After trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Bayer team took control of the game and scored a well-deserved equaliser in the 65th minute through former Benrath player Theo Kirchberg. Later in the game, centre-forward Emil Becks hit the post, but in the end Bayer 04 managed to hold on for the one point. The Leverkusen supporters went home in high spirits, as the Werkself could now secure promotion with a draw against bottom-placed Fortuna Köln in front of a large crowd at home at the Stadtpark.
Heinz Nelles, press spokesman and editor of the Bayer 04 Sprachrohr, the Werkself's weekly newsletter, gets the fans in the mood for the match on 8 April 1951. "On Sunday, our loyal supporters will certainly not let anything in the world stop them from being eye and ear witnesses to an event that will make our hearts beat faster. There will be something happening on the Bayer pitch on Sunday, because in human terms, the dream of all football fans should come true on Sunday."
And yes, there is something going on. 7,000 Bayer 04 fans made the pilgrimage to the Stadtpark with flags and trumpets. The anticipation is great. And the jubilation too, when Karl-Heinz Spikofski grabs the ball on the halfway line on seven minutes and dribbles through the Fortuna defence to score the opener at 1-0. When left winger Paul Wiorek was put through twice and netted twice, the game was already decided before half-time, even though Fortuna did manage to score a second goal to make it 2-1.
After the break, the spectators really got into the mood, as it is once again Paul Wiorek who increases the lead to 4-1 with his third goal. Emil Becks made it 5-1 with a quarter of an hour to go, and Fortuna's second goal could not dampen the joy of the team and fans at the final whistle. For the first time in their almost 50-year history, the Bayer footballers are a first division team. The fans storm the pitch and carry their heroes on their shoulders to the awards ceremony. Captain Hans Frömmel receives a winner's wreath from the Chairman of Bayer 04, Dr Fritz Jacobi, and photos are taken of the team together with the Werkself's D youth team.
The next day, a major column appears in the German sports newspaper SPORT-BEOBACHTER. In a print run of 120,000 copies, there is a full-page profile of the new Oberliga team SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger also devotes a full page to the successful team, presenting the individual players in words and pictures.
One week after the great success, Bayer 04 can measure their strength against an Oberliga team. The first-round match against Preußen Dellbrück is scheduled in the Western Germany Pokal. With equal shares of play and scoring chances on both sides, the game remained goalless until the break, although it could have been 3-3 at this point. The goals started to come in the second half. And just as everyone in the Stadtpark was preparing for extra time with the score at 2-2, goalkeeper Helmut Rennen made a mistake. On 87 minutes, he surprisingly let in a shot from a considerable distance, signalling the team's elimination from the cup. The 4-2 scoreline then no longer mattered. The Werkself can now concentrate on their final two matches.
The final match in April takes place on 22 April 1951. At Union Krefeld, the promoted team from the city of colours had the advantage on the pitch thanks to its technically good football, but it was unable to score because the Krefeld goalkeeper simply could not be beaten on this day. Instead - the Krefeld team scored the opener before the break. When captain Hans Frömmel equalised in the 50th minute and Richard Job scored eight minutes later to make it 2-1, everything seemed to point to a victory for the Werkself. However, Paul Wiorek was sent off midway through the second half and the Bayer team came under increasing pressure as the game wore on. Union equalised two minutes before the end - the team and fans headed home with a point picked up.
The schedule for the next few weeks still includes the last league match on the first weekend in May and many friendly matches, especially against Oberliga teams such as Wormatia Worms, Eintracht Kreuznach and Stuttgarter Kickers. Preparation for the first Oberliga season with matches against big names such as Schalke 04, Borussia Dortmund, Rot-Weiss Essen and FC Köln is already starting with these friendlies. The city of colours is gearing up.
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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