Steffen Wohlfarth will forever be remembered for scoring a last-gasp winner in a classic Ross County thriller against Celtic in 2013.
The German striker, dubbed ‘The Wolf’, endeared himself to the County support by netting the winner against the Hoops with his first goal for the Staggies.
The pulsating contest against Neil Lennon’s champions in the March of that year extended Derek Adams’ Staggies’ unbeaten run to 11 games.
The Hoops marched into a 2-0 lead through Charlie Mulgrew and Gary Hooper goals inside the opening 21 minutes.
However, a Grant Munro thunderbolt and Sam Morrow’s close-range strike made it 2-2 by half-time.
Wohlfarth, a January capture, had yet to score for County in seven games and was not hopeful of playing against Celtic as he was named as a substitute.
‘Wanted to celebrate like Cantona – but began the day as a substitute’
Yet, he recalls it all – including how he followed his headed goal with a celebration inspired by a Manchester United legend, with chest puffed out and both arms aloft.
He said: “I remember so much about that game – and even the build-up to it.
“A lot of my friends wanted to come over and watch it, while many were going to watch it on TV. Everyone was excited for the game, including me.
“Before the match I was thinking about what could happen.
“Normally when I score, I’m emotional and jumping around.
“But I was telling people that if I scored against Celtic I would celebrate Eric Cantona-style. Just standing there like an arrogant guy.
“At first, I was a little bit sad that I wasn’t in the starting 11. When we were 2-0 down, I said to the guys on the bench ‘so, okay, no game against Celtic for me’.
“Happily, or luckily for me, we made it 2-2, and I came in the 76th minute.
“I remember that two minutes after coming on, I had a chance to score but shot just past the post.
“However, in the end, the best thing happened, and I scored the winner in the last minute.
“I got to celebrate my goal in the way I said. All my friends were laughing. It was a special moment. Brilliant.”
Brother later partied with Celtic fans
Wohlfarth delights in his brother’s story just two months later when he got to see him play his final County game in 1-0 Highland derby win over ICT in a season where they finished seventh – two places below Inverness.
He said: “My brother Dominic tried everything to get over for the Celtic game, but he wasn’t able to, but he came over a few weeks later for my final match, which was against Inverness.
“When he arrived in Scotland, he was in a bar in Edinburgh and he chatted to a Celtic fan, who asked what he was over from Germany for.
“Dominic explained he was going to see me play for Ross County. The Celtic fan asked what my name was.
“My brother said ‘Steffen Wolhfarth’, and the supporter said ‘ah, never heard of him’.
“But then Dominic said ‘yeah, but maybe you know him as The Wolf’, they called me the Wolf.
“Suddenly, the guy was quiet and asked his friends to come over. He told his friends
“This guy is the brother of a legend.
“The Celtic supporters took him round plenty of pubs in Edinburgh, they were partying with him.
“The whole time they were saying he’s the brother of the legend. I think the story is better than my goal.”
‘Best time of my career’ at County
Former County player Mark Fotheringham was with the Dingwall club at the time, but was a team-mate of Wohlfarth’s at Freiburg in 2005-2006.
‘Fozzy’ was the link which made the move to Scotland happen for the German striker.
Wohlfarth explained: “Mark is one of my best mates. I played with him at Freiburg. He called me to say Ross County were looking for a striker.
“I was free and out of my contract from SV Wehen Wiesbaden. So, I said; ‘okay, I’ll come for trial.’
“I went over for one week and, at the end of that week, Derek Adams told me he wanted to sign me. The connection between myself and Mark was really good throughout my year there.
“My time at Ross County was the best period in my career.
“I really enjoyed playing for County and living in Scotland and I was happy to have the opportunity there.
“I speak so much about scoring the winner against Celtic.”
‘Wolf’ well suited to Scottish top table
Wohlfarth quickly studied his future opponents when the Highland opportunity arose and believes his style of play was the perfect match for Scotland’s top division.
He said: “Honestly, at the beginning, I didn’t know anything about the league. I had never heard about Ross County.
“Other than Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs, I didn’t recognise most of the clubs. For example, I didn’t know about sides like St Johnstone or Motherwell.
“But, I was excited to come and play for Ross County in Scotland’s top league. It was a league that fitted my game because I was a physical and fast player with good right and left feet.
“I was not the typical striker, who stays up front waiting for the ball. I always fought to do something for the team. That’s why it worked so well for me.”
Wohlfarth also recalled scoring a ‘goal of the month’ nominee within a double in a 4-2 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle, but the result took the shine off the goal for the forward.
He said: “It was a special day to score twice against Hearts, as they are one of the clubs we know in Germany, so it was cool to play against them, but we lost the game, so it was not the special in the end.”
Dortmund rout of Hoops topped bill
From 2017 until 2002, Wohlfarth, who is a UEFA A licence-holder, was manager of fifth-tier German side FV Ravensburg.
He is currently based in Dortmund, working as club manager at PadelCity, managing the indoor football pitches, in a facility where popular racquet sport padel keeps people active.
Last month, Wohlfarth watched Borussia Dortmund dismantle Celtic 7-1 in a Champions League Group game.
He said with a smile: “I was talking to all the guys here in Dortmund, saying that maybe I’m the only one who scored against Celtic in the last year.
“And now the story is not funny anymore because they won 7-1 and Karim Adeyemi scored three times.”
Keeping tabs on Cowie’s County side
Fotheringham remains a regular visitor and constant friend to Wohlfarth and the often chat about the current Scottish Premiership as Don Cowie’s side continue to compete about the best in the country.
Wohlfarth added: “Mark and I watched a Champions League game together a few weeks ago.
“We speak a lot about the Scottish leagues and it’s brilliant that Ross County are still part of it.”
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