This relationship is exceptional in professional football. At St. Pauli’s today’s opponent Heidenheim extended Coach Frank Schmidt (47) just signed his contract until 2027. Should he fulfill it, Schmidt would be in office for 20 years …
St. Pauli’s coach Timo Schultz (44) is also enthusiastic about this. The eternal Schmidt lets Schultz rave about.
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“Congratulations to my colleague. What he has created and achieved in the last few decades is absolutely extraordinary, ”explains Schultz.
And further: “He really led the team to the top group in the second division. With the relegation they even scratched their way up to the first division (2020 failed with 0-0 and 2-2 at Werder; d. Ed.). Nobody in Heidenheim would have thought that ten years ago. “
Schmidt stands for a success story. The path started in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 2007. In 2008 they went to the Regionalliga Süd, in 2009 they were promoted to the 3rd division and since 2014 the team from the Ostalb has been playing in the 2nd division.
Schultz: “That is the proof that continuous work pays off.” And further: “I don’t want to rule out that the path for Heidenheim sometimes leads to the first division in the short or medium term. That would certainly be the icing on the cake for my colleague. “
The same applies to St. Pauli. Sports director Andreas Bornemann (50) is continuously fine-tuning the squad there. Sticking to Schultz last winter was another piece of the mosaic. President Oke Göttlich (45) lets both work in peace. That was not always the case at the Millerntor.
Schultz, who is currently negotiating an extension of his expiring contract himself, is optimistic to be able to beat his colleague Schmidt today: “We have shown in the last few games that we can look good against any opponent. Regardless of whether he stands in or steps on the front. “