Hartmut Pelka

Born in Hohenmölsen, Pelka began to play football for the youth teams of BSG Aktivist Großgrimma in 1963. He joined the youth department of football club Hallescher FC Chemie in 1968. Pelka came to BSG Chemie Leipzig as a 17-year old in 1974. His first season at BSG Chemie Leipzig was an immediate success. Pelka became the league top goal scorer and greatly contributed to the club's comeback to the DDR-Oberliga. Pelka scored 18 goals in 22 matches of the regular season, plus two goals in the play-offs for the DDR-Oberliga. He scored both goals for BSG Chemie Leipzig in the 2–0 win over 1. FC Union Berlin in the play-offs in front of 17,000 spectators at the Georg-Schwarz-Sportpark on 21 June 1975. Pelka worked for VEB Polygraph Leipzig during his time at BSG Chemie Leipzig. BSG Chemie Leipzig was relegated to the second tier DDR-Liga after the 1975–76 DDR-Oberliga. The team finished the 1976–77 DDR-Liga Staffeln C in first place, but failed in the play-offs for the DDR-Oberliga. Pelka was transferred to BFC Dynamo in the summer of 1977. Pelka made his debut for BFC Dynamo in the DDR-Oberliga against FC Karl-Marx-Stadt in the opening match of the 1977–78 DDR-Oberliga on 12 August 1977. He scored three goals for BFC Dynamo in the 0–6 win away against BSG Wismut Gera in the sixth matchday on 30 September 1977. Pelka was a regular player also in the following seasons. He had to undergo a second knee operation in the summer of 1980. He would then only make three appearances for…