In his second season, Fraser Hornby has finally arrived in Darmstadt. After the preseason was “the most difficult year” for the attacker due to an injury. The attacker scored six goals in the first half of the season. We spoke to Hornby about hard and beautiful moments, about goals and about the influence of Florian Kohfeldt.
sv98.de: Even though it is already your second season in Darmstadt, it is currently your first winter training camp. How does it feel to be on the pitch with the boys preparing for the second half of the season and not having to work in rehab for a comeback?
Fraser Hornby: That feels very good. Last year I had an operation shortly before the winter training camp and couldn’t travel to Spain, so it’s even nicer to be there this year and to be looking forward to the second half of the season full of anticipation.
sv98.de.: So it’s your first time here in El Saler…
Hornby: The others have all told me that the conditions here are really good. I was looking forward to getting to know everything myself and can only agree with them. And the last few weeks in Germany have been really cold, so it’s nice to be back in warmer climates.
sv98.de: You share your room with Oscar Vilhelmsson. Is there a lot of talk about being a striker there?
Hornby: (laughs) We mostly talk about things outside of football. We quickly got along very well and have now become friends. It’s nice to share the room with someone you like.
sv98.de: Is a friendship like this more difficult when both players are competitors on the pitch?
Hornby: No, that’s part of football after all. He always wishes me the best and it’s the same the other way around.
sv98.de: Let’s look at your season so far: 15 league appearances, 6 goals. How satisfied are you with your first half of the season?
Hornby: Relatively happy. After the difficult previous year, I was initially really happy to be healthy and to be on the pitch. Of course I would have liked more goals, but at least there were a few. I want to continue on this path.
sv98.de: You scored your first goal for Darmstadt at Schalke. Was that also a liberating feeling?
Hornby: Especially as a striker, after a change you want to score the first goal as quickly as possible. It didn’t work for me for a whole season because of the injury. That’s why this goal gave me a very good feeling. It felt a bit like a restart of my time in Darmstadt.
My family was at the stadium, it was a very special moment. They had seen me last year with my injury and at a low point and that evening they were able to see live that my hard work during the injury was now paying off on the pitch.
sv98.de: Your brace against Köln must have been really special. Your first goals in the Merck Stadium, a very special evening. Your best lily moment so far?
Hornby: Absolutely. My family was at the stadium, it was a very special moment. They had seen me last year with my injury and at a low point and that evening they were able to see live that my hard work during the injury was now paying off on the pitch.
sv98.de: After games like that, do you think about your own suffering and the amount of work you put in for days like that?
Hornby: Last year was the most difficult of my career. There were really difficult moments, long days working on my fitness. On days like this you realise how worth all the work.
sv98.de: The fans‘ view of you was repeatedly discussed in the media and social networks. You’ve already said that you completely understood their dissatisfaction in the first year. Weren’t there moments when you asked yourself why you were viewed so critically? Ultimately, an objective assessment was very difficult due to your injury.
Hornby: Sometimes these thoughts already exist. But people don’t see what happens off the pitch and behind closed doors. They evaluate the performance on the field. But as football players we have to deal with it. And of course I could understand them all because I was totally frustrated myself. But it now feels as if this view has completely changed and that makes me extremely happy.
sv98.de: Someone who praised you very quickly and trusted you is Florian Kohfeldt. How big is his influence on your performances?
Hornby: Huge. When he came, we had a very good conversation and he gave me the time to regain my old strength. I’m very grateful for that and I’m glad I was able to give him something back in the first half of the season.
sv98.de: He also always highlights the things that are often not valued so highly in a striker. Especially your starting behavior. What exactly does he want to see from you?
Hornby: He wants to see a very high level of energy and a high level of pressing behavior from all players. That’s always been part of my game, so this style suits me well. I also like the system with a striker at my side.
sv98.,de: SV 98 collected 24 points in the first half of the season and is therefore in tenth place in a relatively tight league. How are you going into the second half of the season, what do you have planned for the second half of the series?
Every single player on this team wants to get better and learn. That’s a very good attitude. This is one of the reasons why we are now on the right track and would like to continue in the second half of the season. We are an ambitious team and have shown that we can beat any opponent in this league. But it’s no use letting your thoughts wander too far ahead. We continue to take it one week at a time and strive to continually improve.
sv98.de: Ambitious and willing to learn could also be referred to as learning a new language. How is your German going?
Hornby: Much better. (laughs) It’s a really difficult language, but I understand a lot now and speaking is even more difficult for me. But at some point we will also be able to conduct an interview entirely in German. What is important is that I now understand almost everything that is discussed in the meetings.
sv98.de: Finally: You’ll still be here in the training camp until Sunday. What do you want to work on as a team so that you can travel to Düsseldorf in the best possible way?
Hornby: Continue to work on our principles and the way we play football. The more often you train something, the more natural it becomes on match day itself. We’ve made a lot of progress in the last few weeks and we want to build on that.
SV Darmstadt 98 invites all its members to come to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on November 1st, 2026, starting at 11:30am. Together, we aim to once again create the largest team photo in our club’s history—with the professional players in the front and the entire Lilies family behind them.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.