Greuther FürthGround: Sportpark Ronhof Visits: 1 Date: 2nd November 2019 Match: Greuther Fürth - Darmstadt 3-1 (2. Bundesliga) Attendance: 8 225 On Saturday morning my alarm buzzed at 06.40 and at 08-14 I then boarded my first train of the day. Normally it only takes an hour to travel from Regensburg to Nürnberg but due to construction I had to travel via Schwandorf and that meant it took an additional hour to reach Nürnberg. Once at Nürnberg Hbf I put my bags in storage before grabbing something to eat and drink. From Nürnberg Hbf I travelled by U-bahn to Fürth Rathaus and from there I walked for 20 minutes to get to the ground. Fürth has a population of around 125,000 and is situated really close to Nürnberg. From city centre to city centre it is only 7 km. The local football club is named Greuther Fürth and with exception of the 2012/13 season the club has played in 2. Bundesliga since 1997. In 2012/13 the club played in the Bundesliga btw. Greuther Fürth plays at Sportpark Ronhof and the ground has a capacity of 15,500. To play in the top two divisions in Germany a capacity of 15,000 is required and there are plenty of grounds with a capacity of 15 to 16,000. My seat was in row 12 of the Gegengerade and I was disappointed to have a few thin pillars blocking my view. Darmstadt brought around 400 fans to Fürth for this 2. Bundesliga encounter and in total 8,220 were inside Sportpark Ronhof. Considering the nice weather, 14-15 °C, I have to say I expected several thousand more but apparently Greuther Fürth live in the shadows of FC Nürnberg. Both teams are mid-table and this was to be a match with a Swedish touch. Branimir Hrgota has played in Germany since 2012 and Greuther Fürth is his third club in this country. In the game against Darmstadt Branimir Hrgota scored two goals, the first of those was a howler by the goal-keeper though, and in the end Greuther Fürth won 3-1. It has to be said Darmstadt were a bit unlucky as they had two penalty appeals denied by VAR. As the final whistle was blown some of the visiting supporters showed their contempt for the referee and DFB. I thought the referee had a good game but is not always the most appreciated job you can have. The return journey to Nürnberg Hbf went smoothly and at 16.57 my ICE-train departed the station. At 19.25 I was at Frankfurt Flughafen where I changed for an S-bahn train bringing me to Wiesbaden Hbf. The football ground is Wiesbaden is only 10 minutes by foot from the station and with my hotel being in between I would have a much easier day travelwise on Sunday. Anyway, at 20.30 I was at my hotel and after a long day it was nice to be able to relax in the hotel bar. Rathaus Sportpark Ronhof Sportpark Ronhof Fans eager to enter Biergarten Rear of the North Stand South Stand Main Stand Main Stand North Stand Kick-off Darmstadt fans Ultras Family section Main Stand View of play North Stand
Greuther Fürth fans Referee using VAR to check penalty (not given) Pano Pano |