Rot-Weiß Oberhausen seems to be ready for the start of the second half of the season in the Regionalliga West. They beat Oldenburg – thanks in part to the converted Cottrell Ezekwem.

Due to police concerns, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen had to play their friendly against VfB Oldenburg behind closed doors and at a secret location. The reason: supporters of Alemannia Aachen, who are friends with fans of VfB Oldenburg, are said to have announced their attendance.

RWO and Alemannia are known to be rivals, as both clubs are among the most well-known traditional clubs in the Regionalliga West.

As a result, Jörn Nowak’s team had to play their last pre-season game against Borussia Mönchengladbach II without the support of their fans.

The RWO players were not deterred by the cold and made their mark on the game, especially in the first half. One player who literally stood out was Cottrell Ezekwem, a central defender converted to striker, who, at 2.02 meters tall, had clear advantages in aerial duels. He also used this to score the opening goal with a header.

After the game, coach Nowak left no doubt that he is convinced by Ezekwem’s change of position: “At some point during the first half of the season, we assessed that we definitely see Ezekwem’s strengths more in the center of attack than in central defense. He has scored again now. I think his goal rate since he has been playing up front speaks for itself.”

Nowak was also satisfied with his team’s performance. “I think we got off to a good start and did really well in the first 35 minutes until the 1-0, played good attacking pressing, had a few good moves forward and then also scored the 1-0. After that, it got a bit wilder, where we could certainly get the equalizer before half-time, but all in all, I’m very satisfied with the first half,” the RWO coach revealed.
His team also got off to a good start in the second half, but it was more evenly matched. Nowak also explained why central defender Tim Stappmann was taken out of the game in the 71st minute without replacement: “We had to take Stappmann out of the game and then played to the end with ten men. Of course, it was a bit more difficult after that, but all in all, I have to say that the guys did a very decent job of it, even trying to play for possession when they were down to ten.”

Nowak was also relieved that Stappmann did not suffer any serious injuries and will therefore be available for the start of the second half of the season. On January 27, RWO will face Borussia Mönchengladbach II in a postponed game – provided that it can take place this time after several failed attempts.

With a ten-point gap behind league leaders 1. FC Bocholt, who, like almost all other teams in the upper third of the table, have already played two games more, the race for promotion is not over for RWO yet.