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Only 8,000 spectators come to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for the game against VfB Bottrop on 5 May 1968. After a nervy start, defender Willi Haag scores the opener with a long-range effort to the relief of teammates and fans. When Friedhelm Strzelczyk doubles the lead after the half-hour mark it is all about the margin of the expected Bayer 04 victory. A goal from Karl-Heinz Brücken and a brace from Helmut Richert increases the lead to 5-0. As both rivals win their games at least a draw on the last matchday away to Schwarz-Weiß Essen is required as the goal average compared with Rot-Weiss Essen is clearly in favour of Bayer 04. Losing is not an option as the Bayer team would slip down to third place in the event of the other two teams winning.
The Werkself ran onto the pitch at the Uhlenkrug Stadium in pouring rain on 12 May 1968 accompanied by 4,000 Bayer 04 fans. Leverkusen take the lead on 21 minutes with a brilliant diagonal shot from Helmut Brücken. Up to half-time, Essen turn the game round and the Bayer 04 fans don't give their own team any chance. However, coach Theo Kirchberg brings on Klaus Görtz in place of Fredi Hennecken at the start of the second half. And "the tall one" controls proceedings on the pitch for the first 20 minutes after the restart. He takes hold of the game, plays long balls and shoots from all angles. The Essen keeper is unable to hold on to one of those shots from 20 yards out allowing Helmut Brücken to level just after half-time with his second goal. Eight minutes later, Klaus Görtz races away, plays a one-two with Friedhelm Strzelczyk and fires the ball into the back of the net. A complete turnaround at the Uhlenkrug in Essen. The Werkself play wonderful football and have more chances on goal. But the Black and Whites do not give up and are able to equalise on 70 minutes. Essen press for the winner in the last 20 minutes but Bayer 04 battle to hold on to the draw. The Bundesliga play-offs are achieved and as Rot-Weiss Essen win 5-1 in Hamborn, Bayer 04 Leverkusen are the champions of the Regional League West in 1968.
The Werkself are in Group 1 alongside Tennis Borussia Berlin, Kickers Offenbach, Arminia Hannover and TuS Neuendorf (today TuS Koblenz). The Black and Reds play the first away game at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin against Berlin runners-up Tennis Borussia. The 2,000 travelling Leverkusen fans witness a good start by the Werkself. After hitting the post twice, Fredi Hennecken nets the opening goal. But in a repeat of the week before the team are 2-1 down at half-time. The superior fitness on the heavy pitch brings a decisive advantage to the Bayer 04 team in the second half. A double whammy around 70 minutes with goals from Friedhelm Strzelczyk and Fredi Hennecken turns the game round for the team under coach Theo Kirchberg. Helmut Brücken seals the win just before full-time to secure the first two points.
Kickers Offenbach visit the Ulrich Haberland Stadium four days later. The ground is bursting at the seams with 20,000 spectators. Fans use the steel supports for the floodlights as seats or go home disappointed as there are no more tickets to be had. The team from Hessen are on top from the start with a very organised defence in the first half and an attacking game in the second. Offenbach deservedly take the lead on 67 minutes. As the referee is just about to blow for full-time, Friedhelm Strzelczyk takes a chance and fires an unstoppable shot from distance into the net to level the scores. The final whistle is met with huge celebrations by the Bayer 04 fans.
The fixture against Arminia Hannover follows a week later. The team from Lower Saxony failed to score in their first three games having lost them all 1-0. The Werkself dominate the first ten minutes but lose their way in the worst performance by Bayer 04 for months. After being a goal down at half-time, substitute Peter Rübenach at least rescues a the point with a strike on 84 minutes.
The Group 1 table after that matchday:
Tranquillo Barnetta was born in St. Gallen in Switzerland on 22 May 1985. Quillo, as he was called in the football world, has Italian roots. His great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the east of Switzerland. Quillo was interested in football early on and he played for the St. Gallen club FC Rotmonten from the age of six. He joined his favourite club FC St. Gallen at the age of 11. There he became a youth international. He won the European Championships with his teammates in the Switzerland U17 team in 2002. The youngsters from Switzerland beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to become U17 European champions.
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Since the establishment of the Bundesliga on 28 July 1962 for the 1963/64 season, there have been five Regional Leagues: North, Berlin, West, South-west and South. The champions of those five leagues qualified directly for promotion play-offs that were played in two groups of four teams. That included the two second-placed teams in the West and South-west Regional Leagues. The two runners-up from the North and the South played a qualifier for the eighth place in the promotion games.
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In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of May. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
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There were high summer temperatures in Leverkusen on 25 May 1985. Matchday 32 brings FC Köln to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with only 13,000 spectators at the derby. That is primarily due to the Werkself with Bayer 04 rarely impressing in that season and they are eleventh in the table before the game just three points ahead of sixteenth, the play-off spot. But with the two points for a win rule back then – two points were awarded for a win – and with the significantly better goal difference, the Werkself need every point to get out of trouble.
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It was all or nothing on the final matchday in the Verbandsliga in the 1974/75 season. Only now would it be decided who were champions and thereby participate in the promotion games to the Bundesliga 2 North. The earlier rivals Viktoria Köln, SC Jülich 10 and Bonner SC have fallen by the wayside.
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