After shaky start, they found themselves in contention for third place, behind the top two of Eintracht Braunschweig and Hansa Rostock.

When a poor run of form in March and April put this position into jeopardy, manager Matthias Maucksch was sacked and replaced with Ralf Loose.

The change had the desired effect - Dynamo win five of their last six games (drawing the other), beating Kickers Offenbach on the last day of the season to secure third place, and a playoff with VfL Osnabrück, who had finished third bottom in the 2.

The first leg of the playoff, in Dresden, ended in a 1–1 draw, as did the 90 minutes of the second leg, but Dynamo scored two goals in extra time to win 4–2 on aggregate and return to the second division after a five-year absence.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.