One of the most exciting years in the history of the Green-Whites is behind us. At the end of the last year, it would have still been presumptuous to have dreamt of a return to the Bundesliga. 365 days later, SV Werder find themselves safely in the middle of the pack in the top division. We want to recall the countless experiences of the last year, month by month, in two parts. Here is part one – Mission: Gain promotion back to the Bundesliga.
A historic winning streak with a nail-biting race at the top, bitter defeats coming at the worst possible time and the necessity to win the season finale in front of a home crowd. If an author had submitted Werder’s first half of the 2022 season as a script, it would likely have been rejected as far too unrealistic. Fortunately, facts, figures, pictures, the DAZN documentary as well as countless unforgettable memories of the green and white supporters prove that it all really happened.
The year began and continued with a historic wave of success. Under new head coach Ole Werner, SVW started with a seven-game winning streak and an unbeaten run of ten games. “The team realised at the start of the year that we have to now give everything we’ve got, otherwise we’d be stuck in the second division,” said Marco Friedl, providing an insight into the players’ mindset at the turn of the year. At the start of December, Werder still lay in a disappointing tenth place, but they managed to turn things around and, following a home win over Dresden on 6th March, sat atop of the table. This was also preceded by getting revenge in the Nord Derby. After a spectacular game, the Green-Whites celebrated a 3-2 win with the 2,000 travelling away fans on matchday 24.
As cautious optimism around Bremen slowly but surely transitioned into euphoria, the team fell frustratingly fell to defeat against Heidenheim on matchday 26. Nevertheless, there weren’t any doubts about what could be achieved in spite of the loss. “The world hasn’t come to an end,” Anthony Jung denoted during his assessment of the defeat, before looking ahead to the next game: “Our streak is over – our house of cards has fallen down, now we’re working on rebuilding a new one and trying to start a new run. We will analyse it and watch where we went wrong, and then we’ll have the chance to do better in front of a home crowd on Saturday against Darmstadt.”
That’s exactly what they did! With plenty of passion and a packed out wohninvest WESERSTADION behind them, the Green-Whites put in a much improved performance. The 1-0 home win marked the start of a run of five games without defeat, in which they took on all other direct challengers for promotion. The crowning piece of that run was the brilliant 4-1 away win over Schalke on 23rd April. It was a day where where absolutely everything went right: In prime footballing weather, 6,300 travelling Werder fans cheered on their boys and were rewarded with an impressive performance from the team. Ilia Gruev kicked off the scoring with his first professional goal. Then Niclas Füllkrug double the lead before strike partner, Marvin Ducksch, with a brace in the second half, set Werder well on their way to renewing their hold of the top of the table.
Nevertheless, nobody in the Werder camp wanted to dwell on the victory over their closest neighbours in the table. Their full focus turned to the home game against Holstein Kiel, who, having secured a mid-table position already, were able to play with freedom at the wohninvest WESERSTADION. In front of a sell-out crowd, in the floodlights, and 2-0 up after just 20 minutes, it seemed as if, on this Friday evening, SVW would not only be celebrating another win but well and truly pushing the door to promotion wide open.
But what followed left even the most experienced Werder players speechless. Fülle’s own goal on the stroke of half time was considered merely a small blip on what was overall a successful first 45 minutes. Ultimately, SVW took control of the game again after the restart, but the goals, however, were being scored by the visitors. It was another own goal that levelled the game before Kiel’s Julian Korb converted a chance five minutes from the end to make it 3-2. “That loss wasn’t undeserved. Unfortunately, we beat ourselves today,” explained Marco Friedl after the game.
Seeing as the chasing pack had picked up their points, it was a simple equation facing Werder at the beginning of May: If Werder won their final two games against Aue and Regensburg, automatic promotion would have been assured. Whilst the players did their duty on the pitch, the fans also showed their suitability for the top division. In the 3-0 victory over Aue, 2,400 supporters followed the club on their travels, and of course, the WESERSTADION was at full capacity for the season finale against Regensburg.
The Green-Whites party started much earlier that day. In the morning, thousands of Werder fans met at Bremen’s market square to march together and welcome the team. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald himself said he had a “spontaneous moment” and took part in the fans’ march. “When I arrived at the Markplatz, I felt such a positive atmosphere and strength there. It was simply a fantastic moment,” Werder’s President enthused following the unique experience.
Buoyed by the euphoric supporters, the team delivered on the pitch yet again. Niclas Füllkrug got the festive mood started with his 19th goal of the season in the tenth minute of the match. In the second half, it was partner-in-crime Marvin Ducksch that sealed what everyone had been hoping for. At 5.24 p.m. on that Saturday afternoon in Bremen, the mission to seal promotion back to the top flight had been successfully accomplished and a long holiday could begin.
