Underdog Advances After 36 Days - Cheers for Dresden's Promotion Continue Unabated

In the second-to-last round of the 3rd League, the stadiums were jam-packed. Let's take a look at the attendance numbers of the away fans on the 36th matchday.

The 36th matchday of the 3rd League brought some critical decisions. SpVgg Unterhaching, with their relegation already confirmed, will be joining Hannover 96 II and SV Sandhausen in the Regionalliga. The fourth spot is up for grabs in a nail-biting battle between the three teams currently tied on points. The top of the table is still undecided, but there's a clear trend emerging.

Arminia Bielefeld and Dynamo Dresden faced off in a top-tier clash, with the second taking on the first. Both teams are now five and four points ahead of the relegation playoff spot, respectively, and are marching steadily towards promotion. They hold their destiny in their hands and can secure their promotion next weekend. 1. FC Saarbrücken has taken the lead in the race for the relegation playoff spot, while Energie Cottbus has lost ground following a 2:4 defeat to Waldhof Mannheim, trailing by three points.

Mannheim currently leads the three-way struggle in the relegation battle, thanks to a better goal difference. However, they still have both top teams, Dresden and Bielefeld, to face.

Away Fan Attendance on the 36th Matchday of the 3rd League

The away sections had a varied appearance during the 36th matchday. While the away ends of Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock, and Rot-Weiss Essen were brimming with fans, as is usual with away games, the away areas of FC Ingolstadt, Viktoria Köln, and SpVgg Unterhaching were less crowded. Despite the long distances, supporters from Essen, Rostock, and Mannheim made the trip en masse.

Here are the 3rd League away fan numbers from the previous weekend, including the total number of spectators and the distance between the two cities (Source: partly diefalsche9.de)

VfL Osnabrück - Viktoria Köln: 14,503 spectators / 200 away fans / 209 travel km
TSV 1860 Munich - Rot-Weiss Essen: 15,000 spectators / 1,500 away fans / 644 travel km
SV Wehen Wiesbaden - Borussia Dortmund II: 3,772 spectators / 100 away fans / 210 travel km
SV Sandhausen - Hansa Rostock: 4,862 spectators / 1,500 away fans / 755 travel km
1. FC Saarbrücken - SC Verl: 14,238 spectators / 60 away fans / 428 travel km
VfB Stuttgart II - Alemannia Aachen: 2,300 spectators / 1,500 away fans / 398 travel km
Arminia Bielefeld - Dynamo Dresden: 25,907 spectators / 2,800 away fans / 476 travel km
Energie Cottbus - Waldhof Mannheim: 15,764 spectators / 530 away fans / 650 travel km
Erzgebirge Aue - FC Ingolstadt: 9,081 spectators / 250 away fans / 301 travel km
Hannover 96 II - SpVgg Unterhaching: 946 spectators / 50 away fans / 639 travel km

Dresden's Promotion Party Halted at the Last Moment

Dynamo Dresden can always count on their fans, through thick and thin. In recent years, the trips back from Dresden haven't always been the most cheerful. But on Saturday, the 2,600 (and unofficially more) Dresden fans' trip to Bielefeld almost paid off.

After Jacob Lemmer's opening goal in the 62nd minute, SGD could bask in the joy of being promoted for about half an hour, with the atmosphere in the packed away end buzzing with excitement. However, the Dynamo fans' promotion celebration was cut Short in the 5th minute of stoppage time when David Kubatta scored an unfortunate own goal, tying the score at 1-1.

It's quite possible that Dynamo will still celebrate their return to the 2nd Bundesliga away from home. This coming weekend, SGD will once again have a chance to secure their promotion, taking on Waldhof Mannheim in a decisive match.

The spectators at the 3rd League match between Arminia Bielefeld and Dynamo Dresden were significantly greater, with 25,907 attendees and 2,800 away fans, who traveled a distance of 476 kilometers.
Erzgebirge Aue, despite faced with relegation, had the least number of away fans at the 36th matchday, with only 250 fans making the journey, as seen in their game against FC Ingolstadt.
Dynamo Dresden, albeit relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga next season, continues to draw a substantial support, as evident by the 2,600 (and unofficially more) fans who attended the team's match against Arminia Bielefeld.
In the relegation race, Mannheim currently leads with a better goal difference, despite being in the bottom three, thanks to a close-knit away following, as evidenced by the 530 away fans that traveled to Energie Cottbus for their 36th matchday encounter.