FC St. Pauli

Relegation reprieve

SC Paderborn ended last season in 18^th place in the third division, which under normal circumstances would have meant relegation to the fourth-tier Regional League West. They were handed a late reprieve, however, when 1860 Munich failed to obtain a licence for the third division after losing the promotion-relegation play-off against Jahn Regensburg. Paderborn received the positive news from the German Football Association (DFB) three weeks after the final game of the season, and were thus saved the ignominy of relegation from the first to the fourth tier in just three years.

Impressive run

Paderborn almost avoided the drop last season with a late surge that saw them pick up 11 points from the final five games. In the end they finished just one point short of safety. This positive run of form has continued this season. A riotous 4-4 draw against Halle on the opening day was followed by victories over Chemnitz (3-2), Lotte (2-1) and Sonnenhof Grossaspach (5-0). Paderborn are now unbeaten in twelve games – nine in the league plus three wins in the Westphalia Cup, including the 3-1 defeat of Sportfreunde Lotte in last season's final that earned them their place in this season's DFB Cup.

Baumgart the builder

A calamitous 4-0 defeat at VfR Aalen meant the end of Stefan Emmerling's reign as Paderborn's head coach in mid-April. His successor, Steffen Baumgart, was unveiled just one day later. Baumgart, who would have continued in the job in the Regional League West had the club been relegated, ushered in the turnaround. Paderborn have yet to lose a competitive fixture with the former Bundesliga man (Hansa Rostock, Energie Cottbus and VfL Wolfsburg) at the helm. "The team spirit has really kicked in since he took charge," said SCP captain Christian Strohdieck. "There's more enjoyment and bite in our play and we've come closer together as a team."

Zolinski on target

SC Paderborn are the third division's leading scorers so far with 14 goals from their first four games. Midfielder Ben Zolinski has been particularly prolific and tops the scoring chart with four goals, while Sven Michel has scored three and made three to lead the way for total goals and assists.

Paderborn's cup record

SC Paderborn have qualified for the DFB Cup 26 times but their record is a modest one. They have been knocked out 16 times in the first round and nine in the second. In the 2004/05 season Paderborn progressed to the quarter-final stage with wins over Hamburg (4-2) and Duisburg (2-1) before eventually going out 4-1 on penalties against Freiburg after a 2-2 draw.

Photo: Eibner