SV Guntamatic Ried has completed an intensive week with three games in the midsummer heat. After the 2-0 home victory against Liefering and the football festival in the 1-3 defeat in the cup against Sturm Graz on Wednesday, the Innviertel team visited SV Lafnitz yesterday. With three goals in the second half, Ried secured a clear and safe 3-0 victory. Man of the match was playmaker Mark Grosse, who scored two goals and provided the perfect assist for Ante Bajic’s goal. “Of course it’s not that easy when you play at home against Champions League participant Sturm Graz in front of 6,000 fans on Wednesday and then in front of 150 spectators in Lafnitz on Saturday. But everyone gave 100 percent, otherwise you wouldn’t win there either,” said Grosse in an interview with OÖN. “Everyone is pulling their weight, that’s exactly what makes us so strong,” said Grosse.
“Shows that we are on the right track”
Due to a heavy thunderstorm, the start of the game in Styria was delayed. The Innviertel team did not let the poor condition of the pitch put them off course. Head coach Maximilian Senft changed his starting eleven in several positions. Wilfried Eza, Alexander Mankowski, Lumor and Nik Marinsek were in the starting eleven. “We have great confidence in the entire squad. In such an intensive week, you can make several changes,” says Wolfgang Fiala, Managing Director of Sport.
With five wins from five games and a goal difference of 11:0, Ried goes into the international break before hoping to continue their winning streak at home against Voitsberg on Friday, September 13th. “This start to the season is of course more than pleasing. It shows that we are on the right track, but it is nothing more than a snapshot,” says Fiala, adding: “We will stick to our motto of giving our best every day. We will do that until we have achieved our goals. There are still many intensive and difficult months ahead of us.”
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The team has a day off from training on Monday. There are two training sessions on Tuesday. Before the players get a few days off to recharge their batteries, Ried will play a friendly match against league rivals Horn on Wednesday. The match will take place either in Horn or St. Pölten. The reserve players will be used in this friendly match. A test match against Blau-Weiß Linz was originally planned.
It will probably not be a quiet start to the week for sporting director Fiala. The transfer of South African Antonio Van Wyk is to be finalised by the time the transfer window closes on Thursday, September 5th at 5 p.m. “We are working on it and are currently trying to complete all the formalities (u.a. Rot-Weiß-Rot-Card, Anm. d. Red.) to clarify. There is a lot of exchange,” says Fiala, who assumes that the transfer will go through. “He is a dream player, it looks good.”
Van Wyk, who is under contract with the South African first division club Stellenbosch FC, was recommended by Ried’s assistant coach and analyst Moritz Kossmann, who worked in South Africa for several years and knows the 22-year-old offensive player well personally. The financial risk for Ried should be kept within manageable limits. When asked whether there will be any more departures, Fiala replied: “Never say never, the hot days of the transfer phase are coming now. In the last few hours, something often happens that you would not have thought possible. We will know more on Thursday at 5 p.m.”
