SCHWARZ-WEISS BREGENZ (Casino Stadion)

VORARLBERGLIGA, SCHWARZ-WEISS BREGENZ 2-0 BLAU-WEISS FELDKIRCH, ATTENDANCE: 450 

Thanks in no small part to the Groundhopper app on my, Sunday morning began with a train journey from Winterthur, via St Gallen and St Margrethen, to Bregenz in Austria.

Bregenz is a city on the east of Lake Constance, so with the train arriving on time, despite the warnings of delays due to engineering works, there was plenty of time to have a stroll down by the lake. Considering it was 9.30 in the morning it was a hive of activity with people sailing, swimming and soaking up the early sunshine.

 

Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz play at the Casino Stadion, which is a brisk 5 minute stroll from the lake. The ground was originally constructed between 1950 and 1951 but was effectively rebuilt in the mid-nineties, with the addition of the athletics track and seated stand. The ground is also known as the Bodenseestadion, Bodensee being the German name for Lake Constance.

The original Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz was formed in 1919 and, after spending many years in lower leagues, the club reached the Austrian Bundesliga in 1999. The club even played in Europe, through the Intertoto Cup, but financial problems began to mount and, after finishing bottom of the Bundesliga in 2005 the relegated club failed to receive a licence to play in the first division. The club tried to fight for their future but were eventually liquidated in 2007.

With the problems that were ongoing off the field, a new club was formed in 2005 under the name SC Bregenz, in order to continue the youth set up of the stricken Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz. The club joined the Aufstieg Landesliga and were champions in 2006. That earned the club promotion to the Vorarlbergliga (the 4th level of Austrian football) where they are still playing to this day. They did win the title in 2007 and 2015.

In 2013 the SC Bregenz reverted back to the name Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz and continue to wear the traditional colours and badge of the former Bundesliga club.

The game kicked off in blazing hot sunshine but the action on the pitch never got above tepid. It was a pretty drab affair with little in the way of goalmouth action. The points were secured in favour of Bregenz thanks to two second half goals from Thomas Pineiro Dos Santos (69 & 88).

Blau-Weiss Feldkirch offered little as an attacking force though they did miss the best chance of the game when they broke two-against-one. Necip Bekleyen squared the ball to Jakob Lorenz, as the Bregenz 'keeper Florian Eres came rushing out, giving Lorenz the supposedly simple task of rolling the ball into the net. He missed.

Incidentally, the referee was a female official, Cindy Zeferino de Oliveira, and I must say she had a very good game and kept the action flowing. It was noticable that the players didn't seem to give the referee verbals either.

From the stadium it was an easy walk back to the train station, ensuring that the 1310 connenction to Feldkirch was easily reached. It was now time for the main attraction of this particular weekend...