The rush on Whit Monday was so great that the kick-off had to be postponed by a quarter of an hour. 6342 spectators came to the venerable Lohrheide to be there against FC Eintracht Rheine.

There hadn’t been anything to celebrate here for SG Wattenscheid 09 for a long time. Nine years ago, they were promoted to the regional league after the Bochum district club had temporarily dropped to the sixth division. Since then, the SG had re-established itself in the regional league before the financial problems became so great that insolvency proceedings had to be opened in August 2019.

Since the first team even stopped playing as a result, some feared the end of the club, which had stayed in the Bundesliga for four years from 1990 to 1994 and had played a total of 20 seasons in league two since the introduction of the second league.

But the club was still alive, started in the Oberliga in 2020 and is now at least back in league four. The win against Rheine on the last day of the game is synonymous with promotion.

In addition to Wattenscheid, two other clubs still had hope before the final 90 minutes of the season. Paderborn II was separated from the promotion place by only one point, Westfalia Rhynern was two points behind. But like the competition, Wattenscheid also fulfilled its duty.

However, after a goalless first half, a penalty and a goalkeeper error were necessary to make the 2-0 victory perfect. Emre Yesilova scored from the spot (52′) and Dennis Knabe-Lerche completed the win after Rheine’s goalkeeper lost the ball while dribbling (83′).

Fans and players then celebrated on the pitch. A banner read in meter-sized letters: “A dream comes true – the SGW is back!” In the next season, opponents such as Rot-Weiss Oberhausen, Alemannia Aachen and Preußen Münster are waiting. However, those responsible already have a major task ahead of them. A new main sponsor is being sought. The old one, a call center from Bochum, will reduce its commitment.