Turbulent and busy years lie behind TSU Jeging. For years, the club bobbed around in the back seats of the 2nd class Southwest. In 2019, those responsible decided to restart. With coach Erwin Dankl and various restructuring measures, things should finally be looking up again after 50 years in the last division. And then came the pandemic. But Dankl and his team didn’t let that get them off their game. But on the contrary. “Everyone was very enthusiastic and kept at it, even during the difficult times. That paid off,” says the happily coach.
The perfect start
Munderfinger had secretly expected that promotion could finally work out this season. He was confirmed right away in the first championship game. “We won 6-1 against the autumn champions of the previous season,” recalls the 40-year-old. The number of spectators that day was similar to the victory. “Instead of the previous 20, there were suddenly 200. That showed us that we’re on the right track,” said the champion coach. Side note: 450 paying guests came to the game against Pischelsdorf in the Jeging Arena. The hosts lost 2:3, but kept their nerves. “We just turned a few screws and continued to work calmly. That’s all you can do,” the coach is convinced.
Although his team had a little “hang” at the start of the second half of the season, Dankl never doubted his lads’ potential. Rightly so. In the end, TSU Jeging secured the title with three laps to go. In a dramatic game, at the end of which the coach could no longer watch. “That was against Sankt Radegund. When it was finally 1-0 a few minutes before the end, everyone felt a load lifted. It was an emotional moment in which many of us had to choke back tears,” said Dankl.
A few minutes later Jeging got a penalty as a bonus – converted by the goalkeeper. “He was the only player who hadn’t scored this season,” says the Pinzgau native. He couldn’t look at that moment. “I hid as best I could to enjoy this moment.” After the redeeming goal, all dams broke for him and his team. The celebrations were correspondingly intense. “I hope we don’t become champions prematurely again. All the celebrations were almost harder than all the training,” jokes the successful coach. He will also take care of the team in the 1st class Southwest in the coming year. In order to prepare as well as possible for the new challenge, the team started training again at the end of June. While two players from the championship team have retired, three young signings will strengthen Jeginger in 2022/23. The goal is clear for Erwin Dankl: “First and foremost, we want to get into the new league and have nothing to do with relegation. In the long term, of course, we want to become a good first-class club.”
A team with a sense of humor
Chairman Johann Hager sees it the same way. He is convinced that Dankl will manage it. “He can reach people and has managed to turn the lads into a real team with a sense of humor. That’s why I think a single-digit place in the table is quite realistic for the new season,” says Hager, who has had numerous helpers and 2,400 players in the past few months Hours of personal contribution has also made the infrastructure at the sports field “first class”. “Fortunately we have a lot of professionals who lent a hand. There were also sponsors and eleven club-related donors of timber. It’s nice to see that not only on but also off the field everyone whistle together,” says the chairman happily. Full of anticipation, he also looks forward to the first game in the 1st class against Mattighofen. “It will be an acid test. After all, Mattighofen has ten times as many residents as we do.”
The next big goal
After the long-awaited championship title, TSU Jeging has already set itself the next big goal: to set up its own junior teams. In order for this to happen, a dedicated team (Sabrina Hager, Melanie Benezeder, Nina Forthuber and Günther Krempler) is currently leading a well-attended children’s training session once a week. So the signs are correct. In addition, the Jeginger showed what is possible with willpower, fighting spirit and community with their first championship title in 50 years.
names and facts
Year of foundation: 1967
Chairman: Johann Hager (deputy Gerald Gaitzenauer)
Sporting director: Thomas Winkler (Manuel Winkler)
Junior manager: Josef Mayer (Manuel Strobl)
Treasurer: Stefan Schindecker (Markus Job)
Secretary: Gerhard Mario Hager (Martin Hager)
Groundsman: Franz Feldbacher
Kit man: Markus Feldbacher
Trainer: Erwin Dankl
Assistant coach: Manuel Schinwald
Canteen: Maria Feldbacher and Waltraud Hager
Squad: Davor Bakula, Andreas Bermadinger, Gerhard Mario Hager, Michael Hallinger, Christian Hinterauer, Damir Ibrahimovic, Jovica Jefimic, Ivica Jovanovic, Thomas Karer, Almir Kurtagic, Lukas Lugstein, Thomas Maak, Christopher Patrick Riess, Jakov Stevic, Erdeniz Yilmaz, Pascal Maak, Anabith Cedric, Alexander Kirchschlager, Matthias Klampfer, Michael Maier, Tobias Picheler, Maximilian Wassler, Jan Winkler, Stefan Winkler
Source: Nachrichten
