Now the first real final for Ried will take place on Saturday against Altach

“A point is a point and it can be important at the end. We can build on that,” said Ried coach Maximilian Senft after the 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga against WSG Tirol. The Innviertler coach is right: In the qualifying group, every point can be crucial at the end of the season. But one thing is also certain: The Vikings must finally start winning – preferably on Saturday at their direct competitor Altach.

Ried is currently two points behind the Vorarlbergers – but due to the star of the Ländle team after the regular season, the Rieder are ranked back in the case of a tie. That’s why the away game against the eleventh in the table is the first real final in which the following applies: Losing is forbidden – otherwise the deficit would already increase to five points. “Then it gets really difficult. But we already won in Altach a few weeks ago and we’re going there now to win,” says sporting director Thomas Reicheltshammer.

It was the only full success of Senft’s six-game era so far. At least in terms of points, the Innviertler change of coach has not yet fully paid off. If you compare the scores of the other qualifying teams under their neo-coaches, the Rieder team has the weakest record: Under Senft, an average of only 0.83 points were scored. Markus Schopp and Hartberg have 1.22 points (nine games), Klaus Schmidt with Altach 1.33 points (three games) and WAC coach Manfred Schmid even 1.4 points (in five games). Nevertheless, Ried’s sporting leadership is unanimous in terms of trust in the 32-year-old – as sports director Wolfgang Fiala revealed to OÖN on Friday: “He’s doing a good job. A change of coach doesn’t guarantee success either.”

The Rieder would probably not have to deal with the last place if they finally used their chances. Leo Mikic symbolized this in the most recent game against Tirol: In the finish, the 25-year-old miserably missed the lucky punch.

Roster changes in summer

With only 18 goals scored, Ried still has the weakest offensive in the league – even under Senft only one of the five league goals scored came from within the game. “We’ll have to change something in the summer,” says Reifeltshammer clearly. Which is why the option for Seifedin Chabbi – who is well regarded in the fight for relegation, but who has only been able to score two goals this Bundesliga season – was not exercised. “It’s no secret that he’s not a cheap player for us. But he can still prove himself in the decisive phase and make himself indispensable.” Goalie Samuel Sahin-Radlinger will also be a key player in the end of the season. The contract with the public favorite in Rieder was extended by three years. But it is an open secret that the 30-year-old will probably only go along with Ried in the upper house.