Place one should be here. It is a fact. There is no trifling around. “The club took money into their hands to sign two foreigners. We can’t say that we want to be in midfield,” emphasizes BVG captain Dennis Friedenstab. However: Of the two entrants Martina Nöst (Austria) and Sarah Findlay (Scotland), only the former will be able to play in the first half of the season.
Findlay is suspended for the first half of the season. The Scottish Association had a license to play, but her license number was still with SG Luckau / Blankenfelde – although she hadn’t played there for years. But paper is patient. “We didn’t know, Sarah didn’t know. When it was noticed, the deadline had expired,” says Friedenstab. The BVG does not want to be thrown off the track. Even if the ladies are scarce due to the Scottish shock – Nöst, Lea Dingler and Karen Radke are on board for the start.
Cornucopia of veterans among men
The situation is different with the men, where Gifhorn can fall back on a cornucopia of veterans and talents. It’s also easy to cope with the fact that a wedding thins out the squad a bit on the opening weekend. Lukas Dieckhoff, who coached Gifhorn in the preseason and is no longer available due to his doctoral thesis, is getting married, his brother Benjamin and Wolf-Dieter Papendorf are guests and are therefore not on the registration form against the Berlin clubs.
Dennis does not go to the party. Together with Yannik Joop and Patrick Thöne, he forms the council of elders, Marvin Schmidt and the debutants Thies Huth and Holger Herbst are the young and wild ones. The first around 30 years old, the second all still teenagers. “This is how the mix should be. Some of our boys are already successful at the federal level, so they should take over the helm in the future,” says Friedenstab.
Great opportunity for the climb
Preferably in the second division – and the opportunity for promotion is greater than it has been in a long time. “Since the second division season was canceled due to Corona, no relegated team came down from above. Who knows when such a chance will come back,” said the BVG captain. Gifhorn wants to use it. With two wins at the start. Against teams that come from the Corona hotspot Berlin. “The relay leader once again sent a circular e-mail at the start of the season with the request that no one should go on the trip if there is any doubt,” reports Friedenstab, who knows: “You cannot control it, we have to rely on trust.”
By the way: A preliminary decision in the title race can be made on the second double matchday. Then it’s off for the BVG to SSW Hamburg (October 24th) and the Hamburg-Horner-TV II (October 25th). “Our biggest competitors in the championship fight,” said the captain. October – for Gifhorn it should be a golden one.
