The Mattersburg miracle

By Thomas Zeh

Traditionally, Austrians have mocked people from Burgenland as country bumpkins, but with the eastern region's flagship team having made a giant leap into the Bundesliga, SV Mattersburg are no laughing matter.

Footballing fairytale
The team from a village with a population of just 6,200 completed a fairytale march from the fourth division to the top flight in the space of nine years with a 2-2 draw against Wiener Sportklub on Friday. With crowds of over 10,000 filling the Pappelstadion, Mattersburg's policy of hiring local talent and keeping an eye on their budget has caught the imagination of supporters.

Local hero
"The euphoria here in Mattersburg is really unique," said midfield player Dietmar Kühbauer, who has returned to the team where he started his career following spells with Real Sociedad and VfL Wolfsburg. "The whole Burgenland has been starving for Bundesliga football [since SC Eisenstadt were relegated in 1987. The fans will always talk about this season as footballing history has been made here."

Sensible planning
The 'Mattersburg miracle' has been founded upon sensible planning. While several major Austrian clubs have been struggling to keep body and soul together in the aftermath of 2001/02 league champions FC Tirol Innsbruck being declared bankrupt last summer, Mattersburg are firmly in the black. "Getting our financial situation on track to make sure that we receive more than we spend and re-establishing our youth departments were my main steps," said club president Martin Pucher who took over the club in 1989 following years of uncertainty.

Quaint beginnings
Formed in 1922 by brothers Matthias, Johann and Edi Sieber, in their early years Mattersburg had no home stadium and had to remove their goalposts at the end of every game as the only place they could find to play was the local cattle market. The club eventually built the Pappelstadion in 1953, but they remained on the fringes of the action until they won promotion to the Austrian first division in 2000. Even then, they were facing relegation until Pucher turned to former Grazer AK coach Werner Gregoritsch to revive their fortunes.

Automatic promotion
The result was miraculous, as Mattersburg romped to this season's first division title with the draw against Wiener Sportklub giving them an unassailable 13-point lead and automatic promotion. "This title is the most valuable one in my entire career as it rewards us for all our hard work during the season," said Gregoritsch, an Austrian Cup and Super Cup winner with GAK.

'A true leader'
The key has been a water-tight defence, and a mercurial strike-force featuring youngsters Michael Mörz and Thomas Wagner and the experienced Herfried Sabitzer thrilling fans at the packed Pappelstadion. However, the coach spared special praise for midfield player Kühbauer. "Didi Kühbauer is a true leader, not only on the pitch, but also as a human being and no player makes such an impression on a team," he said.

Family values
Mattersburg remains a family club - fans and players often dine together at the stadium's Kantine - and Gregoritsch is adamant that the values that took the club to the top flight will not be abandoned once Mattersburg take their place in the Bundesliga.

No sell-out
"We won't go overboard with our success and will continue on our path," said Gregoritsch. "I am especially proud on the fact that we reached our aim with having eight players from our region in the starting line-up." Pucher echoed his sentiments, saying: "We might be forced to sign some experienced players who are not from here, but we won't sell our soul now we play in the Bundesliga."