerrit Kaiser and Bajrush Osmani have returned to team training after their injuries. They are still expected to play on Saturday (15 October, 2 p.m.) at FC Schalke II.

And that’s against a royal blue U23 that recently won four games in a row, including against Wuppertaler SV and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.