Next reinforcement for the Gladiators

Created: 09/12/2022, 12:45 p.m

By: Wolfgang Krzizok

The next newcomer: Coaches Ales Jirik (left) and Felix Schütz (right) welcome Michael Franz. © Private

Michael Franz makes his debut tonight against Waldkraiburg.

Erding – The Erding Gladiators have worked their way up the Bayernliga table to seventh place.

This rank should be strengthened.

To do this, however, team boss Felix Schütz's squad needs a win tonight (8 p.m.) in the home game against EHC Waldkraiburg.

Newcomer Michael Franz is supposed to help.

The most recent six-point weekend will have been the last this year.

"Blame" it is the game plan.

The Gladiators now have three straight Friday home games and are always off on Sundays.

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, three away games follow within just five days.

Today's opponent Waldkraiburg is the big disappointment of the season so far.

In recent years they have always been seeded as participants in the championship round, but at the moment the lions are far from the coveted eighth place in twelfth place.

The new coach Markus Berwanger has not yet succeeded, not least because of personnel problems, in getting the team on course for the championship round.

However, in the preliminary round it was enough to win 4:1 against the Gladiators.

Schütz doesn't really want to deal with the opponent for long.

"We have to look at ourselves and play our game," is his creed.

And after Tomas Plihal, he is happy about another new signing: 23-year-old striker Michael Franz, a brother of Erdinger defender Simon Franz, joins the Gladiators from the Passau Black Hawks. "We simply need more depth in the squad," emphasizes Schütz.

He leaves it open whether further reinforcements will come.

"We're certainly not going to sign anyone in any way," he says.

"We're in a good position overall, but if there's a need and a player really helps us, it's quite possible that another one will come along.

In today's game, Erding's team boss has to do without the ailing Sebastian Busch, but Lukas Krämmer is coming back after recovering from illness.

Schütz thinks it's great that there's only one game on each of the next three weekends: "We can train hard in between, hone our tactics and hope that our injured players will gradually come back." WOLFGANG KRZIZOK

Fundraiser

At the next three home games there will again be a special sale of mulled wine, sponsored by the Wolfra company.

The gladiators will donate the proceeds to a good cause.