2014–15 FC Winterthur season
FC Winterthur are a Swiss football team based in Winterthur. The 2014–15 season was their 118th season since their foundation in 1896. In this campaign they competed in two competitions, the 2014–15 Swiss Challenge League and the 2014–15 Swiss Cup. The club played their home games in the Stadion Schützenwiese.
| 2014–15 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Hannes W. Keller |
| Manager | Jürgen Seeberger |
| Ground | Schützenwiese, Winterthur, Switzerland |
| Super League | 4th |
| Swiss Cup | 2nd round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Patrick Bengondo (20) All: Patrick Bengondo (20) |
| Highest home attendance | 3,400 on 30 May 2015 vs Servette |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,600 on 25 February 2015 vs FC Le Mont |
| Average home league attendance | 2,867 |
Overview
The club's chairmann was Hannes W. Keller. It was his 14th and last season as club chairmann and he was in office longer than any club president before him.[1]
The first team played their home games in the Stadion Schützenwiese, which has been their home ground since the club's foundation. To match the Swiss Football League's license requirements introduced in the 2012/13 season, the stadium was modernized in three stages. The first stage contained improvements to the lighting, security, and catering systems, completed by 2013. This was followed by a rebuild of the eastern standing terrace in the second half of 2014 and early 2015. The capacity of the stadium for the 2014–15 season was reduced to approximately 5,000 spectators, due to this renovation. On Monday evening, 2 March 2015, for the championship match against FC Schaffhausen, the new eastern standing terraces ware officially inaugurated and taken into operation. The final renovation of the main stands was to take place 2016.[2]
Pre-season
The most important issue in the preparation of the new season was only achieved two weeks before the start of the championship, although the change in the position of the head-coach had been announced some time in advance. After five years as boss, but because of the previous disappointing season, coach Boro Kuzmanovic had been dismissed. Jürgen Seeberger was hired a new coach. In his last job in Switzerland he led FC Schaffhausen from the third highest league to the Super League. His previous employer, SV Darmstadt 98, had separated themselves from him in December 2012.
On the transfer front it was soon clear that central defender Sead Hajrović, brother of Izet Hajrovic, would join the club coming from Grasshopper Club. Other important signings were João Paiva, who had been FC Wohlens' top scorer the previous season, center-back Dennis Iapichino, who had spent the previous two season in the Major League Soccer, by Montreal Impact and D.C. United and Marco Köfler from Kapfenberger SV. Furthermore Kristian Nushi joined from St. Gallen, Amin Tighazoui joined from Vaduz and Christian Fassnacht was signed from FC Tuggen.[3]
The three most prominent departures were that of 33-year-old Sawas Exouzidis, who could no longer find a place in the team that Jürgen Seeberger had massivly rejuvenated, Kristian Kuzmanovic, who left the club to play for Vaduz after his father had been fired, and Marco Aratore who transferred to St. Gallen in the top level of Swiss football.[3]
First half of season
The first half of the season started for Winterthur on July 21 2014 in the Schützenwiese with a home match against FC Wil. The 4–0 win against Wil was the beginning of a first good third of the championship for the club. By the end of September, six of ten games had been ended victorious and only three had ended in a defeat. Winterthur was in second position in the table at that time, five points behind the surprise leader FC Wohlen. Subsequently, however, the team slackened and only two more victories were achieved before the winter break in the remaining eight games. The gap to the top of the table grew to 9 points and the club over wintered in 4th position. The team were along way from being a promotion candidate. Despite everything, the preliminary round was stronger than the previous season and this left a good impression of the coach. In the individual criticism captain Patrick Bengondo emerged best, because he was involved in each second goal.
