VfL Bückeburg 1 v VfL Osnabrück II 1

      

Saturday. We never play at home on a Saturday. This would mean my regime, sat in front of my computer, with various websites open, flicking from one to the other, trying to catch up on scores would be cancelled. Luckily I invested in an iPhone, so would have most of the info at hand, and with Hannover 96 playing the next day, I only had Orient and Romford to concentrate on. Oh, and the match I was at. 

In the end Orient got thumped 0-5 at Brentford, and Romford lost 0-1 at Harlow Town. Not too disapointed about the latter, we can put that right at home to Redbridge on Tuesday. But Orient? Bottom of the leage with the worst goal difference? Quite bizarre! Sort it out Slade.

To the game in hand. Osnabrück II are basically the reserve team of the 3rd division protagonists. Or the Under-21's as they like to see themselves. They are managed by American Joe Enochs, who himself represented Osnabrück 359 times. He even had one full cap for the USA, playing against Ecuador in a 0-0 draw.

The Osnabrück team had quite the most hideous kit. All purple with gold numbers on the back. At times it was like looking into a field of lavender. 

The Osnabrück team

   This was a well fought point. We did not play as well as our previous home game where a 3-1 lead was squandered to lose 3-4 to Goslar, however, there was a lot of guile and the point means we are finally up and running in the Oberliga.

One thing which I did notice, there are a couple of players, and I will not name them, that seem to still be thinking in Landesliga terms. What I mean is, no matter what league you play in, Hackney Marshes to Premier League, everyone knows, that in the league above things are different. You get that little bit less time on the ball, the speed increases, the defenders are shrewder, the technical ability is higher. With that in mind maybe we should start thinking so, and stop trying to dribble past that one extra player, or think that second before the pass is played, as was the case last year, will not be so easily granted to us at this level.

Osnabrück in the first half looked technically superior to us. The goal came on 22 minutes as once again, the right hand side was exposed and a ball into our box found Julian Wold to smash home the cross.

Bubi Bremer. Like Shearer but more subtle

  

We came out scrapping in the second half and it was a much improved performance. The two Könnemann brothers, Pascal and Bastian were stretching Osnabrück on the flanks, leaving space for the restored Niklas Fritsche and Alexander Bremer through the middle.

Once again though, the referee and his assistants were apalling. The linesman on our side was barely out of nappies. 

Another barmy linesman

     In the 83rd minute our deserved equaliser came. High ball into the penalty area, Bubi Bremer was fouled, but got up to get his toe on the ball, swivel round and poke it over the line from 5 metres. The ball trickled over the line but who cares? His 3rd goal of the season in as many games, gave us our first point. 

On Sunday we travel to Eintracht Nordhorn. They are a massive club with a 7500 capacity stadium. I think I will drive to this one as well. Looking forward to it.

Player Ratings
1. Tim Engler          7
2. Pascal Könnemann    7
3. Jonas Abram         8
4. Dennis Peter        6
5. Niko Werner         6
9. Alexander Bremer    7
10. Niklas Fritsche    7
11. Burak Buruk        5
12. Tim Buchwald       6
14. Nils Rinner        5
18. Jan Steingiger     5
Subs
15. Mortiz Heine for Niklas Fritsche
19. Jan-Eike Raschke for Pascal Könnemann
20. Bastian Könnemann  7 for Nils Rinne