HANSA ROSTOCK (Ostseestadion)

3.LIGA, HANSA ROSTOCK 2-0 WEHEN WIESBADEN, ATTENDANCE: 15,200

After watching SV Meppen and stopping over in Osnabruck on Friday there were more obvious destinations on this Saturday than the Baltic coast. However for reasons I can't really explain Hansa Rostock is a football club I have always wanted to visit, so today was when I decided to scratch that particular itch, for the want of a better phrase.

This meant catching the 0723 from Osnabruck to Hamburg before changing onto regional trains from Hamburg to Rostock via Lubeck and Bad Kleinen. I arrived in Rostock just before 1pm. Hansa Rostock versus Wehen Wiesbaden was kicking off at 2pm so I had no time to explore the city, which I am certain will be put right at some point in the future.

If you think that journey sounds a little ridiculous, then spare a thought for the Wehen fans who faced an similar journey but with an even earlier start. I tip my hat to the 23 supporters who made the effort to head north.

The Ostseestadion, which translates as the Baltic Sea Stadium, has been home to Hansa Rostock since their formation in 1965, the year zero for the old East German elite football clubs, but the ground was completely re-built in 2001 (the original Ostseestadion was built in 1954).

Hansa Rostock won the last ever GDR league title, and the GDR Pokal for good measure, in 1991 meaning they took their place in the Bundesliga (with Dynamo Dresden) after German re-unification. They were relegated in their first season but returned in 1995 for a decade before suffering another relegation in 2005. They returned in 2008 before suffering back-to-back relegations to 3.Liga in 2010. After finishing runners up in 2.Bundesliga in 2011 they dropped back to the third tier in 2012 where they have remained since.

For Hansa Rostock the game had nothing riding on it but for Wehen Wiesbaden they needed a win to keep their slim chances of automatic promotion alive, whilst cementing their position in the promotion play-off spot.

Wehen's top scorer this season Manuel Schäffler was injured in the warm up and had to be replaced, meaning the game kicked off 5 minutes late. Wehen started the game like they meant business and missed plenty of good chances in the opening period of the game. However it was Rostock who should have taken the lead midway through the half when Fabian Holthaus missed an absolute sitter from 5 yards, blazing the ball over when all he had to do was tap into an empty net. This was soon forgotten though when, after 29 minutes, Pascal Breier ran onto a through ball to fire home.

Wehen continued to press hard for the equaliser in the second half, especially as other results were going against them, and they certainly had Rostock under the cosh. However with 12 minutes remaining Stefan Wannewetsch tapped home a second goal for Hansa, after a Luca Scherffas shot was parried into his path by Wehen 'keeper Markus Kolke.

The home side managed to keep Wehen out to clinch the three points. The result meant automatic promotion for 1.FC Magdeburg and SC Paderborn. The best Wehen Wiesbaden can hope for now is the play-offs by finishing third, but with Karlsruher breathing down their necks this is going to go to the wire.

I must end by giving a special mention to the Rostock fans. The support they gave their team this afternoon was absolute fantastic. The noise and choreography was simply brilliant and it made for a great atmosphere inside the ground. If only grounds back home could create atmosphere's this good, eh?

Stefan Wannewetsch celebrates with his teammates

The travelling Wehen Wiesbaden fans

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I have the groundhopper app installed on my phone and whilst checking into this stadium I pressed the feature to see if there were any fixtures nearby, just for my reference. It said there was a game in Güstrow at 1800. I then checked the internet and it did indeed confirm that the information was correct. So from Rostock I jumped on the train and took a 20 minute ride south to....

Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Güstrower SC 1-1 SV Pastow
Attendance: 124 (h/c)

This is the sixth tier of German football, which promotes to the Oberliga Nord. Güstrower play at The Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Stadion, which is 10 minute stroll from the main train station.

There are two pitches next to each other, the main grass pitch and an artificial pitch. The game tonight was being played on the artificial pitch. There are two small bits of cover and the ground looked rather pleasant bathed in the evening sunshine.

The game was not of the highest quality. Alexander Bonecke gave Pastow the lead after 20 minutes before Rico Keil levelled 5 minutes later. Despite constant pressure from the home side, they could not find a way past a stubborn Pastow defence and a 'keeper, Jonas Wiek, in top form. Güstrower are the league leaders but the other teams chasing them down have games in hand so they really needed the win this evening.

SC PREUßEN MÜNSTER (Preußenstadion)

3.LIGA, PREUßEN MÜNSTER 2-0 HANSA ROSTOCK, ATTENDANCE: 8,310

For my Friday night football fix I found myself in the North Westphalia region of Germany for a 3.Liga clash between  Preußen Münster and Hansa Rostock. Münster is a student city and is famous for the amount of bikes within the city. Everywhere you turned there was a bike and the parking station by the hauptbanhof is certainly the first thing you notice upon arrival!

I arrived late afternoon after a slight delay in my flight from Bucharest but there was still time to catch up with a mate in the Pinkus Müller brewery tap for a few beers before catching the bus to the ground.

Formed in 1906, Preußen Münster have spent all of their years below the top flight of German football apart from one season, 1963/64, when, after consistent Oberliga finishes, they were invited to become one of the founder members of the Bundesliga. They finished 15th in that inaugural season and were relegated back to regional football.

The club are currently in the third tier of German football, where they have been since 2011 but at the start of play tonight they were 4th from bottom whilst the visitors from Rostock were 4th from top, but both teams were in good form since the winter break.

Off the pitch though there could possibly be troubles ahead. At an extraordinary general meeting in January members voted to for the football department to became separate from the sports association, thus opening the football club club to investment and the possible move away from the 50 plus 1 model, where members retain a controlling interest.

This has led to Preußen Münster ultras withdrawing their support by not partaking in the things most admired in German football such as, for example, not displaying banners or constantly singing during matches. At this time though there is no apparent boycott of games.

The main home block(s) behind the goal. Note there are no flags on display.

The Preußenstadion has been home since 1926. When it was built it was one of the most impressive stadiums in Germany with a capacity of around 40,000. That is now down to around 15,000 but in my eyes it still looks a fantastic ground. There has been work done in recent times such as the building of a new grandstand (in 2009) and covering added to the far side. There are swathes of open terracing and there is still the feel of a proper 'old skool' stadium.

On a freezing cold evening, the game was a routine win for the home side however the opening goal was anything but routine. Inside the opening 10 minutes Martin Kobylański unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards into the top corner to give 'Die Adler' the lead. Janis Blaswich in the Rostock goal had no chance of saving the effort.

Simon Scherder (54) headed home from close range to make it 2-0 and from then on the game was pretty much a non-event. Skipper Adriani Grimaldi had a chance to extend Preußen Münster's lead but he blazed over when clean through.

Hansa Rostock, considering their form, offered little and the game petered out. I must give credit to the Rostock supporters who, having travelled in numbers, never stopped singing and bouncing up and down all game despite having very little to cheer.

Post match analysis took place in The James and Braukunstwerk, which was an excellent way to round off the evening!