FC St. Pauli

Points after taking the lead

In 2016/17 Ewald Lienen's took the lead in 18 matches. Twelve of these games ended in victory, with four finishing all square. Despite notching the opening goal the Boys in Brown suffered defeat at VfB Stuttgart on the opening day of the season (2-1) and at home against Erzgebirge Aue (2-1) in round nine. In Hannover 96, Union Berlin, SV Sandhausen and FC Kaiserslautern, just four teams never lost a game after going ahead.

The Boys in Brown took the lead at VfB Stuttgart on the opening day but eventually lost 2-1. Here we see Lasse Sobiech under challenge from Simon Terodde.

Points after going behind

In the first half of the season the Boys in Brown were unable to win a game after going behind. It was a different story after the winter break, however, when Lienen's charges came from 1-0 down to win three times – at 1860 Munich (2-1), Fortuna Düsseldorf (3-1) and VfL Bochum (3-1). Against Greuther Fürth a 1-0 deficit at half-time was turned into a 1-1 draw.

Jubilation after the 3-1 victory at VfL Bochum on the final day – the third time the Boys in Brown came from behind to win.

Strong after the interval

Whatever the Boys in Brown had in their half-time tea, especially in the end-of-season run-in, it certainly did the trick. Lienen's side scored 28 goals in the second half of the season, 22 of them after the interval. For ten games in a row, from matchday 24 to 33, the ball refused to enter the net during the first 45 minutes. The five wins in succession against Nürnberg, Würzburg, Düsseldorf, Heidenheim and Kaiserslautern produced 11 goals, all of them coming after half-time.

In the 3-1 win at Fortuna Düsseldorf the Boys in Brown struck three times in the closing stages. Soon after Philipp Ziereis had levelled the scores at 1-1, Christopher Buchtmann scored from a free-kick and then Aziz Bouhaddouz added a third just before the final whistle.

Double misfortune

In a phase when things weren't going well in any case earlier in the season, the Boys in Brown were hit by a double whammy of bad luck. Lienen's side lost at Kickers Würzburg after an attempted clearance by Brian Koglin struck Vegar Eggen Hedenstad and rebounded past goalkeeper Robin Himmelmann into his own net. A week later the home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf also ended in a 1-0 defeat, and again it was an own goal, this time by Daniel Buballa.

As Düsseldorf's Axel Bellinghausen turns away in celebration, Daniel Buballa (right) can hardly believe his misfortune after putting through his own goal. Goalkeeper Robin Himmelmann (left) is powerless to stop it.

Lean spells and winning runs

Lienen's charges started the season with three defeats before a last-minute goal gave them a 2-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld. From mid-September to mid-December they then went 11 games without a victory, a run made up of four draws and even defeats. Fortunes finally changed with a 2-0 win at Fürth. In the second half of the season the Boys in Brown recorded not one but two unbeaten runs – from matchday 19 to matchday 23 (four wins, one draw) and from round 27 to the end of the season (six wins, two draws). The latter run included five victories on the bounce, a feat the Boys in Brown last achieved in the second division 19 years ago.

The Boys in Brown remained undefeated in the final eight games and had plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Photos: Witters