Ferndorf beat Bergischer 41-33 in a club friendly match on 8 August. The game finished at the scheduled time with a clear home advantage. By then the visitors had already shown they could keep up.
Ferndorf came into this fixture on a mixed run. They had lost to Essen 33-35 and to N-Lübeckke 24-28 in previous weeks. The wins against Lemgo and TUS 82 Ger offered some reassurance.
Bergischer's recent results told a different story. They picked up a win against Nordhorn-Lingen 36-28 but followed it with defeats to Dormagen Bayer and Gummersbach. To be fair, the away side had shown enough promise to make this more competitive than the final score suggested.
The margin confirmed what the recent form hinted at — Ferndorf's home edge remains intact despite their inconsistent away performances. Bergischer's narrow losses suggest they're developing, but the gap between the two sides is still evident when they meet on neutral ground.
And here's the thing — these friendlies matter more than the scoreboard indicates. They're testing ground for both teams as they prepare for the season ahead.