(Bundesliga 2)
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| Ticket booth ahoy! |
There were plenty of ticket booths (excellent) and a place on the Südtribüne will be €10 (excellent). Oh, and a programme for €1. Swiftly in and I even made kick-off. Beware though, if you make the same walk, it’s 90 minutes, notwithstanding a cash machine pitstop. Or you could catch a U-bahn to Johanna-Tesch-Platz, which is a helluvalot easier.
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| Club shop, behind the home end. |
I got a ticket in FSV’s fankurve, but no matter, there was plenty of space to broaden out. I decided I’d go far right (for a change). Note to self: next time, go far left, where you can stand on a bit of terrace at the side of the pitch, thereby foregoing the ‘through the net’ experience.
The crowd of 4,839 was considerably down on the opening day 8,000. The Ultras (the ‘233 squad’ or somesuch – possibly belying their number) whipped themselves up into a frenzy, but no-one else. This was one laidback crowd. Any noise from said ultras floated away into the roofless void above. I could hear the bl**dy drums though. Not especially loud, it was more like having a constant percussion going on inside one’s head. At the other end, the start was delayed by several smokebombs being let loose by the Bochum massive.
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| Bochum bombs |
It was a good game. Fairly open, FSV cutting through the Bochum defence several times, missing 2 or 3 one-on-ones. A more difficult chance was seized after 10 minutes, the ball running loose just inside the box for FSV to ram home, high into the net. VfL won the corner count but never threatened.
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| Main Stand |
With time ebbing away..and my mind drifting…there was a sudden cheer. I presumed another goal flash had come in from another game, but no, a Bochum player had been sent off, 2nd booking. There were 5 minutes plus injury time left. Easy life. 1-0 up v 10 men, every time FSV had the ball it was 2 v 2 or 3 v 3, as Bochum committed men forward. So it came as some surprise when, following a Bochum attack (which ended with the ball skied over) the ref pointed to the spot.
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| The Gegentribune |
One fan near me was quite irate while I wondered if the others even knew what was happening, they were so passive. Nothing to worry about – after the obligatory ‘discussion’ between ref and offending side, the pen was neatly sidefooted to the keeper’s left, where it was comfortably gathered. That was it – the ref blew for full time and all that was left was for the other FSV players to let the keeper lead the lap of honour. Followed by another side walking around the perimeter ‘high-fiving’ the fans, one of my abiding memories of watching small sides in Germany.
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| Never seen this before...the stand keeps going...out the stadium. |
The journey back was a lot quicker – a U-bahn from outside the ground (Johanna-Tesch-Platz), one change, and I was at the hauptbahnhof where a can of Paulaner weissbier was €2.60. Outrageous. However, if you take the western exit, pop into the 1st ‘mini-market’ you come to…and it’s €1.50. As in Germany, so it is in England.
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| Back of Gegentribune |
Attendance: 4,839 (Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion)
The Damage:
ent: €10
prog: €1
badge: €4
beer (0.5L): €3.80
bratwurst: €3
= €21.80
The Tunes:
Loveless (My Bloody Valentine)
Maxinquaye (Tricky)
Since I Left You (The Avalanches)
Careless Love (Madeleine Peyroux)
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| The Main Event |
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| Entrance to the home end |
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| Stadium plan and prices |
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| Looking down on latecomers from the top of the terrace |
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| Bochum smoke 'em |
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| Ballboy aid |
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| The Main Stand. |
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| The terrace that doesn't know when to stop. |
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| A season's worth of gaffer tape keeps this drum in place. |
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| The mascot. |
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| A fan celebrates full time. |
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| The home end. |
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| Roof of Main Stand. |
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| Sunset over the Volksbank Stadion |
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