However, during the match in Spich, he was substituted at half-time and remained with the amateur side until 1978. He became their captain, trained as an industrial clerk and completed his military service with the Bundeswehr. Harry then went on to study business administration.
At the age of 26, he had effectively given up on professional football. But in 1978, manager Willibert Kremer asked him to help Bayer 04 in their battle to avoid relegation from Bundesliga 2. Harry seized his chance: on 29 April 1978, he played his first Bundesliga 2 match against Tennis Borussia Berlin. Bayer went on to win the following four matches with him in the starting line-up and climbed from 15th to 8th place. Harry was offered a professional contract and, alongside his career as a footballer, he worked in the legal department of Bayer AG.
A hard-working runner who put the team first
During the 1978–79 season, he became a key pillar of the team. Right from the opening match against Fortuna Köln, Harry scored the first goal of the season. The Werkself won the match 3–1 and kicked off a run of nine victories. The Leverkusen-born player featured in the starting line-up 14 times in a row across two seasons – and won every one of those matches. Kremer rated his hard-working, tactically disciplined and team-oriented midfielder highly.
His team-mates, too, ssw him as a key part of their success. Jürgen Gelsdorf describes him as the “final piece of the jigsaw” for the team. Matthias Brücken particularly praised Harry’s willingness to put the team first. He played in 32 of the 38 matches that season and was there to witness Bayer 04’s promotion to the Bundesliga.
