Boys in Brown out to sign off with a win against Düsseldorf
Saturday, 14. May 2022, 10:00 Uhr
A season with plenty of ups and also a few downs comes to an end on Sunday when the Boys in Brown host Fortuna Düsseldorf at the Millerntor. Unfortunately, the 3-2 defeat at Schalke means there is nothing left to play for, but the Schultz XI are still determined to sign off from the fans with a win on the final day.
When the final whistle went at Schalke last Saturday, the disappointment was palpable. The Boys in Brown had surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2, the latest in a series of setbacks in recent weeks that ultimately ended all hopes of promotion. Though it left the Schultz XI within three points of third-placed HSV, a goal difference deficit of 18 puts the play-off spot firmly out of their reach.
The Boys in Brown are now without a win in six games, making them all the more determined to shrug off the disappointment and sign off on a high. "Although we fell just short of achieving our objective, we'll do everything we can to finish off well in front of a packed house on Sunday," said Jackson Irvine after the heartbreaking defeat at Schalke. While Timo Schultz has those players at his disposal again who were sidelined by a Covid infection last week, he will be without the suspended Marcel Beifus, Afeez Aremu, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Igor Matanović, of course.
No matter who the St. Pauli boss sends out on Sunday, it will be no easy task against one of the league's in-form teams. Fortuna have not lost since Daniel Thioune took over from Christian Preusser in early February, picking up six wins and six draws since then to lift themselves well clear of the relegation battle. They thus come to the Millerntor hoping to stretch their unbeaten run to 13 to end the campaign on a definitive high.
Düsseldorf have been something of a bogey side for the Boys in Brown of late, with just a solitary point coming from the last five meetings. Our most recent victory dates back to April 2017, when Philipp Ziereis and Christopher Buchtmann were on target in a 2-1 away win. The two longest-serving players will wear the brown-and-white colours for the final time on Sunday, along with Finn Ole Becker, James Lawrence and Rico Benatelli. The club will also bid farewell to the injured Sebastian Ohlsson and goalkeeper coach Mathias Hain after the game. The departing seven will be given a fitting send-off, hopefully after another home win to round off the 2021/22 season.
Photos: Witters
