GROUNDHOPPING IN THE REGIONALLIGA: BFC DYNAMO e.V. v ZFC Meuselwitz - 3:1 - Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sportpark Saturday morning and I had woken up expecting that I would not be going to a game. Weekend after Weekend of relentless football and it’s associated partners of Meat and Pilsner are beginning to take their toll on my bank balance and ever-growing waistline, I would have a week off, that was that and nobody was going to persuade me otherwise. 30 minutes later, after a short walk to the Supermarket, it was already very clear to me that this weekend should not go to waste and I had convinced myself that I could easily go to a game without spending anything, without drinking and without indulging in the Grill . After all, the sun was shining down on Berlin and anybody who has been here in the months of December – March will know that at this stage of the year, it is always best to fully utilize any of the last remaining Sunny days. Being inherently lazy and having a handful of grounds and pitches within walking distance of my Flat, does tend to lead me to go and watch the same teams, over and over again. Since at the beginning of this season, BFC Dynamo were required to move to the Friedrich-Ludwig Jahn Sportpark, they are now the highest ranked of my locals teams. Up until the beginning of this year they were also a club that I had only seen a couple of times, mainly due to scaremongering from local Berliners and for shamefully having no idea as to where the hell Hohenschoenhausen was. Saturday was my 2nd visit to see them this season and I must admit that they are slowly becoming one of my favourite clubs in Berlin. On the walk up to the ground, it was very evident that the crowd was certainly going to fall well below the season average. Maybe there have been too many games in the locality over the course of the last few months, maybe a lingering hangover from the Reunification Day celebrations infected the Weinrot-Weiss clad masses or maybe ZFC Meuselwitz are just not that attractive as an opponent. It was certain though, they were going to struggle to break the 1000 mark for the first time in the season (1185 there, for the record). As the teams came out, the first thing that became apparent is that despite the smaller-than-usual ranks of fans, they are still a very vocal bunch and are able to strike fear in the opposing players and visiting fans a like. DEE-NAH-MOW, DEE-NAH-MOW, DEE-NAH-MOW, was the relentless rallying cry from the “Gegengerade”, the team looking psyched up and raring to go and extend their winning streak to 4 in a row. The game, however, started very flat, having a knock on effect on the noise from the stands (something so rare in Germany, it was almost beautiful to hear a silent stadium when the game was utter trash). Both sides struggled to get in to a natural rhythm, many passes going astray, many chances from both sides completely squandered. As the first half progressed, BFC emerged as the dominant force and although the guests were able to get some long range shots away, most were invariably sent miles over the bar and in to the empty stand behind the goal. Midway through the half, BFC started to really up the heat and started to string some excellent passes together. They were then rewarded on the 37th minute with a complete gift from the Meuselwitz skipper, Frank Mueller, who headed the ball short and right in the path of the on-running Lukas Novy with his wavy blond locks who took the ball in to the box and fired passed the flailing arms of the ZFC goalie. The 2nd half begun in the same vein as the first half. Neither side really looking to possess any great deal of quality, both sides aimlessly firing the ball from range to absolutely no avail. This was though only until the 52nd minute when Novy was again involved, this time as the creator. He picked up the ball on the wing, controlled it well, made an incisive run in to the box and took it around the keeper, only to square it in to the path of the on-running Andris Shala who scored a tap in that he could have effectively scored just by breathing on it. Dynamo were now in complete control and Meuselwitz looked deflated. They were unable to create anything of meaning and were struggling to keep the ball in possession. With 10 minutes to go, any slim chances and hopes of a comeback were completely put to bed by Dynamos best effort from Christian Priess who made a fantastic solo run, only to take the ball in to the box and slot the ball home with ease. This was not how the game would end though as Meuselwitz managed to pull one back through Rene Weinert with what was the last kick of the game, and actually the goal of the match. A thunderous effort from the edge of the area, merely a consolation though for what was a poor showing from the visitors. This victory is one of great importance to BFC Dynamo. Last time I wrote about them, they were cautiously optimistic of maintaining their 4th tier status and using this year as a transition and as the foundations for the next couple of seasons. With a fantastic record of 5 wins out of their last 6 games, they now find themselves at the dizzy heights of 3rd place in the league, just 2 points off of Wacker Nordhausen who currently sit at the top of the pile. Their next 2 matches are away at Zwickau (currently 2nd) and then at home to Nordhausen the following week. An extension of this winning run could see them go top of the pile after 11 games and this would certainly give just cause for the cautious optimism to turn in to a focus on promotion. Although the dip in attendance at their peak of form might worry a few behind the scenes, the results on the pitch have been absolutely exceptional and if they can keep this up, there is every chance that Berlin could find itself with a club in each of the top 3 divisions come next season. The ground itself is one that get’s a lot of bad press from the Berlin football community and from the fans of it’s previous tenants, 1.FC Union Berlin II. Personally, I find it to be a ground full of character and one that almost certainly has some of the best floodlights in the world. Although, I must agree with some of the critics who get annoyed about just how far away you are from the pitch (bloody running track!) and the view that you are offered when you are sat in the first few rows, I must say that now they have opened the Gegengerade side of the ground for new season, that the ground is one with far better facilities than most in Berlin and one that can actually handle a few thousand visitors. With 4 stands to buy beer and a massive and well-staffed grill, it is very easy to get refreshments and these are of some quite impressive quality and prices. The area behind the back of the stand also provides a good amount of space for those wanting to have their pre-game/post-game beers within the confines of the stadium and also has an abundance of actually well crafted graffiti that gives it quite a unique atmosphere. Tickets for BFC home games are €10 for “non security games” and €15 for when they play some of their old rivals. You can also buy tickets for the Hauptribune but these will set you back €18 and if yesterday was anything to go by, you may have your own personal bar and the whole stand to yourself.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:29:42 +0000
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