Heidenheim failed to mount another promotion challenge this season after yet again their away form let them down. Schmidt’s men once again were impressive on home turf where they ended up winning regularly, but on the road the displays were much poorer and despite late push the players failed to get close enough to the top 3.
Last summer coach Schmidt lost 2 very important players in Dorsch and top scorer Kleindienst, with the latter replaced by Christian Kuhlwetter who became important figure in attack throughout the season.
Heidenheim didn’t lose at home until the last week of January, but they started the season with 3 consecutive away defeats and, from very early on, they were playing catch up game.
Defending was poor all season, while none of summer signings Geipl or Burnic had much impact as they both had campaigns ruined by injuries and COVID. Unable to rely on defensive stability Heidenheim were desperate to increase their firepower in the winter and, at the end of January, Kleindienst returned on loan to become the team’s best player in the second half of the campaign – 11 goals in 16 starts.
His goals and influence brought near-perfect February when just 2 points were dropped in 5 games, with this moving Heidenheim right behind the top 3. However, by late April the momentum was lost and 4 defeats in the last 5 rounds meant that not only promotion was missed, but also that Heidenheim finished as low in the standings as they did.
Coach Schmidt looks determined to re-sign Kleindienst this summer and clearly, if he’s in the team all season, Heidenheim will be amongst the major players in regards to the top 3. Need to improve defensive options too, but the main urgency will be to work on better tactics on the road.