Second half of season
In the second half of the season, Winterthur did bot start as well as in the first half of the season. The first six games after the winter break were an up and down with three wins, two defeats and one draw. Then the team collapsed completely and managed just one single point in the following six games. This was the worst run of results that the club had achieved since the 2003–04 season. Although FCW was able to hold the fourth position in the table despite this victoryless phase, the gap to the leader increased from 11 to 33 points and they lost all contact to the extended top group. The 14 points achieved in the final six games didn't help to correct the affect of this slump either.[4]
Winterthur finally finished the season with 53 points in 4th place, 21 points behind the division champions and promotion winners Lugano. In the end, Der Landbote reported a "decent season" for the FCW, but once again missed the "necessary winner mentality".[5] What was remarkable about the 2014–15 season was the home strength and at the same time away weakness of the team. While they were the second-best team in the "home" table, four points behind newly promoted Lugano, on the other hand they were the second-worst team in the league "away" table, with just one point more than the bottom of the table Biel-Bienne. Servette did not obtain a license for the 2015-16 Challenge League season, due to the fact that they did not provide the necessary financial documents and guarantees. Servette was therefore relegated to the Promotion League. Because Servette had their license revoked Biel-Bienne escaped relegation.[6]
Swiss Cup
Winterthur entered into the 2014–15 Swiss Cup on 23 August 2014 in an away game in the first round against lower tier FC Eschenbach. A tenth minute goal from youngster Mario Budimir put the team on the right track. However, Eschenbach equalised in the 68th minute and Winterthur had to increase the pace. Which they did and Tunahan Cicek and Amin Tighazoui both scored, so that the team could continue to the next round.
In the second round Winterthur were drawn at home to reigning Swiss Champions Basel. The match was played on 21 September in the Schützenwiese in front of a full capacity 5,050 spectators. After a short period of testing, in which the hosts kept up well, FCB took over dictation of the game. Mohamed Elneny brought his colors into the lead after half an hour with a remarkable drop kick from outside the penalty area. This was the start of a final phase of the first half in which the Basel team won the game. Breel Embolo scored twice before the break. After the break, he crowned his performance with his third personal goal, a beautiful lifting ball from a tight angle. This 4–0 also meant the final result. Basel's victory was deserved, but FC Winterthur also played a courageous game and would have deserved a goal for the good performance. The defense in front of Basel's goalkeeper Germano Vailati held things tight and so after the first half hour, there was no longer any doubt as to which of the two teams would reach the next round.[7]
FC Basel continued as far as the final, but here they were beaten by FC Sion. This was the 13th cup win for FC Sion in their 13th final.[8]
Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Results
Swiss Challenge League
Matches
| 21 July 2014 Match 1 | Winterthur | 4 - 0 | Wil | Winterthur |
| 19:45 | Paiva  7' 36' 79'Bengondo 60' |
Summary | Silvano Schäppi  65' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Lukas Fähndrich |
| 26 July 2014 Match 2 | Lugano | 2 - 1 | Winterthur | Lugano |
| 17:45 | Rafael da Silva 3' (pen.) 17' 63' |
Summary | D'Angelo 2' 34'  Bengondo 10' (pen.)Tighazoui 79' |
Stadium: Cornaredo Stadium Attendance: 3,225 Referee: Urs Schnyder |
| 2 August 2014 Match 3 | Winterthur | 1 - 0 | Chiasso | Winterthur |
| 17:45 | João Paiva 26' Bengondo 51'Cicek 65' |
Summary | Michele Monighetti 16' Diarra 30'Emmanuele Sembroni 49' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,900 Referee: Sascha Amhof |
