2nd class Wachau/Donau – on a four-departure route

Second division Wachau/Donau is a special place when it comes to transfers. Top-tier players usually only camp here at the end of their careers, while rising talents often want to break away quickly and move to higher fields.

We know from professional football that such transfers do not always pay off for players – just think of Fernando Torres, who was never able to match his performances at Liverpool following his record move to Chelsea in 2011. But such changes also carry risk in the Commons. Because even if it’s not about stardom and multi-million dollar salaries, amateur footballers don’t want to live a life on the bank either.

Accordingly, it is always interesting to see how the careers of departed players and coaches turned out. NÖN has tracked down four of them. So what happened to…

…Haris Jarajdzic?

Haris Garagic was supposed to return Zwentendorf to the top flight. The striker did not succeed and was released by SVZ after only a year and a half. The move had little to do with Jaracek’s performance (he was a goal machine in the Second Division) and more to do with the fact that Donoplawen’s side had exceeded their financial limits.

Garagic joined SC Neusiedl/Zaya in the North/Northwest Regional League last winter. There he continued his time at Zwentendorf almost seamlessly, scoring six goals in the second half of the season and finishing the 2022-23 campaign with an impressive 27 goals.

So it’s no surprise that Garajic’s achievements arouse desire. The striker took the next step in the summer and moved to SK Eggenburg in the Regionalliga II West. So far, he has scored eight goals in 12 matches for Waldwirtler. Gone are the times when Jarajdzic dismantled the league. For someone who was used to the second grade level a year ago, this is certainly not a bad result.

…Raphael Lange Mohr?

Raphael Lange Mohr has had a long reputation as a young talent in Rost. He has achieved that goal: the midfielder has earned a regular place in Victoria over the years, and by last season at the latest (nine goals) he was indispensable to Tollnerfelder.

In the summer, Lang-Muhr could no longer be kept by Rust and he moved to SV Sieghartskirchen in the Regionalliga North/Northwest. The 22-year-old has made an impressive start there, scoring twice in his first three matches.

Since then he has been unable to get into the scoresheet, but with eleven appearances, he has become part of coach Jürgen Boisitz’s permanent staff. So it will be interesting to see what happens next for Lange Mohr.

…Joseph Jones?

In many respects, Yusuf Gunes’ association with Rostern was the exact opposite. The striker came to SVR as a ready-made player and – after David König was permanently injured – was considered the great attacking hope of former coach Wolfgang Kugler.

But Gunness was unable to start in Victoria. At the end of the injury-plagued 2022/23 season, there were numerous substitutions and a meager four goals.

In the summer, Günes finally moved to KSV Siemens Großfeld in the Vienna State League II. There the striker caught fire quickly: he has survived injuries, has a regular place, plays mostly and has already scored six goals in the first half of the season. Even if KSV are second to last: the change has probably paid off for Günes.

…Renee McCorrick?

Rene McCorrick started coaching the Phils last winter, his first head coaching position. Just 71 days later, it was over again: Wagram suspended him after the first game of the second half of the season and returned Lukas Weigl to the bench.

Following his sensational departure, Makuric signed up as a player for SC Mautern in the North West/Central Division 1 side in the summer. There he made some brief appearances in the warm-up matches and four minutes of action in the first championship match against Kirchberg.

What happened to McCorrick next is unknown. No match appearances, training or official participation are documented in the ÖFB database. This path may lead nowhere.