From the archives: 50 years ago – A pre-season debacle

Both teams took to the pitch in midsummer temperatures in front of 2,000 spectators. The sky-high expectations of some Bayer 04 management members were dealt a severe blow that evening. The visitors from Karlsruhe, who appeared to be in better form than in their previous pre-season matches, played cat and mouse with Bayer 04 manager Willibert Kremer’s side for long stretches of the game.

no Chance against KSC

The first goal came began as early as the sixth minute, when Karlsruhe striker Karl Berger had little trouble tapping a shot that had been parried over the line. By half-time, the team from Baden had added two more. The goal fest continued in the second half. By the time Bayer 04 striker Dieter Herzog hit the crossbar on 70 minutes, KSC were already leading 6–0. Raimund Krauth rounded off the scoring on 74 minutes – after the final whistle, the Bayer 04 players left the pitch dejected following a 7-0 defeat.

The Werkself did not field their strongest line-up and, while their performance was far from thrilling, the defeat – and above all the scale of the result – was not overplayed. Manager Willibert Kremer told the journalists: “The week-long training camp in Quickborn is still taking its toll on us. We made good use of our time in northern Germany to build up our fitness and strength, but we’re still lacking a bit of spark.”

Only goalkeeper Fred Bockholt, who prevented a double-digit defeat, and the two new signings Dieter Herzog and Peter Hermann up front put in convincing performances. At the end of the 1976/77 season, the Werkself finished 10th in Bundesliga 2 North, and Karlsruhe were relegated from the Bundesliga.