EXCLUSIVE
Harry Kane and the Bundesliga’s big boys can expect a ferocious atmosphere when they visit newly-promoted St Pauli next season.
That's the view of former Bolton Wanderers forward Dapo Afolayan who helped fire St Pauli to the Bundesliga 2 title.
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They have 'Welcome to Hell' plastered across their tunnel and skull and cross bone flags drape around the stadium - that reputation is pretty well justified.
The Hamburg-based outfit will return to Germany’s top flight next season for the first time since 2011 following Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Osnabrück which saw Afolayan score twice.
The Englishman has netted 10 times in 33 appearances across all competitions and quickly cemented himself as a key figure at the club.
Afolayan says that whilst he has been pleasantly surprised at the level of Germany’s second tier, the atmosphere generated at the Millerntor-Stadion has been the most impressive thing since his arrival.
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“Our tunnel is quite iconic and we’ve got a little saying ‘Welcome to Hell’ when you come to play us," Afolayan told talkSPORT.
“It’s special. Every single game I’ve been at, it’s been sold out.
“Tickets are hard to come by. If I see any Brits at the game they tell me they've bought tickets and planned it years in advance.
“It is special and not many teams like coming to play us and hopefully we can make it a fortress next season.
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“Since I’ve been here it’s been amazing. Even in this league we’ve played at some great stadiums. We’ve played at Schalke this year and the derby [vs Hamburg] in front of 57,000 crowds.
“Playing in front of the big boys next season is going to be even more special and will be a great experience, I’m excited for it.”
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Afolayan spent two-years at Bolton but left the club in January 2023 after failing to hold down a place in a new tactical formation.
St Pauli immediately declared their interest in the forward and after three rebuffed bids, the German club finally got their man.
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The 26-year-old admits he was tentative about the move but his fears were allayed once he met boss Fabian Hürzeler.
“At first I was a bit sceptical because you tend to see players younger than me go to Germany,” he added.
“There were a few [interested] clubs in the Championship at the time but I just wanted to test myself and take myself to the next level.
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“It was a really good opportunity and I came out to visit and met the manager who at the time was only 29.
“But when he spoke to me and told me about how we wanted to play, I was sold on the project.”