At The Match: A Bundesliga II Special

It’s another At The Match episode from Germany, but this time Andy and Luke wander off the beaten track, and out of the top flight. The plan was for Andy to experience some fourth-tier football in Wuppertal but, as Uli Hesse (or Pyrolator) will tell you, it always rains in Wuppertal.

Undeterred, Andy makes the most of his trip to Cologne to take in a game at Regionalliga West side Fortuna Köln, spending the afternoon on the open terrace with home supporter Axel, who’s been watching Fortuna since 1973, as they take on Schalke II. We talk about following football in the fourth tier, what it’s like playing top-flight clubs’ B teams and Oliver Kahn’s ringing endorsement of Südstadion. It rains torrentially here too, so we’re not missing out on anything.

Then both Andy and Luke chase down Sunday lunch - copious helpings of currywurst, naturally - with an early afternoon trip to Bochum, where they dive deep into German fan culture. We hear about what makes Bochum stand out in such a crowded football region from Bochum ultra and filmmaker Gerrit and then witness an eight-goal thriller, perhaps the most thrilling match of our weekend.

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