| 9 August 2014 Match 4 | Winterthur | 4 - 3 | Biel-Bienne | Winterthur |
| 17:45 | Bengondo 20' Cicek 54'D'Angelo 83'Menezes 87'Minder 90+1' |
Summary | Sheholli 20' Sejmenović 41'Norman Peyretti 44' 58'Kaua Safari 75'Kamber 83'Luís Pimenta 90+1' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,100 Referee: Lukas Fähndrich |
| 13 August 2014 Match 5 | Servette | 0 - 0 | Winterthur | Geneva |
| 19:45 | Mfuyi 51' Müller 70' |
Summary | Patrik Schuler 80' Minder 81' |
Stadium: Stade de Genève Attendance: 2,432 Referee: Pascal Erlachner |
| 16 August 2014 Match 6 | Winterthur | 0 - 2 | Wohlen | Winterthur |
| 17:45 | Marchesano 3' Patrik Schuler 11'Bengondo 88'Hajrović 90+2' |
Summary | Brahimi 1' Pezzoni 8'Stadelmann 33'Ramizi 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Luca Gut |
| 1 September 2014 Match 7 | Schaffhausen | 1 - 4 | Winterthur | Schaffhausen |
| 19:45 | Cristian Miani 19' 47' N'Dzomo 23'  Raphael Mollet 82' |
Summary | Genc Krasniqi 36' Iten 43'D'Angelo 45+2' 53' 90+5'João Paiva 55'Menezes 72'Bengondo 78' |
Stadium: Stadion Breite Attendance: 2,867 Referee: Tomasz Supercyznski |
| 14 September 2014 Match 8 | Winterthur | 2 - 0 | FC Le Mont | Winterthur |
| 15:00 CET | João Paiva 16' 74' Foschini 41'Iten 56' |
Summary | N'Diasse N'Diaye 57' Berisha 69'Tall 73'Reis 74'Ndiaye 75'Gétaz 90+2' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,100 Referee: Nicolas Jancevski |
| 24 September 2014 Match 9 | Lausanne-Sport | 2 - 1 | Winterthur | Lausanne |
| 19:45 CET | Rippert 55' Marazzi 57'De Pierro 82' |
Summary | Bengondo 15' 24' D'Angelo 49'Stefano Milani 77'João Paiva 85' |
Stadium: Stade Olympique de la Pontaise Attendance: 1,450 Referee: Fedayi San |
| 29 September 2014 Match 10 | Winterthur | 4 - 2 | Servette | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Bengondo 27' João Paiva 37'D'Angelo 40'Cicek 47' |
Summary | Avanzini 17' Vonlanthen 42'Pasche 84' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,000 Referee:  Tomasz Superczynski |
| 5 October 2014 Match 11 | FC Chiasso | 1 - 1 | Winterthur | Chiasso |
| 15:00 CET | Emmanuele Sembroni 37' Mirko Quaresima 61'Mihajlović 80'Regazzoni 90+2' |
Summary | Akanji 59' 90' |
Stadium: Stadio Comunale Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Nicolas Jancevski |
| 18 October 2014 Match 12 | FC Le Mont | 3 - 2 | Winterthur | Baulmes |
| 17:45 CET | Mustafi 27' 58' 78' Berisha 63'Araz 88'Leoni 88' |
Summary | Cicek 49' Hajrović 53'Tighazoui 70'D'Angelo 90' |
Stadium: Stade Sous-Ville Attendance: 350 Referee: Luca Gut |
| 27 October 2014 Match 13 | Winterthur | 3 - 2 | Schaffhausen | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Bengondo 36' Paiva 38'Cicek 46'Schnorf 56' (o.g.)Marchesano 72'Genc Krasniqi 83' |
Summary | Tadić 9' Gül 45'Schnorf 51'Ivić 86' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,300 Referee: Nikolaj Hänni |
| 1 November 2014 Match 14 | FC Winterthur | 0 - 0 | Lugano | Winterthur |
| 17:45 CET | Krasniqi 28' |
Summary | Urbano 56' Toretti 88' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,100 Referee: Urs Schnyder |
| 8 November 2014 Match 15 | Wil | 0 - 3 | FC Winterthur | Wil |
| 17:45 CET | Summary | Bengondo 24' 30' 66' Marchesano 87' |
Stadium: IGP Arena Attendance: 1,740 Referee: Esther Staubli |
| 23 November 2014 Match 16 | FC Winterthur | 0 - 1 | Lausanne-Sport | Winterthur |
| 15:00 CET | Paulinho 18' D'Angelo 64' |
Summary | Dupuis 19' (pen.) Rippert 27' 69' Savic 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Tomasz Superczynski |
| 30 November 2014 Match 17 | Biel | 2 - 2 | Winterthur | Biel |
| 15:00 CET | Manière 23' Siegrist 63'Safari 74'Salamand 90+2' |
Summary | Bengondo 46' 88' 90+3' Paiva 61'Krasniqi 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Gurzelen Attendance: 868 Referee: Roland Huwiler |
| 7 December 2014 Match 18 | Wohlen | 1 - 0 | Winterthur | Wohlen |
| 15:00 CET | Ramizi 33' 83' Minkwitz 61'Brahimi 84'Thaqi 89' |
