Storming finish to the season saw Darmstadt secure unexpected top half finish, with the Lilies flirting with danger for the majority of the opening 20 rounds. Last summer Markus Anfang was given the managerial job but not much money for transfers and he relied mainly on the same group of players throughout the season.
Early on things were OK with Dursun’s constant goals seeing Darmstadt lose just once in the first 6 rounds. However, between early November and late January awful run of results followed (W3 D0 L8) and in the middle of winter the Lilies found themselves hanging just above the bottom 3.
This was when vital home wins over Sandhausen and Osnabruck were achieved in the space of just 2 weeks and this gave the team breathing space. Then 2 more wins in early March secured the mid-table finish with plenty of games to spare.
Free of any pressure Darmstadt went on to have near perfect end to the season with just 2 points dropped in the last 7 rounds. This the main reason why the Lilies ended up being so high in the standings.
The finances are tight and as result coach Anfang might be instructed to sell prolific striker Dursun this summer, which would mean that replacement has to be found or Darmstadt will be in serious trouble next term. Also yet to be seen if important in 2020/21 Rapp and Mai will agree to make their loan spells permanent moves. Without them the back line will have to be rebuilt too.
