“I have realized that Askö Oedt is a disruptive factor in the Upper Austrian League, so from next season we will simply disrupt the clubs in the regional league.” Franz Grad is a man of clear words. The team of the dazzling president confidently crowned itself champions in the Upper Austrian League – but the title does not necessarily bring great joy to the Traun boss. “More of a headache, but the team has worked hard for it.”
The Regionalliga has been a thorn in the side of the 85-year-old for years – which is why the club has repeatedly refrained from moving up to the third-highest division in recent seasons. But that was no longer possible. Due to the current infrastructure licensing regulations, which are the same for the Upper Austria League and the Regionalliga, the champions would have had only one choice: either they meet the criteria and move up to the Regionalliga, or they would be forced to be relegated. Grad: “There was no other option than to move up.”
67 points in the final table meant a clear title win: With 99 goals scored, Oedt had the most dangerous offense, and with only 24 goals conceded, the best defense. “In the end, it was to be expected that we would win the title. Even if we lost a lot of games compared to other seasons.”
The transport entrepreneur was surprised by the willingness of his players to be promoted to the regional league: “I didn’t believe that the majority of the squad would go along with this nonsense, the regional league. I just told them: If they want to be promoted, they don’t need to be stuck somewhere in the table.”
Prominent names in discussion
Oedt also wants to be one level higher up in the top group – and will strengthen his team to do so: names such as ex-LASK goalie Filip Dmitrovic or Thomas Mayer (most recently GAK) have long been under discussion. In the 1b team in the regional league, which is set to compete for promotion to the OÖ league next season, an old acquaintance, Herbert Panholzer, is returning to the coaching bench.
“I always want to be at the front”
At Askö Oedt, Kurt Russ has never known any other feeling than to be at the top at the end of a season: At the beginning of 2023, the former Bundesliga coach (Hartberg, Kapfenberg, Mattersburg) took over the Trauner 1b team, and six months later he became champion. Last summer, he was promoted from 1b coach to coach of the OÖ league team – and has now also won the title in the state’s highest league. “Big praise to the team, we were very stable, especially in the spring,” said Russ, who lives in Leonding.
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Image: FOTOLUI (FOTOLUI)
Source: Nachrichten
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