TV Korschenbroich started the season in Hanau

After six years of absence, the handball players of TV Korschenbroich started their third league endeavor in the South-West group at HSG Hanau on Saturday. At 1 p.m., the TVK team set off by bus on the approximately 270-kilometer journey to Hesse.

The rituals Many clubs have certain rituals before kick-off, but TVK is not planning anything like that. “Ideally, the team should be in the hall 90 minutes before kick-off. “If there is still time beforehand, the players can prepare individually, be it with a coffee or something similar,” explains Korschenbroich coach Frank Berblinger.

The opponent Hanau is going through a bit of a transition and has lost two key players and a number of other players. Instead, the team is relying more on its own youth, with five young talents in the expanded squad. The HSG also signed regional league goalkeeper Saad Khan and Theo Surblys from third division club TSG Haßloch. The left-back player is a solid 2.09 metres tall.

The prospects It is difficult to assess TVK’s chances, as the first game of the season is often a proverbial surprise package. “It is certainly not the easiest away game, as Hanau has always been in the top third of the table in recent years. But we will not be frozen in awe,” says Berblinger courageously. “If we manage to go to the maximum and make as few mistakes as possible, then we want and can achieve something.”

The preparation They believe it’s really good for TVK. The new players hardly needed any time to get used to things, both personally and athletically. “Everyone pulled together really well in the training sessions and the players know what’s important,” praises Berblinger. “In the test games, the results were absolutely secondary to me. What was more important was that the team implemented the required tasks,” he explains.

The construction sites Of course, there are things that still need to be worked on. The coach is demanding consistent defensive work over a long period of time and improvements in the fast-paced game. “We will have to work on our defense throughout the entire season.” The fast-paced game is good in itself, but we don’t have to take 100 percent risks every time. “It’s more important to constantly put the opponent under pressure,” says Berblinger.

The goal For TVK, this is clearly about staying in the league. Competitors in the fight to stay in the league could be VTV Mundenheim and TV Kirchzell, both of which managed to get promoted back to the third division after being relegated in 2023. Berblinger sees it this way: “Up to five teams will fight for the top of the table and then there will be a very broad midfield, similar to last year in the regional league.” It may well take a very long time before final decisions are foreseeable.”

The favorites This certainly includes HSG Krefeld, the runner-up from the previous season. Incidentally, there was no relegation from the second division to the South-West group. Other contenders for the championship are HSG Rodgau Nieder-Roden, HG Saarlouis and Saase Leutershausen, who finished second in another third division group last season.