DDR – perhaps the most boring European championship, for everything was easily predictable year after year to the point there was hardly any need to play the season. But it was played, so let take a look. Second Division provided little hope. Clubs like
Chemie (Premnitz) and
Energie (Cottbus) hardly gave any reason for something strong emerging from the second level – and those were the better clubs.
As ever, the winners of the 5 groups making the Second Division went to the mini-championship deciding the 2 promoted teams. Which were to return back here after a year.
Even at the final tournament there was no parity – BSG Schiffahrt/Hafen (Rostock) won 1 match and lost 7, taking the lowest place with 2 points.
BSG Wismut (Gera) earned 7 points and got 4th place.
Stahl (Brandenburg) finished 3rd with 8 points. Standing from left: Peter Schoknecht, Wolfgang Rahn, Bernd Schmidtchen, Frank Görisch, Winfried Kräuter, Hubert Gebhardt, Michael Schulz, Christoph Ringk, Horst Kölsch.
First row : Mathias Morack, Frank Jeske, Rainer Fliegel, Roland Gumtz, Siegfried Malyska, Thomas Arendt, Gerhard Kraschina, Eckart Märzke.
These three teams were no match to the other two group winners.
BSG Chemie (Leipzig) finished with 11 points at 2nd place. Perhaps the best known among the East German second level clubs, Chemie moved constantly between the leagues – too strong for second division, they easily got promoted. Too weak for top level – momentarily relegated. Once again easily going up… and expected to return just as quickly.
BSG Stahl (Riesa) not only had no problems, but finished with the best record – 4 wins, 4 ties, did not lose a game, 20-4 goal-difference. Impressive… but only at that level. Like Chemie (Leipzig), they were expected to be mercilessly beaten by the regulars of first division and drop back to second division.