 He subsequently spent four seasons with the Kickers team and was a regular from the beginning.In his final season with the club, in 1999–2000, he became the top goalscorer of the Second Bundesliga with 21 goals scored in 33 matches and practically saved the club from being relegated to the third division as his 21 goals were almost a half of all goals scored by the team in the Second Bundesliga that season in which they narrowly avoided relegation with a 15th-place finish.In the same season, he also helped the club to surprisingly reach the semifinals of the DFB-Pokal, where they lost 2–1 to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in extra time.