After a slow start to the season, things are going really well for SG Schönebeck in the Lower Rhine 2 state league. Coach Olaf Rehmann talks about the reasons for the change.

After a weak start to the season, the SG Essen-Schönebeck was in a relegation place in the Lower Rhine 2 state league for a long time. After a protracted relegation battle last season, everyone involved with the SGS was hoping for a more relaxed season.

At the beginning of the season, coach Olaf Rehmann told Forecasting: “Of course, we all hoped it would be a quieter season. (…) But the team knew that it would be very difficult for us again.” But now, after eleven games, it looks like Rehmann’s team could experience a more relaxed season. The Schönebeck team has only lost one of the last six games and is now in sixth place with 17 points.

Rehmann sees several reasons for this change: ”The team is very willing to learn. We try to prepare for every game in the best possible way and also draw a lot from bad results. The team is following this path.”

We know that the whole thing is a snapshot. We are grateful for these points, but we also still need counters to avoid relegation. Above all, it is important to me that this young team knows that it can hold its own against all the teams in this league.

Olaf Rehmann

Last Sunday, the Schönebeck team beat former league leaders Blau-Weiß Mintard 5-1. “In the first half, we were able to take our chances very clinically and consistently. Mintard kept on suffering setbacks in the form of conceding goals just when they were on their way to coming back. We won the first half, and at that point the game was more or less decided.”

After being plagued by relegation worries at the beginning of the season, Rehmann’s team is now in sixth place. For the 44-year-old, this is a reason to be happy, but not to be complacent: ”We know that this is just a snapshot. We are grateful for these points, but we still need more points to avoid relegation. Above all, it is important to me that this young team knows that it can hold its own against all the teams in this league.”

Rehmann’s team should have played Holsterhausen in the district cup during the week. But their opponents didn’t show up. For Rehmann, this has both advantages and disadvantages: “I’m glad that injured players can take a break. However, I would also have liked to have given players who hadn’t played that much the chance to play in a competitive environment.”