From the archives: 70 years ago – Decider for second place

A week after the glorious 4-0 home win against FC Köln in front of a crowd of 15,000, hopes for another win in Leverkusen are high. And again there is immense interest in the game. The first spectators enter the stadium two hours before kick-off. The stadium announcer again and again asks people to move back. In the end, 17,000 spectators fill the Bayer ground including a young man from Hamburg called Uwe Seeler who wants to get an idea of the strength of the teams in the Oberliga West and perhaps see a future opponent. His team Hamburg SV are already champions of the Oberliga North. When the last fans enter the ground with ten minutes to go before kick-off every vantage point is taken. The bravest climb onto the gates of the entrance and the windows in the houses on Walter-Nernst-Straße are also in high demand.

Referee Helsper from Mülheim starts the game at 15.00. After 15 minutes Josef Zesar goes off injured for treatment in the dressing room. He limps back onto the pitch a couple of minutes later and from then on is a static figure at left back. Nevertheless, the Werkself take the lead on 39 minutes with a goal from playmaker Walter Nußbaum. The same player converted a penalty two minutes to make it 2-0 but Solingen pulled a goal back before half-time at 2-1 to the celebration of the large travelling support.

When centre forward Fritz Tiede is brought down in the penalty area on 56 minutes, referee Helsper again points to the spot. But this time Nußbaum hits the post. Years later, die-hard Bayer 04 fans hold it against him. Three minutes later the referee again awards a penalty – this time for SV Sodingen. Johann Adamik takes the chance to level and leaves the Bayer keeper Fredi Mutz helpless.

The Werkself bombard the goal brilliantly minded by Günter Sawitzki. The Sodingen defenders are tough on the Bayer players and unfortunately often go beyond acceptable limits. The visitors are hemmed in. Leverkusen try with all their might again and again to penetrate the opposition defence and beat the outstanding Sodingen goalkeeper to no avail.

When the final whistle blows after 90 hard-fought minutes, the Sodingen players raise their arms in celebration. The Leverkusen players make their disappointed way to the changing rooms. There is still a minimal chance of second place but the last two opponents for SV Sodingen do not offer much hope for the Werkself. The team from Westphalia appear to be certain of clocking up their points.

In den letzten beiden Spielen bestätigt sich das Gefühl. Der SV Sodingen gewinnt beide Spiele, die Werkself verliert sogar noch am letzten Spieltag bei Alemannia Aachen. So erreicht Bayer 04 mit dem 3. Tabellenplatz zwar seine bisher beste Platzierung der Vereinsgeschichte, aber die Enttäuschung über das Ende der Saison herrscht leider vor.

Ein Jahr später steht Bayer 04 Leverkusen am Abgrund. Nach einer enttäuschenden Saison steigt die Werkself 1956 aus der 1. Oberliga West ab und verschwindet für die nächsten Jahre in der Versenkung des Zweitliga-Daseins.