Kult & Punk: St Pauli keep their spirit and play-off spot

The boys are back, well not really, the keper of the quill is again Andy James. Thanks to Andy for being there. The chaps had a prior engagement with the semi-final of the Dart Federeration of Hamburg Cup (DFed Cup). Zoes Bar played the Travelling Leppers and won by two legs, please don't laugh. The opposition were without their top player, who had lost an arm - no STOP right there you're being silly now. They were in the DFed Cup Semi Final and beat the Marx Bohemians by 2 legs.

Fortuna Düsseldorf maintained their two-point advantage over closest challengers FC St. Pauli in the promotion play-off place after the two sides fought out an entertaining 0-0 draw in front of a bumper crowd at the Esprit Arena.

Having suffered a slump in form after Christmas break, Düsseldorf have regained their rhythm in recent weeks and will have been pleased to have held off their fiercest competitors in the battle for a crack at the big time. A point gained for St. Pauli means they remain in touch with the top three, but Andre Schubert's side have now taken just one win from their last six encounters.

Fink heads wide

The battle for third place began with typical caution but confidence soon began to grow, particularly amongst the home side, who built up patiently as St. Pauli sat deep. Still, chances remained few until Thomas Bröker broke down the right on 12 minutes, but the midfielder's cross was claimed by visiting keeper Benedikt Pliquett, who was thankful to hear the referee's whistle after he spilled the initial ball in.

Remaining on the front foot, Düsseldorf were nonetheless made to wait until shortly before the half-hour mark before their next decent opening. Ranisav Jovanovic is not renowned for his pace but still managed to outrun Carlos Zambrano on the left before getting a shot away. Pliquett saved that one comfortably, but the 27-year-old shot-stopper was helpless moments later as Oliver Fink rose to head the best chance of the half inches wide from a Tobias Levels cross.

Two disallowed

The final 15 minutes of the opening period belonged to St. Pauli, who had a goal chalked off when Marius Ebbers strayed into an offside position before converting Moritz Volz's cross. Max Kruse unleashed a bending effort which tested Robert Almer in the Düsseldorf goal, but it was the home side who went in cursing their luck at the interval after Assani Lukimya had his simple finish ruled out after Sascha Rösler had fouled the keeper.

Having enjoyed the better end of the first half, St. Pauli also began the stronger in the second. Carsten Rothenbach almost squeezed in on the slide as he met an extended Kruse corner, before Almer was forced to react with his feet when Fabian Boll's strike from a rebound took a heavy deflection on its way through.

Zambrano sent off

Kruse brought another decent save from Almer as he sought to cap a smooth St. Pauli interchange moving past the hour, but the scales would tip once again as Carlos Zambrano was shown a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Sascha Dum with 73 minutes played.

The numerical advantage afforded Düsseldorf plenty of room to control proceedings late on, but the Flingeraner were unable to muster a breakthrough. Rather it was St. Pauli who spurned the game's final opportunity, Florian Bruns circling a free kick from just outside the area straight into the arms of the grateful Almer.

Andy James