This weekend we also take a look beyond the Regionalliga West borders. Some former West coaches and players were back in action.

Rufat Dadashov was already back in action with his BFC Dynamo on Friday. The Berliners defeated FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2-1 in the Regionalliga Nordost.

In front of 2699 spectators, Rufat Dadashov scored twice – as he had done on the previous matchday in the 3-1 win over FC Eilenburg. This time, the former FC Schalke 04 II striker scored in the 34th and 37th minutes. The 31-year-old, who now has six goals to his name after five games, countered the Jena lead by Joshua Endres (31st). Endres? Yes, the Endres who once played for Fortuna Düsseldorf II and Rot-Weiss Essen in the Regionalliga West.

With the win and now ten points, BFC have established themselves at the top of the table and are only three points behind leaders Greifswalder FC, a promoted team. Jena, meanwhile, is still waiting for its first win of the season. Carl Zeiss has had a very disappointing start with only two points from five matches.

Kickers Offenbach have also had a weak start. The 2023/2024 season began for OFC in the Regionalliga Südwest with two defeats against Stuttgarter Kickers and at VfR Aalen. But the Kickers have come back – after the 3:2 derby victory over Eintracht Frankfurt II, they now followed up with a 2:1 win at TSG Hoffenheim II, with two former Rot-Weiss Essen coaches facing each other.

As is well known, Christian Neidhart has been in charge of Offenbach since 1 July and Vincent Wagner is in his second year as TSG coach on the sidelines. In the 2021/2022 season, Wagner, together with the then RWE sporting director Jörn Nowak, replaced Neidhart on the Essen sidelines two matchdays before the end and were promoted with Rot-Weiss Essen.

Neidhart now wants to do the same with Kickers Offenbach. Neidhart, who is regarded as a promotion coach in Essen despite his release, is now to lead OFC back into paid football after a ten-year absence from professional football.