Summary | D'Angelo 40' Paiva 67' |
Stadium: Stadion Niedermatten Attendance: 1,650 Referee: Nicolas Jancevski |
| 25 February 2015 Match 19 | Winterthur | 2 - 1 | FC Le Mont | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Foschini 36' D'Angelo 54' 56' Krasniqi 88' |
Summary | Reis 31' Sessolo 82' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 1,600 Referee: Pascal Erlachner |
| 18 March 2015 Match 20 | Biel | 4 - 1 | Winterthur | Biel |
| 18:30 CET | Ukoh 30' Cidimar 45' 76'Peyretti 84' |
Summary | Paiva 4' 32' Paulinho 28'Schuler 62' |
Stadium: Gurzelen Attendance: 982 Referee: Stephan Studer |
| 21 February 2015 Match 21 | Wil | 2 - 2 | Winterthur | Wil |
| 17:45 CET | Lekaj 14' Stillhart 49' 61'Koller 67'Sacirovic 88' |
Summary | Krasniqi 57' 32' Paiva 65' |
Stadium: IGP Arena Attendance: 1,450 Referee: Nicolas Jancevski |
| 2 March 2015 Match 22 | Winterthur | 2 - 1 | Schaffhausen | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Cicek 8' 8' Foschini 17'Schuler 27' |
Summary | Gonçalves 45+1' Almerares 58'Mariani 80' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Luca Gut |
| 7 March 2015 Match 23 | Servette | 2 - 1 | Winterthur | Geneva |
| 16:00 CET | Dams 47' Gazzetta 58' 59'Vonlanthen 63'Doumbia 87' |
Summary | Bengondo 18' Paiva 69'D'Angelo 85' |
Stadium: Stade de Genève Attendance: 4,039 Referee:  Vladimir Ovcharov |
| 14 March 2015 Match 24 | Winterthur | 4 - 1 | Lausanne-Sport | Winterthur |
| 17:45 CET | Foschini 7' Bengondo 11'Paiva 50'Cicek 67'Nushi 90+3' |
Summary | Malonga 42' Krasniqi 85'Dessarzin 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Lionel Tschudi |
| 22 March 2015 Match 25 | Lugano | 3 - 0 | Winterthur | Lugano |
| 15:00 CET | Paçarizi 14' Rey 45+2'Tosetti 56'Rossini 66' 68'Cortelezzi 89' |
Summary | Iapichino 13' Paulinho 45+2'Akanji 90+1' |
Stadium: Stadio Cornaredo Attendance: 2,847 Referee: Sascha Amhof |
| 2 April 2015 Match 26 | Winterthur | 1 - 2 | Wohlen | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Cicek 22' |
Summary | Pezzoni 7' Rapp 55'Buess 71' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,600 Referee: Luca Gut |
| 11 April 2015 Match 27 | Winterthur | 0 - 0 | Chiasso | Winterthur |
| 17:45 CET | Iapichino 46' Hajrović 77' |
Summary | Parfait 43' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Vladimir Ovcharov |
| 20 April 2015 Match 28 | Schaffhausen | 3 - 2 | Winterthur | Schaffhausen |
| 19:45 | Tadic 29' Alioski 35'Bunjaku 41'Mariani 52' 57'Dos Santos 65' |
Summary | Bengondo 78' Tighazoui 88' |
Stadium: Stadion Breite Attendance: 2,559 Referee: Roland Huwiler |
| 25 April 2015 Match 29 | Winterthur | 0 - 1 | Lugano | Winterthur |
| 17:45 CET | Iten 87' |
Summary | Basic 37' Lombardi 64'Malvino 66'Melazzi 74'Sabbatini 90+4' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Tomasz Superczynski |
| 29 April 2015 Match 30 | Wohlen | 2 - 1 | Winterthur | Wohlen |
| 19:45 | Schultz 26' Ramizi 38'Giampà 42'Brahimi 60'Geissmann 87' |
Summary | Iapichino 11' Fassnacht 82' |
Stadium: Stadion Niedermatten Attendance: 1,240 Referee: Esther Staubli |
| 3 May 2015 Match 31 | Winterthur | 5 - 2 | Biel | Winterthur |
| 15:00 CET | Foschini 11' 44' Schuler 13' 33' Tighazoui 17' 40'Paiva 54'Bengondo 90+4' |
Summary | Cidimar 69' (pen.) Morello 71'Safari 77'Pimenta 84'Sabbatini 90+4' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Fedayi San |
| 10 May 2015 Match 32 | FC Le Mont | 1 - 3 | Winterthur | Baulmes |
| 15:00 | Reis 12' Dubajic 34' 65'Chappuis 48'Tall 74' |
Summary | Bengondo 14' (pen.) 79' Iten 45+3'Tighazoui 77'Cicek 90+1' |
Stadium: Stade Sous-Ville Attendance: 350 Referee: Lukas Fähndrich |
| 17 May 2015 Match 33 | Chiasso | 0 - 0 | Winterthur | Chiasso |
| 15:00 | Maccoppi 31' Regazzoni 45' |
Summary | Köfler 32' Akanji 90+3' |
Stadium: Stadio Comunale Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Lionel Tschudi |
| 22 May 2015 Match 34 | Winterthur | 4 - 1 | Wil | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Bengondo 5' (pen.) 69' Paiva 25'D'Angelo 60'Akanji 90+3' |
