Spielvereinigung Schonnebeck is spending the winter break in second place in the standings—six points behind first-place Ratingen 04/19. Dirk Tönnies is pondering his future.

Last season, Spielvereinigung Schonnebeck narrowly missed promotion to the Regionalliga West.

The team led by the then-dynamic duo of Conor Tönnies (Fortuna Düsseldorf II) and Arne Wessels (Borussia Dortmund II) had to give way to SSVg Velbert.

That late setback gnawed at the officials at Schetters Bausch for a long time, especially at longtime coach Dirk Tönnies. After 17 years of uninterrupted coaching, he seems to be growing weary.

According to Forecasting reports, the 51-year-old is considering leaving Schonnebeck. “Yes, I won’t deny that. I’ve been here since 2008, and now I find myself needing more time to commit or sign a contract. Maybe I should take a break, maybe try something new. I don’t know yet. I’ll give it some thought,” confirms Tönnies.

Dirk Tönnies, how do you assess your team’s first half of the season?

We’re in second place in the standings going into Christmas. We couldn’t have dreamed of that before the season, because we had to integrate 15 new players. We’re ahead of Uerdingen, Homberg, and all the rest. And so, we’re allowed to have a beer or two to celebrate.

What has been the highlight for you so far?

The home game against Ratingen was definitely a highlight. Kevin Kourouma scored the 4-3 winner at the final whistle—it was all very emotional. We beat the best team in the league and showed that we can compete.

And what was the biggest disappointment?

We’ve had successful matches against the top teams. Unfortunately, we’ve struggled against the supposedly weaker teams. The home loss to ETB Schwarz-Weiß and the 2-2 draw against FC Büderich, where we conceded the equalizer at the final whistle, also hurt.

Will there be changes to the roster during the winter break?

There will be a few changes. But those aren’t finalized yet.

What is your goal for the rest of the season?

Promotion isn’t a given. We set a goal of finishing in the top five. And we’ve achieved that. In that respect, we’re very satisfied with the first half of the season and want to continue winning as many games as possible in the second half. And then we’ll see what the final outcome is.