Simon Terodde: These are the moments you take as a player

In the past though, the 2. Bundesliga record goalscorer, has found the back of the net several times against Friday’s opponents while wearing the colours of other clubs; the forward has scored eight goals in seven games against Sandhausen, including three braces.

However, Terodde’s excitement for Friday’s (29/04, 18:30 CEST) game is not based on personal history, but rather the support of S04 fans. “The fans’ reaction after the loss to Bremen was just pure goosebumps,” said the 34-year old. “More than anything at the moment, there’s a great sense of togetherness. Even when we were 4-0 down, the fans continued to push us on. There are the moments you take as a player. We really want to pay them back in Sandhausen.”

The loss to Werder is out of the players’ heads, says Terodde. “The evening after the game was painful and I was still thinking about it the next day. I was particularly frustrated with my missed chance in the first half; that could have levelled the game,” said the striker. “But at some point you have to look ahead and focus on the next task at hand.” For Terodde and Schalke, that task is Sandhausen.

Sandhausen are among the most in form teams over recent weeks and are sitting in third place in the second half of the season table, behind Werder and Schalke. “Sandhausen were towards the bottom of the table after the first part of the season, but have picked up 24 points during the Rückrunde and have secured their place in the league for next season,” said Terodde.

Not thinking about the ‘what-ifs’

The forward watched Sandhausen’s 4-2 win away against Nürnberg closely. “We’ve been warned of Sandhausen’s strengths. Last time out they had six corners and scored four goals from them,” said the 34-year-old, who did not train with the team on Tuesday as they began preparations for Friday’s clash. “I took a small knock during the game against Bremen, but it’s nothing serious.”

Terodde would be happy to see his goal tally rise – the forward has found the back of the net 25 times this season – but the team’s success is more important, according to the 34-year-old, who is expecting a home-game style atmosphere in Sandhausen on Friday. “I know that a lot of fans will accompany us and create another fantastic atmosphere. It starts for us when we come out to warm up and see how many blue and white fans there are in the stands. That’s just incredible – that’s Schalke!”

The support should push the team on to pick up an important three points, according to Terodde. “We still have three games ahead of us and find ourselves in a good position in the table,” said the striker, who did not want to start thinking about different table permutations. “The next game is always the most important one, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at the table. Obviously it’s something I’m bothered about, but what’s more important than anything is that we win our games and don’t think about any ‘what-ifs’. The second division springs surprises and throws out unexpected results every weekend. We have to do our homework.”