The visitors, including the Leverkusen-born Germany international Paul Janes, can rarely free themselves from the clutches of the Bayer attack. On 15 minutes Hans Frömmel opens the scoring with a long-range effort. That is followed by a constant bombardment on the Fortuna goal supported by cheers and the siren-like howling of children. Theo Kirchberg scores another goal before half-time but this is ruled out due to an offside decision. Centre forward Emil Becks hits the ball over the bar from three metres out just before half-time leaving the Werkself with a 1-0 lead at the break.
Bayer 04 carry on attacking after the restart. Manfred Höher hits the ball just over the target after a solo run. In addition to Höher, Anton Mauth often leads the action. Emil Becks begins to limp in the middle of the second half after taking a knock but, as was the case back then, cannot be substituted. So he just moves up and down the touchline. On 80 minutes, Anton Mauth breaks down the right flank puts a cross into the penalty area and Manfred Höher heads the ball into the back of the net. Everybody's up from their seats and minutes of celebration sound across the pitch as that goal decides the game. With the final whistle, the Werkself players throw up their arms and are happy to have beaten a famous opponent after a tough battle but with a clear and deserved victory.
The end of the season brings a fifth place finish but the Werkself gain promotion to the First Oberliga West the next season.
Thomas Hörster was born in Essen on 27 November 1956. As a child, he took part in high diving and judo, but was also passionate about football. After starting out at Blau-Weiß Holsterhausen-Essen, he moved on to ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. As a U19 player, he trained with the senior side for the first time. And at just under 18 years of age, Thommy – as he is known – made his debut in Bundesliga 2. Over two-and-a-half seasons, he made 71 appearances for Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
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Bernd Dreher was born in Leverkusen on 2 November 1966 and he began playing football at SV Schlebusch at the age of five. At the age of nine, he joined the youth academy at Bayer 04. There, the goalkeeper progressed through all the youth teams and, with the U19s in 1985, he reached the final of the German Championship, that Bayer 04 lost 4-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Robson Ponte was born on 6 November 1976 in São Paulo. He began his football career in Brazil with CA Juventus. He then played for América FC and Guarani FC. In 1999, he joined Bayer 04. Robson initially played for the Werkself until 2001. He then moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year loan. There, he continued to develop and gained valuable experience in the Bundesliga. In 2003, he returned to Leverkusen, where he particularly showcased his dribbling skills and his ability in attacking midfield. In total, he made 79 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored six goals.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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On Sunday, 4 November 1951, the first league derby between Bayer 04 and FC Köln took place. The FC Köln stadium in Müngersdorf was absolutely bursting at the seams for this clash. A veritable invasion of Bayer 04 fans from Leverkusen set off for Cologne by tram and bus. From midday onwards, in addition to the scheduled services, six extra tram services ran at the standard fare from Leverkusen Town Hall to the stadium in Cologne. At the same time, buses operated by Grein ran regularly from Wiesdorf market square to Cologne. In the end, over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans waved their black and red flags in the stands at the FC Köln stadium and got behind their team for ninety minutes.
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