A 1-1 DRAW against Kaiserslautern at the Millerntor saw St Pauli’s mixed form continue after the international break.

Sami Allagui’s excellent first-half strike from the edge of the 18-yard-box was cancelled out in the second period by a Sebastian Andersson goal, as the Hamburg-based club continue to struggle to put the wins together in order to mount a serious push for promotion.

“It was a good feeling and a relief to finally open my account in the league — and to cap it all here at the Millerntor,” said Allagui. 

“Yet my overall feeling is one of disappointment because we didn’t win the game. We gave them hardly any chances but were punished in the end. Last week the luck was on our side a bit, today it was on Kaiserslautern’s.”

The collective Allagui and his teammates have become a part of are an organisation whose results on the pitch are often secondary to the desire to keep the core values of their community intact. 

One of the club’s guiding principles, or leitlinien in the native tongue, says that: “FC St Pauli conveys a way of life and is a symbol of sporting authenticity. This allows people to identify with the club independently of any success it may achieve on the pitch.”

But even they would relish the chance to return to the top level of German football and test themselves, and their way of working, against those who operate differently.

After a game away to SV Sandhausen in the south-west and a home fixture against FC Erzgebirge Aue on September 27, they will travel to the German capital to face Union Berlin on November 4. Both sides have city rivals in the top division, with Hamburger SV and Hertha Berlin both part of the Bundesliga, but this promises to be a big second-division clash.

The Monday evening clash with SV Sandhausen is being broadcast live on one British TV channel, so some fans in this country will be able to watch the boys in brown in action. Though, as it’s a paid-for BT channel, they’d probably prefer fans look for a free online stream.

The star of the last Morning Star St Pauli column, Christopher Buchtmann, also commented on his side’s recent draw, and looked ahead to Monday. “Obviously the draw doesn’t feel all that good,” he said.

“We should have added a second after going ahead because that would have sealed it. We now go to Sandhausen and will be looking to get three points there.”