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In 1993 Borussia Fulda tried to qualify for the regional league with expensive purchases. It went wrong. But it worked two years later – after a rebuild. The birth of a legendary team.
1993/1994: Thomas Reith moved to Flieden as a coach, Jörg Ferber to Alemannia Aachen, keeper Zoran Zeljko to MSV Duisburg. For this came Zbigniew Fabinski from Rot-Weiß Erfurt, just like Jacques Goumai (Italia Frankfurt) and Heiko Liebers (Hessen Kassel).
It was supposed to be another season in which the trailers had to go through all the ups and downs. It started with a dream start: Against Mörlenbach (2: 0), in Haiger (1: 1), against Bad Vilbel (4: 0), in Lohfelden (2: 1) and at the rushing football festival against the then strong SG Egelsbach (6 : 1, 4500 spectators) the SCB scored 9: 1 points and 15: 3 goals.
Car parade through the inner city in Fulda 1996: in front with Mayk Tomic, Eldar Hasic, Zlatko Radic and Altin Lala.
© Charlie Rolff
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Players like Jacques Goumai (16 goals this season) and Zbigniew Fabinski shot themselves in the hearts of the fans. But things went downhill quickly: After a defeat at Rot-Weiß Frankfurt (1: 3), the DFB-Pokal-Aus in Marl (2: 3) and the 0: 2 against Eintrachts amateurs, Coach Uli Sude was counted within a week.
Later it broke and Wayne Thomas took over as coach. In the end, eighth place was a huge disappointment. The qualification for the newly founded regional league was missed.
1994/1995: After missing the regional league qualification, the club’s debt relief came first: In July 1994, Martin Hohmann, the long-time player and youth coach, took over the post as head coach.
Kickers such as Goumai, Poppowitsch, Michel, Dreßel, Diegmüller, Liebers, Lesser, Kirchner, Abel or Gnauck had left, Hohmann relied almost exclusively on local players and young people like Andreas Wischermann, Altin Lala, Judmir Meta or Andreas Schmier (came from Neukirchen ).
There were also a few experienced players such as Bardo Hirsch, Jörg Meinhardt, Thomas Freier (new from Künzell) or Richard Akpoborie (came from VfB Wissen). And even if it later became a success story – it was always a difficult start: The first point game under Hohmann ended in a draw at Progres Frankfurt (0-0).
Altin Lala (on the left, here against SSV Ulm) made a huge leap in her career within a few months.
© Charlie Rolff
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This was followed by the defeat in the district cup final in their own stadium against Germania Fulda (2: 4), the meager 1: 1 in the home game against Mörlenbach and finally the depressing 0: 3 in the only Osthessenderby by promoted RSV Petersberg.
It was not going well. But then came the stroke of luck: Borussia caught Olivier Djappa, whose disposition at Rot-Weiß Essen was completely overlooked. On the fourth matchday, Djappa secured the goal 1-0 against KSV Baunatal.
Djappa’s obligation was to be a stroke of luck, because although he was only hired in the course of the first few weeks, he won the top scorer of the Hessen League with 21 goals. He was one of the guarantors that the reconstruction with seventh place went very well.
1995/1996: It was the year in which legends were born. Martin Hohmann managed to form a welded-in group that even went through thick and thin off the field. Cesar Thier (Holstein Kiel), Eldar Hasic (SV Engelhelms) and Marco Fladung (with the recommendation of 17 Hessenliga goals for RSV Petersberg) were new this season.
Already the start at the 2-1 against Rot-Weiß Frankfurt was exhilarating. It was the first joint game between Olivier Djappa and Marco Fladung, which was intended to make the opponents fear over the borders of Hesse in the coming years.
Fladung was the top scorer with 35 goals straight away, and because Djappa scored 29 times, the SCB ended up with a proud 116 goals. Both of them scored the goals in the opening match against Rot-Weiß Frankfurt. A 2: 2 in labor, the brilliant 6: 1 against Herborn; the 5-2 win in Bad Soden and the 3-0 win over Lohfelden rounded off the top start.
The region was aroused, the fever started, and the number of viewers increased weekly – with the hope of winning the title. The season finale was gripping when it came to the “final” against Viktoria Aschaffenburg on the 34th of 36 match days.
Olivier Djappa (left) and Marco Fladung were feared in the republic.
© Charlie Rolff
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Fulda was only one point ahead. 12,500 fans made the pilgrimage to the stadium, and it was a gripping drama with a happy ending. It was 3-2 for Borussia, but Aschaffenburg pressed vehemently for the equalizer. Jürgen Kreß saved for Borussia three minutes before the end.
With the 4: 2 all dams broke, because now Fulda was four points ahead two games before the end. A week later the championship was dry with the 4-0 win at relegated Progres Frankfurt. 700 Fuldaers made a pilgrimage to the square in the Frankfurt office town of Niederrad and celebrated their 16th win in the 17th second round game. Afterwards it was celebrated like never before. With a car parade through the city center, the team thanked the numerous fans on the streets.
1996/1997: One had dreamed of that in Fulda forever – Borussia had finally arrived in the regional league. From then on there was third division football in Fulda. The SCB entered the race with a budget of just under 1.2 million marks.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s amateurs Kelvin King and Markus Bloß were added, and Francisco Martinez was ripped off by local rival Germania Fulda. The euphoria was huge, the start was phenomenal: In front of more than 3000 spectators, the Borussia swept a seasoned team like Wacker Burghausen 5-0 out of the stadium in the first game.
And at the latest after the 3: 0 at Quelle Fürth and the dream start of 6 points and 8: 0 goals, all of Germany looked at Fulda and his team without big names, which had long since brought the whole region behind.
The fans flowed from all directions. Many regularly took 60 kilometers and more as a journey. And so Borussia received the big 1. FC Nürnberg on the third matchday as leader of the table. 18,000 tickets were sold, the 1-1 against the “club” was more than just a success.
What nobody thought possible: After Nuremberg, Greuther Fürth and SSV Reutlingen, the SCB came in sensational fourth place as a newcomer. And this in front of clubs such as SSV Ulm, FC Augsburg, the amateurs of Bayern Munich or Hessen Kassel.
Olivier Djappa had 24 goals, Marco Fladung scored 14 times. The average audience was more than 3500 per home game. Now Fulda was known all over Germany.
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