Magdeburger Zoo, Calbe, TSG Calbe - FSV Hettstedt

WE109 I: Watching amateur football in Saxony-Anhalt and visiting the zoo of Magdeburg.

TSG Calbe 2:0 FSV Hettstedt

Friday, 29th August 2008 - kick-off time 18.30
Landesliga Mitte (7th level, 3rd amateur division)
Result: 2:0 after 91 min. (45/45+1) - Halftime 0:0
Goals: 1-0 67th Neumeister, 2-0 86th Bladikow
Bookings: Calbe 3 yellow cards, Hettstedt 2
Sent-offs: None.
Stadium: Stadion am Heger (cap. 4,000; 400 seated)
Attendance: approx. 120 (25 away fans)
Match quality: 3.5/10 (below average)

Ground No. 242 (new ground; this season: 12)
Sporting event No. 649 (this season: 16)
Kilometres that day: 230 (200 by train, 30 by bike)
Km this season: 6,190 (4,810 car/ 950 public transport/ 430 bike)
Number of football matches since the last goalless draw: 68
Number of weeks since the last week without any sporting event (Aug 1st-6th 2006): 109

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We took a train seven minutes before half past ten on the Merseburg train station, probably the most disreputable train station in Saxony-Anhalt; stinking, dirty and no service personnel. We changed the train in Halle/ Saale and went on - without any problems or delays - to Magdeburg. We made our way to the zoo by bike. That zoo is an average one with average sized cages, enclosures of average quality, an average entrance fee and an average diversity of animals. The first animals you will see when you enter the zoo are two rhinos, then there are for example some elephants, giraffes, great apes, lions, tigers and zebras. Unfortunately, they don’t have an aquarium or any basin with sea mammals. But they do have some penguins. Furthermore, there is a large population of flamingos. Probably that animal, which is the most uncommon one in the zoo of Magdeburg, is the wart hog.

Afterwards we went to the inner city - disturbing traffic jams there; even on the bicycle path - and had a large and excellent meal at our favourite Kebab house in Magdeburg.
Then we took the train back to Halle, but jumped off in Calbe. The train station there is a big rival to ‘our’ station in Merseburg concerning weak quality: dirty, even more wrecked, no personnel and even not a single ticket point.
From that place we went to the inner town - Calbe has about 10,000 inhabitants and is located on the bank of the river Saale - passing by an old but large factory area. Arriving in the town is even more shocking than the arrival at the train station which is situated 3km outside the town. First of all you must notice the extremely large number of dossers, alcoholics and other anti-social persons. There are very few interesting buildings, only the small town hall, the church at the main square and the last remaining tower of the town’s fortification walls.

After that we went to the stadium which is a bit more than the average Landesliga ground. It can hold about 4,000 fans - 400 of them on wooden benches. There are very modern changing room facilities combined with a restaurant and offices.
The match started about a minute earlier than planned and it lasted a while until the first shots on the goals were to be counted. Calbe was slightly better than Hettstedt, being relegated from Verbandsliga last season. Due to weak attackers and not really skilled midfielders, the match went into the break with a goalless draw.
There were even fewer chances and good scenes in the first 20 minutes of the second half, so I was afraid that that match would end 0:0. Luckily, Calbe player Neumeister did one great thing after 68 minutes: hammering the ball from a 25 metres distance into the net. After that, the match became clearly better, but it never turned into a good or even great match. Calbe added another goal to their tally five minutes before the final whistle. Bladikow ran through the entire defence row of Hettstedt, rounded the goalkeeper and easily executed that attack.
Coming to other persons involved in that event, I must come to the referees. The Magdeburg based man and his two assistants were not bad although they had some shortcomings in the first minutes of the game. There can’t be said much about the fans. 120 is neither a great, nor a weak number compared to other matches in that division. There was no real support during the match, only some applause and complaints from time to time. After the final whistle a firecracker was thrown, but no-one felt disturbed or endangered, so no problem all in all.

After the match we ate small but good snacks in the restaurant and afterwards went to the train station. On the way to it we almost got lost in the factory area.
It was half past eleven when we arrived in Merseburg.

Something about the costs (beside the meals of course): the train ticket cost 27€, due it is valid for 3 persons each of us had to pay 9€ - then the entrance fees were as follows: each of us had to pay 6€ at the ticket point in the zoo and 3.50€ on a football ticket. By the way: if we had a car on our own, we would have used it on that track, due to the slight difference in the costs on a train ticket and on petrol: if the car needs 10l/ 100km, we would have spent 29.60€ on petrol (3 persons = 9.87€ each). Costs on wastage are ignored, because they does not matter in my opinion. You have to use your car regularly; if not, the wastage will be much higher due to damages during the standing time.

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For more photos see: http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/080829a%20Magdeburger%20Zoo/ (Zoo Magdeburg)
http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/080829b%20Calbe%20an%20der%20Saale/ (Calbe/ Saale)
http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/080829c%20TSG%20Calbe%202-0%20FSV%20Hettstedt/ (Calbe vs Hettstedt)