"Krone" series

“What happened there was like a fairy tale”

(Bild: Daniel Krug)

Part 2 of the "Krone" series on Salzburg Austria: When player-coach Weber sent "Komet" Amerhauser into orbit and the "Euro-Fighters" made their first appearance in the UEFA Cup.

The season got off to a mixed start, with the coach absent due to heart problems. For the media, it was a perfect opportunity to question Otto Baric and bring Hans Krankl, who had brought Austria back into the 1st Division a few years earlier, into the picture.

Heri Weber was completely unimpressed by this. The captain took on even more responsibility and temporarily acted as player-coach. In his new role, he brought fresh blood into the team. One of the beneficiaries was Martin Amerhauser. Suddenly, the then 19-year-old found himself in the starting eleven. "When my name was on the flipchart, I just thought: What the hell!", he can laugh about it today. "It was a great feeling, but you also need the necessary nerves." The Anifer native certainly had them. He netted three times in his first four games.

Martin Amerhauser made a meteoric rise.(Bild: Jock Maislinger)

Amerhauser: "There was no one better"
"What happened there was like something out of a fairytale," says the man from Graz. His thanks go to Weber, who was responsible for the meteoric rise and sent the youngster into orbit. "Heri was Baric's extended arm and always took on responsibility. There was no one better," he says, showering the former leader with roses.

When Baric returned, Weber focused on his role as a player again. Amerhauser, meanwhile, had established himself in the team and was also in the starting eleven against Dunajska Streda. It came as it had to: The UEFA Cup debutant scored straight away - it was the starting point of an extraordinary European Cup journey. Heimo Pfeifenberger followed suit and - alongside Hermann Stadler, who scored despite an abscess on his knee - was also successful in the second leg. "I was unsettled in the fall, but in these games I was fully there," says Pfeifenberger.

Coach Otto Baric (right) with secretary Rudi Mirtl.(Bild: Jock Maislinger)

Stadler: "We had a lot of luck"
However, the overall score of 4:0 did not reflect the true balance of power. "The home game was close. Away, Otto Konrad saved a penalty. We were very lucky," says Stadler. That wasn't just about the sporting aspect. "I don't know if the club would have lasted much longer if we had lost." President Rudi Quehenberger had put all his eggs in one basket and put together an expensive team that missed out on the championship title in the previous season. "We didn't really realize what Rudi was risking. But it was clear that every further round was a blessing," Pfeifenberger also confirms the precarious situation in which the Violets found themselves.

The risk had paid off. Austria got back on track, the rumors of a Baric replacement were nipped in the bud. And the Austria Express picked up speed.

Read part 3 of the series on Sunday:
A "Krone" reporter as a spy and Jurcevic's revenge at his ex-club