DDR. Ranked 16th. In brief, 10th consecutive title for Dynamo (Berlin), but this time with differences: this time Dynamo won also the Cup, making it the first double during their long dominant years. Yet, the iron grip of Dynamo on East German football was loosening – a double, but neither title, nor Cup were won confidently – the championship was clinched on better goal-difference and in the Cup final they managed to prevail only in extra-time. Bellow the top league little to report. Typically.
6 teams were promoted from Third Level, going to the two groups making the Second Division: BSG Aktivist (Borna), Dynamo (Eisleben), KWO Berlin (East Berlin), Motor F.H. (Karl-Marx-Stadt), BSG Schiffahrt/Hafen (Rostock), and
BSG Stahl (Hennigsdorf).
Second Division. One team dominated each group, so there was little excitement – former top league clubs dominated and got promoted. BSG Lokomotive (Stendal) was lucky – they ended in the relegation zone of Group A, but FC Vorwaerts (Frankfurt/Oder) was relegated from First Division and because of that their second team was relegated from Second Division instead of BSG Lokomotive (Stendal).
FC Vorwaerts II (Frankfurt/Oder) – 14th with 28 points on Group A, but went down for two teams of the same club could not play in the same league.
Second Division teams usually left next to nothing pictorial:
Motor (Babelsberg) was 11th with 31 points in Group A. Top row from left: Jürgen Nachtwey, Steffen Piehl, Heiner Martens, Norbert Rudolph, Matthias Kakoschky, Detlef Uecker, Thomas Müller, Ronny Eichelbaum
Middle row.: Ingo Nachtigall, Frank Schulz, Marcus Petsch, Klaus Herber, Rainer Köpnick, Peter Mett, Frank Edeling (Kapitän), Karsten Bosecker
Front: Uwe Patz, Andreas Prohn, Lutz Kerper, Jens Clemen, Ingolf Matthes.
BSG Chemie (Leipzig) – finished 6th with 41 points in Group B.
And there was little reason to make team photos – in both groups one team ruled. BSG Sachsenring (Zwickau) won Group B with 50 points from 20 wins, 10 ties, 4 losses, 66-34. They finished 8 points ahead of second-placed BSG Stahl (Thale).
Similarly, BSG Energie (Cottbus) topped Group A with 20 wins, 10 ties, 4 losses and 69-24. Ending with 50 points, they were 6 points clear from second-placed BSG Rotation (East Berlin).
BSG Sachsenring was relegated from First Division in 1985-86; BSG Energie – in 1986-87. They did not stay in Second Division long, but they did not last in the top league before their last relegation, so… it was the painfully familiar East German story: a handful of clubs meandering between first and second division, too strong for the lower level and too weak for the upper.