The hosts tire after the hour mark and the team around midfielder Peter Surbach can finally get the upper hand. Manfred Schumann heads home the opening goal from a Hans-Werner Marx corner on 74 minutes. Manfred Vetter, who replaced Peter Litzinger on 66 minutes, makes it 2-0 with a powerful shot from 30 metres out six minutes later. And the former Frechen player Matthias Brücken seals the win on 88 minutes. At the end of the day, a convincing victory and a good start to 1975.
The Werkself are away to league leaders Bonner SC a week later. 5,000 spectators come to the big match at the Bonner Nord Park. Bayer 04 make an impressive start: The team under coach Manfred Rummel take the lead on 14 minutes with a shot from Peter Surbach from 16 metres out but the Bonner team responds aggressively. Urged on by their supporters, they besiege Hubert Makel's goal. But the hosts failed to score in Bayer 04 take the lead into half-time. It is the same story in the second half: on attack, Bayer 04 counter-attack skilfully. The referee is deceived by a dive from the former Bayer 04 youth player Karl Heinz Wöhler on 58 minutes. But Hubert Makel saves the penalty. But he his lucky a few minutes later when a shot hits the post but that does not hold on 72 minutes. A header against the bar bounces back onto his shoulder and into the net – 1-1. Gerd Kentschke has a big chance just before the final whistle but all in all it ends in a fair draw.
The Bayer team are away again on 19 January. This time at BC Oberbruch-Heinsberg. The rearranged game from matchday 13 is watched by only 700 spectators who see the Werkself play good passing football but without the final finish. Manfred Vetter open the scoring in the second half on 63 minutes but the hosts reply with more aggression and energy. Leverkusen clear off the line twice. The deserved equaliser for the Oberbruch team comes on 83 minutes. The Werkself take just one point from the game.
Another rearranged game in the middle of the week this time at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. 1,200 spectators want to watch the night match for the Werkself against SG Eschweiler but the floodlights don't have the same stimulating effect on the Bayer team as so often before. Manfred Vetter again opens the scoring on eight minutes with a fine long-range shot but nothing goes right after that. There is uncertainty and misunderstanding in a surprising way and Eschweiler get their chances on goal. The visitors press hard for the equaliser in the second half. But centre-forward Manfred Schumann makes it 2-0 from a corner. Nevertheless, the Bayer game is still unsettled. The whistles from the fans are justified as "the Black and Reds look out of ideas and helpless and that was the reason for a dour football match" (Stadt-Anzeiger dated 23.01.1975). Two points are one in the end. That's the only thing that counts in that game.
The Werkself have another home game four days later. This time Godesberger FV are the visitors in front of 1,500 spectators. Not much goes right in the first half despite an early goal scored by Matthias Brücken (6’). But Manfred Schumann (47') and Matthias Brücken (48’) score two quick goals after the restart and the Werkself are moving the ball much better. Again it is Manfred Schumann who finds the back of the net on 57 minutes to make it 4-0. Matthias Brücken with goals number 15 and 16 of the season and another strike from Klaus Röhrig increase the scoreline to 7-0. The Werkself are one point behind league leaders SC Jülich 10 in second place at the end of January.
Jacek Krzynowek was born on 15 May 1976 in Kamiensk, Poland, and grew up as a typical country boy. He spent his childhood less in structured training sessions and more on simple pitches, where he spent hours playing football with older boys. He realised early on that he had exceptional shooting power and enormous stamina. But for a long time, he didn't appreciate just how much talent he had. While others dream of a great career, professional football initially seems like a distant world to him that he only knows from television.
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Carsten ‘Calle’ Ramelow was born in Berlin on 20 March 1974. He began his football career in the youth teams at Tasmania 73, Tennis Borussia, SC Siemensstadt and, last but not least, Hertha Berlin. It was here that he reached the DFB Pokal final in 1993 with the Hertha Bubis team, the amateur team at Hertha Berlin, against his future employer Bayer 04 Leverkusen. But even he was unable to prevent the Werkself's 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Ulf Kirsten.
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The 1995/1996 season brought some innovations. For the first time, each player was given a squad number with his name printed on the back of the jersey. For the first time, coaches were allowed to make three substitutions and for the first time, three points are awarded for a win. And for the first time, I am no longer my team's number 1. I wear it on my back, but Dirk Heinen has taken over me in goal. So at first I sat on the bench a bit offended, but in the Rückrunde I realised I also had to make my contribution to the success of a team.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of May. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen, promoted to the Oberliga West, welcome VfL 99 Köln for the last game of a successful season. This time, the crowd of just 2,000 spectators saw more of a friendly than a championship match. Little fight, little goalmouth action and few moves in midfield to warm the hearts of the spectators. It takes a corner to give Bayer 04 the lead. Peter Röger is on hand with his head and nods home on 43 minutes for the half-time lead. When Karl-Heinz Spikofski increased the lead to 2-0 a quarter of an hour after the restart, the result was settled. The team from Cologne were able to reduce the deficit to 2-1 in the final minute, but in the end the spectators went home looking forward to the first season for a Bayer 04 team in Oberliga West 1.
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