History: 75 years ago - The 1950/51 season (March)

Wiorek and Flohr genrate enthusiasm

In the end, over 10,000 spectators fill the stands of the stadium. Both teams enter the pitch at 3 pm to thunderous applause. A free-kick by future international Erich Juskowiak causes the first commotion in the Leverkusen penalty area, but then the Bayer team are in the game. First left-winger Paul Wiorek hits the post, then Theo Kirchberg storms down the right in the tenth minute. A Wuppertal defender can only deflect his cross into the path of Paul Wiorek, who dinks the ball high into the Wuppertal net. The Bayer 04 fans go wild and the Werkself are now in their element. Once again, Paul Wiorek hits the post with a long-range shot. In the 29th minute, Hans Flohr made it 2-0 after splendid build-up play by Karl Heinz Spikofski. After half-time, there was plenty of action in the Werkself penalty area. The crossbar was hit once and Bayer 04 defender Jakob Kaiser once again made the clearance for his already beaten keeper Helmut Rennen. The visitors finally pulled a goal back on 74 minutes and the Bayer 04 fans could no longer contain their excitement. When the final whistle sounded, players and spectators were in each other's arms. Because after the third attempt, reaching the First Oberliga West should now only be a matter of weeks away.

14 days later, the Werkself welcome their neighbours from Union Ohligs. The enthusiasm in the city of Leverkusen for their team is great and over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans once again turn up at the Stadtpark. Richard Job converted a penalty after just two minutes to give his side the lead. In the 19th minute, Hans Flohr also increased the lead to 2-0 with a penalty, before the Ohligsers replied shortly afterwards with a goal. When Paul Wiorek restored the two-goal lead with a header in the 32nd minute, everyone at the stadium believed in another win. Union Ohligs opened up the game in the second half, but in the last ten minutes the Werkself really came back into the game and scored the decisive goal at 4-1 through Emil Becks.

narrow win at Turu Düsseldorf

On Good Friday, 23 March 1951, the Werkself played a friendly match against the Oberliga Süd club Wormatia Worms. When Bayer 04 finished this match, the fixture list has not yet been finalised and so the match on Easter Sunday is actually very inconvenient. But as the team are in top form and the table situation allows it, the Bayer 04 match committee does not cancel the friendly. However, the Thursday training session has been cancelled to minimise the additional workload on the players.

The Werkself will be travelling to Düsseldorf's Feuerbachstraße on Easter Sunday to play their league match against Turu Düsseldorf. Fans travelling to the game can take a special bus from the Grein travel agency from 1.45 p.m. for three Deutschmarks or travel by train for two Deutschmarks. In the first half, the 3,000 spectators witnessed only a few highlights. In the 23rd minute, Richard Job gave Bayer 04 a 1-0 lead with a free-kick that was perfectly curled over the wall, but the Düsseldorf team missed a great chance to equalise when Peter Röger's penalty hit the post. The radio broadcast starts in the second half. Reporter Kurt Brumme commentates the next 45 minutes live from the stadium on Feuerbachstraße and gives the Bayer 04 fans who have stayed in Leverkusen reason to cheer when he announces the second goal scored by Theo Kirchberg on 55 minutes. Now everything seemed to be sorted, but five minutes later Turu reduced the deficit. From this point on, Bayer's victory was hanging by a thread. But with a lot of luck, the Werkself managed to hold on to the lead.

The Werkself now only needed two points from the remaining four games to secure the title and promotion to the First Oberliga West. And these points are to be gained in April.