DIAMANTAKOS: "LIKE AN EXPLOSION"
Friday, 01. June 2018, 18:13 Uhr
For the Boys in Brown, the 2017/18 season reached its pinnacle in round 32. Greuther Fürth's visit to the Millerntor on 28 April was the crunch fixture as far as most people were concerned. Markus Kauczinski's side came out firing on all cylinders on the day, flying into the tackles and looking to get forward at every opportunity. In the end they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners to take a big step towards second division safety. Right in the thick of things was Dimitrios Diamantakos, for whom the game was to take on even more meaning.
"The feeling when the ball went over the line was like an explosion," said the Greece striker, recalling the moments after his first goal for the club. "It hadn't been going well for me and I knew my goal could help to give the team more assurance. That it set us on the road to victory is even more pleasing."
Diamantakos, who arrived from VfL Bochum in the winter break, continued: "We were in a very difficult situation going into the game, of course. Everything was focused it, so the decision to spend more time together at the training ground was exactly right because it allowed us to concentrate solely on the job in hand. It created the time and space to discuss things in more detail, which for me was a very positive aspect."
Next season the St. Pauli No45 is determined to carry on where he left off. "It's a shame the summer break came around really," he said, unable to stifle a grin before returning to serious mode. "Overall, it was a tough season for me. I didn't get as much playing time as I'd set out to," he said. "As I result, the few times I did play I was trying not to make any mistakes and taking fewer risks, which for a striker is obviously counterproductive.
"The games I got towards the end of the season triggered a process, however," Diamantakos continued. "My teammates eventually knew how I like the ball to be played and at the same time I knew what runs I needed to make for them to be able to play the ball to me," he explained, delighted at the improved understanding between him and the players behind him.
To make sure Diamantakos is able to hit the ground running next term, he'll be spending his summer holiday in his home country of Greece: "I'll start by visiting my friends and family in Athens and then I'll go to the Greek islands. I need loads of sun and I'm looking forward to the beach and more than 40 degrees."
Sitting around doing nothing is not really his thing, however. "After five or six days I have to get moving again, be it playing football, riding my bike or whatever, because I simply have too much energy in me," he joked, looking forward to expending that energy in the new season from Monday, 25 June.
Photos: Witters
