Well actually it wasn't that bad. Although Trier deserved the win, WSV was beaten by too high a margin, and actually gave a pretty decent account of themselves, considering all the other activities going on.
The first problem actually occurred before the trip was even made. Despite rumours of players having to beg on the streets of Elberfeld and Alter Markt for spare pfennigs to get the bus fare, that was not the problem. WSV's medic, some quack named Detlev Rükkert, demanded to be paid prior to the trip. Apparently he was not happy with WSV's counteroffer of a beer and a bockwurst, so WSV had no medic for the game. Perhaps a WSV Hooligan could fill in to wrap a bandaid if a player suffered a head injury. Some 150 Wuppis made the trip down, and another 10 Frankfurters, who apparently got lost on the Autobahn, were on hand to cheer on the Lions. Meanwhile, another 2700 "winos" showed up for the home team, which had beaten Schalke and Dortmund in the DFB Cup, and faces MSV Duisburg for a chance in the finals in Berlin. Even under optimal circumstances, this would be a tough game for WSV...
The field itself was rather rock hard, given the cold. Trier stormed out of the gates, as coach Emig's plan was to quickly score. He figured that WSV's offense was crippled, so an early lead meant the game. His tactics almost paid off. After 18 minutes, Rene Deffke had a perfect header, but goalie Ogrinc, facing his second bankruptcy in almost a month, had the nice save. In the 24th minute, Bennij hammered a free kick off the crossbar, and it seemed only a matter of time. But instead, despite the constant Trier pressure, WSV's defense held Czakon and Deffke in grip, as Menzel and Wuester were up to the task. WSV's midfield began to assert itself, and Trier's advantage began to slip.
However, soon after the 2nd half started, disaster struck. Lehnhart casually lost the ball to Fengler, who passed off to Thoemmes. He left Ogrinc no chance and Trier was up 1:0. Coach Gores decided to pull out all the stops, and brought in two more offensive midfielders, Siegloff and Broos. And Siegloff had the golden chance to change the game. Steup, along with Ogrinc and Backhaus the best Wuppertaler, was wide open, but passed the ball off to Siegloff. But the ex-WSV II player blew it from only 4 meters, shooting off Thieltges instead. When the whole of the WSV team was in Trier's penalty box pressing for the tie, a clearing ball came to Melunovic, who raced down the field and slipped the ball in for the deciding goal. In the closing seconds of injury time, WSV's defense failed to clear, and Muchka got the garbage goal.
Overall, as Rudi Gores said after the match, the final score was not reflective of the game. With a little luck, WSV might have stolen a point, although in fairness, Trier deserved the win.
Standings after Round 21