Summary | Cerrone 14' (pen.) Matri 89' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,300 Referee: Urs Schnyder |
| 25 May 2015 Match 35 | Lausanne-Sport | 1 - 1 | Winterthur | Lausanne |
| 18:00 | Dessarzin 22' |
Summary | D'Angelo 75' |
Stadium: Stade Olympique de la Pontaise Attendance: 1,030 Referee:  Khamis Mohammed Al Marri |
| 30 May 2015 Match 36 | Winterthur | 4 - 0 | Servette | Winterthur |
| 19:45 CET | Tighazoui 26' 43' Bengondo 59'Trachsel 77'Fassnacht 90+2' |
Summary | Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 3,400 Referee: Roland Huwiler |
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lugano (C, P) | 36 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 64 | 31 | +33 | 74 | Promotion to 2015–16 Swiss Super League |
| 2 | Servette (R) | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 67 | Relegation to 2015–16 1. Liga Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |
| 3 | Wohlen | 36 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 64 | |
| 4 | Winterthur | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 65 | 49 | +16 | 53 | |
| 5 | Schaffhausen | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 47 | |
| 6 | Lausanne-Sport | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 57 | −10 | 44 | |
| 7 | Le Mont | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 39 | |
| 8 | Chiasso | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 30 | 49 | −19 | 39 | |
| 9 | Wil | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 37 | |
| 10 | Biel-Bienne | 36 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 33 | Remain in 2015–16 Swiss Challenge League[lower-alpha 2] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
- Servette did not obtain a license for the 2015-16 Challenge League season, due to the fact that they did not provide the necessary financial documents and guarantees. Servette was therefore relegated to the Promotion League.
- Because Servette had their license revoked Biel-Bienne escaped relegation.
Swiss Cup
| 23 August 2014 Round 1 | FC Eschenbach | 1 - 3 | FC Winterthur | Eschenbach |
| 17:00 CET | Silvan Sager 42' Raphael Felder 67' |
Summary | Budimir 10' Cicek 74'Tighazoui 81'Krasniqi 90' |
Stadium: Sportplatz Weiherhaus Attendance: 800 Referee: Tschudin |
| 21 September 2014 Round 2 | FC Winterthur | 0 - 4 | FC Basel | Winterthur |
| 14:00 CET | Bengondo 14' Iapichino 71' |
Summary (FCB Report) |
Elneny 31' 45' Embolo 36' 43' 66'Díaz 64' |
Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese Attendance: 5,050 (sold out) Referee: Stephan Studer |
References
- Hansjörg Schifferli (1 July 2015). "Abgang eines Eigenwilligen". Departure of an idiosyncratic. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
- "Sportplatz Schützenwiese - Winterthur Glossar". www.winterthur-glossar.ch. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- Swiss Football League (SFL) (2020). "Transfers Challenge League 2014/15 (Summer)". Swiss Football League (SFL) homepage. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- Hansjörg Schifferli (2 May 2015). "Eine Jahrzehntserie – allerdings negativ". A decade series - albeit negative. landbote.ch. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- Schifferli, Hansjörg (2015-06-02). "Nur in der Stammbeiz lustig" [Funny only in the local pub]. Der Landbote (in German). Winterthur. p. 27.
- Karel Stokkermans. "Switzerland Challenge League 2014/15". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- FC Basel 1893, Caspar Marti (21 September 2014). "Der FCB Gewinnt in Winterthur souverän". FCB wins confidently in Winterthur. FC Basel homepage. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
- Karel Stokkermans. "Switzerland Cup 2014/15". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
External links
- Official website (in German)
- "Bierkurve Winterthur" supporters club (in German)
- "Laufpass" - Fanzine (in German)
- Soccerway.com profile
- Football.ch profile (in German, French, and Italian)