NO TIME FOR JOKES!
Sunday, 01. April 2018, 10:53 Uhr
The Boys in Brown host SV Sandhausen in front of another sell-out crowd at the Millerntor Stadium this Sunday. It's a big three points at stake for both teams in a game that will be no laughing matter despite the date.
One common prank played on 1 April is to point down to someone's shoe and say, "watch out, your shoelace is undone". FC St. Pauli joined in the fun two years, introducing the mascot "Zecki" to the delight of all and sundry. The sense of disappointment when it became clear that the eight-armed monster was merely an April Fool's joke was palpable. There'll be none of that this year, however. With very little separating the teams at the top and bottom ends of the table, it's is clearly no time for jokes. Though the Boys in Brown are only four short of the forty points total usually considered safe, at the moment it is by no means certain that this would be enough to stay up. Going into the game, Kauczinski's side sit just three points clear of the relegation play-off spot.
After the frustrating 1-1 draw at FC Kaiserslautern before the international break, the Brown-and-Whites will be determined to see any lead through to the end this time, though the visitors will obviously have something to say about that. Kenan Kocak's strong-tackling side are having their best season ever and yet, having also amassed 36 points to date, face exactly the same problem as the Boys in Brown. It is so tight in this league. Sandhausen went into their home game against Bochum last time out thinking a win would just about be enough to dispel any relegation worries, only to slump to a disappointing 3-2 defeat. At the pre-match press conference, Kocak was keen to point out that they had put the setback behind them: "We've discussed the defeat against Bochum at length and drawn a line under it. Our focus is entirely on the game at St. Pauli now."
So what can we expect? Some meaty challenges, that's for sure, given that we're talking about the two best tackling sides in the league. The weather will also play a part, which means it will be all about the players keeping their footing on a difficult playing surface and making sure they win the key duels. If Kauczinski's side can do that, they will have an excellent chance of winning the game, especially as they have the second-best points per goal ratio (1.29) in the league. So if everything goes to plan, we may well be in the mood for a bad joke or two, after all.
Photo: Witters
