This weekend was spent in the company of four other 'hoppers' taking in four Dutch games in two days...3 Eredivisie and 1 Topklasse. Thanks to the organisation of others who sorted out the notoriously difficult to obtain match tickets (due to the Dutch ID card system) the hotel and transport, it was just a case of arriving at Schipol airport then enjoying the ride.....
Topklasse
Ijsselmeervogels 1-2 Noordwijk
Attendance: 1,800
The weekend began with a Topklasse game between Ijsselmeervogels and Noordwijk. Topklasse is the 3rd tier of Dutch football and it's inaugral season was only last year. The league was created to bridge the gap between the (professional) Eerste Divisie and (amateur) Hoofdklasse. Due to religious grounds there are Saturday and Sunday divisions, with the champions of both playing off for the right to promotion. Ijsselmeervogels were the inaugral champions but refused promotion "as professional football does not fit in with our culture"
Their home ground, Sportpark de Westmaart, is a neat set up with a large seated stand along one side of the pitch and a covered terrace along the other side. The pitch is a 4G artificial surface.
The game was absolutely dreadful. Apart from the last 20 minutes, there was no sense of urgency and little in the way of goalmouth action. Rico Kogeldans gave the visitors the lead just before half time with a shot from the edge of the box. Jan de Graaf equalised for the homesters, with a header from a corner before Mohammed Faouzi's tame effort six minutes from time sealed the points for Noordwijk.
Somehow the club have managed to cobble together some highlights!
How long this link will remain, I dont know....
Eredivisie
Heerenveen 1-1 RKC Waalwijk
Attendance: 25,000
After the first game it was quickly up the road to Heerenveen and the Abe Lenstra stadium. This ground is on the edge of town and was opened in 1994. It is named after the most famous player in the history of Heerenveen (there is also a statue of him at the ground).
The tickets were for an unreserved area of the ground but by the time we'd finished our drinks there weren't too many decent seats left and I found my view obscured by a post. I suppose it was just like being a Goodison Park!Judging by the nature of the spiked enclosure, i'm guessing this is normally the away end, but seeing as Waalwijk brought few fans, the tickets went on sale to home supporters.
The game was a good contest as Geoffrey Castillion (12) gave the visitors the lead. Despite Heerenveen pressure they looked like holding on to gain the win. However the turning point was the introduction of ex-Sheffield Wednesday player Gerald Sibon, who took advantage of tiring Waalwijk legs.
He caused them lots of problems in his 20 minute cameo and equalised on 76 minutes with a sublime chip from the edge of the box. He could have won it for the homesters right at the end but his effort came back off the woodwork. On the balance of play, a draw was a fair result.
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| Gerald Sibon nearly wins the game for Heerenveen bu his effort crashes the woodwork |
Highlights are available via this link....
http://eredivisielive.nl/wedstrijd/1621922/sc-heerenveen---rkc-waalwijk/
Again, how long it will remain valid, I don't know.
It was then a 60 minute trip down the motorway to our hotel in Deventer for a few beers and a rendezvous with Maya....
http://eredivisielive.nl/wedstrijd/1621922/sc-heerenveen---rkc-waalwijk/
Again, how long it will remain valid, I don't know.
It was then a 60 minute trip down the motorway to our hotel in Deventer for a few beers and a rendezvous with Maya....
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I wouldn't normally take photo's of grounds I haven't seen a game at, but as its highly unlikely I will visit Spakenburg again (famous last words!) I took the pictures below. Spakenburg's ground is adjacent to Ijsselmeervogels at the Sportpark de Westmaart. They too play in the Topklasse and, unlike their rivals, they are prepared to take promotion to the Eerste Divisie. As I write these notes, they are top of league, so it will be interesting to see how their season develops.
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