SG Wattenscheid 09 got off to a successful start in the second half of the season with a 2-1 win over Victoria Clarholz. Head coach Christopher Pache would have liked to have decided the game earlier.
SG Wattenscheid 09 picked up where it left off in the first half of the season: In the opening game of the second half of the season, the Oberliga leaders deservedly beat TSV Victoria Clarholz 2-1 (2-0) after a tough game. Because the pitch at the Lohrheidestadion was unplayable due to the weather, the game had to be played on the artificial turf pitch on Berliner Straße.
However, it was not the players but the spectators who provided the first eye-catcher of the afternoon: around a dozen 09 fans, who had previously been ejected from the grounds, vented their anger and set off pyrotechnics behind the fence, i.e. on the street. After police patrols arrived with blue lights flashing, the situation was quickly resolved.
Then the focus shifted to the game: after an evenly matched opening phase, SGW increased the pressure minute by minute after a quarter of an hour and took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute with a header from striker Kevin Schacht. Ilias Anan extended the lead before halftime with a spectacular shot from around 22 meters into the corner – 2-0 (38th minute).
“We played well across the width of the pitch in the first half. We sometimes took a little too long, but we always found solutions,” analyzed head coach Christopher Pache. But the coach wanted more: “I think we missed a lot of chances there. Otherwise, we were stable, had a lot of the game, a lot of possession, a lot of passing.”
After the break, referee Niklas Simpson took center stage: First, Berkan Firat’s supposed 3-0 goal was disallowed due to a foul in the build-up, then the whistle was not blown in two tricky situations involving Wortmann. In stoppage time, the visitors from East Westphalia pulled one back through Nick Flock (90 + 2).
Much to the annoyance of SGW coach Pache: “The goal we conceded is what bothers me the most. After dominating and creating clear chances, we need to seal the deal earlier. 2-0 is always a fragile lead, and something can happen quickly with a long ball. We were lucky that it came so late. Overall, it was still a good debut.“
Despite the defeat to the league leaders, the visitors were also not dissatisfied with their overall performance: ”Considering the scoring chances, the result is okay. Our preparation suffered due to difficult training conditions. So I was satisfied with the implementation. Unfortunately, we couldn’t create any more momentum at the end,” said coach Christian Lichte.
The first points of the new year will therefore have to wait. Clarholz’s next opportunity will be this coming Saturday at Spielvereinigung Vreden (February 7, 2:00 p.m.). The evening before, Wattenscheid will host SC Preußen Münster II (February 6, 6:30 p.m.).
