For the last time on the bench of TSV Gilching, coach Peter Schmidt (front) will sit on Saturday at the away game in Weißenburg. © Andrea Jaksch
The last away trip is the longest. The Landesliga footballers of TSV Gilching-Argelsried will play a game in Middle Franconia for the first time on Saturday: They are guests at TSV 1860 Weißenburg on the last matchday.
Gilching – Born in Thuringia, Peter Schmidt was a coach in Franconia for a long time. "But I've never been to southern Middle Franconia," says the TSV Gilching-Argelsried coach. The away game on Saturday at 14 p.m. at TSV 1860 Weißenburg is therefore a premiere for him. "I'm getting to know a new place again," says Schmidt. And its footballers are also breaking new ground, TSV has never played a game in Middle Franconia in its men's history. For Schmidt it will be the last encounter after four years at Talhofstraße. "I'm totally at peace with myself and I don't regret my decision to take a break," he notes. The football business is beautiful, but also exhausting. "The break will do me good," says the family man.
He hopes that his footballers will present themselves better in their last appearance of the season than in the 0-2 midweek defeat in Kaufering. "After all, we want to achieve our goal for the season," says Schmidt. In order to maintain the single-digit place in the table on their own, TSV, who are in seventh place, must win in Weißenburg. In the event of another defeat, the Gilching team could even fall to twelfth place. "That shows how close it has been in the league," said Schmidt. With a victory, fifth place would still be within the realm of possibility.
However, the line-up is very difficult. With Plator Doqaj, another player is out injured, he suffered a foot injury on Wednesday. "The second team and the A-youth team will also play on Saturday, so it's not easy," Schmidt said. He would even have played himself. "But I don't have a player's passport," said the 40-year-old, who has long since hung up his boots. Somehow, however, he will still pull a reasonable formation out of the hat. "It would be important to me that we deliver a good game at the end of the season," said the outgoing TSV coach.
The hosts are in 13th place, but have a large cushion to the first relegation place. They are therefore also secured. "A draw at the end would be nice and would also sum up our season quite well," said Schmidt. There have not been four games in a row without a draw for his team this season. After the two victories against Erkheim (1-0) and Gersthofen (3-0) as well as the defeat in Kaufering, it would be time again for a points split. It would be the 13th draw of the round for them.
In the first leg, the Gilching footballers saved a 1-1 draw at home with a lot of effort, Sebastian Kraus, who is currently missing due to injury, scored the equaliser shortly before the end.
