BSG Wismut Gera — FSV Zwickau (25-06-2022)

 

After contracting COVID-19 one day before scheduled to go to Oslo and Stockholm, I have to reschedule everything and decide to self-isolate by driving around Central Europe and watch a few games (masked and several meters from anyone else). Unfortunately, there are only friendlies and many of these friendlies are not played at the home ground of the teams in question.

 

Fortunately, BSG Wismut Gera is celebrating its 70th birthday by playing a friendly at the start of the pre-season schedule against big neighbor, 3. Liga team FSV Zwickau. Although it can trace its origins back to 1904, the current club is a fusion team that only in 2009 was renamed BSG Wismut Gera, under which a predecessor had played in the first but mostly second tier of football in the German Democratic Republic. Currently, Wismut plays in the Thüringenliga, one of the state leagues that constitute the sixth tier of German football.

 

Wismut plays its games at the Stadion am Steg, which is tucked away next to a mishmash of roads, yet is still pretty hard to get to. It looks like an old athletic ground that was abandoned and then repurposed as a soccer stadium. It has only one (concrete) stand, , which has 7 rows with seats on only two of them. The other long side is just grass, but you can sit there too. Behind one goal is a big canteen and the VIP section. Officially, the stadium capacity is 7,000, although only 450 seats.

 

It is a beautiful day, very warm (27C), a bit cloudy, with a nice breeze. Between 300 and 400 people have come out for the game, mostly local, but also some 100 away fans (it’s only 50 km). The crowd is pretty mixed in terms of age and gender but also very white (like the town). Before the game there are real cannon shots fired and a local band plays.

 

In the 9^th minute a too easy Zwickau attack is shot at the goalie from 5 meter. Within one minute, the striker shoots low but too weak and the goalie saves again. He is going to be in for a busy afternoon.

 

It is a typical Testspiel (friendly); low pace, too big difference in quality, but not too many big chances or goals because the big team is still figuring things out. Somehow, I missed the first goal and then also the second goal, as I was taking a picture of the ticket. So, a good 20 minutes in and the score is 0-2.

 

A minute after the Wismut goalie saves a volley from 5 meters, he is unable to hit the ball out of the net as a cross is headed in from 5 meters in the 27^th minute. Two minutes later, after the first real good attack, a fast cross over right and a strong header from a totally free Zwickau striker, the score is 0-4. Six minutes later, terrible defense by Gera leads to a comical goal: 0-5.

 

A few minutes later a rebound is shot into wall of Zwickau players who are all offside, one scores, the linesman sleeps, and it is 0-6. In the 40^th minute another long Zwickau attack and a dribble in box is finished simply: 0-7. That is also the half-time score. Wismut had 0 chances, and its goalie made at least 5 good saves! No one seems impressed, not even the away fans.

 

In the 55^th minute Wismut gets its first “chance” but the player shoots soft and far over the goal. Two minutes later a Zwickau player goes alone at the goalie and shoots hard in the goal: 0-8. After that both teams exchange many players, which disrupts the flow of the game (as does the heat).

 

The visitors gets some more chances but don’t seem too concerned with scoring anymore. The hosts struggle on, while most supporters enjoy the beer and sun. Final score is 0-8. Unfortunately, the scoreboard is old school, which means that I can’t capture the score.

 

Obviously, the “game” wasn’t particularly good but I liked the chill atmosphere and the special occasion. Moreover, while it might not be the real “Wismut Gera,” I am happy to finally have seen the club, in some ways a relic of forgotten times.