After an eventful evening in Dordrecht, coach Dick Lukkien looks back on the 1-0 defeat of FC Groningen and the torch action of his own supporters. “I don’t find it useful.”
Is the glass half full or half empty at FC Groningen? Despite the loss in Dordrecht, optimists point to the fine series of thirteen unbeaten matches in a row that the northerners achieved before the visit to the Krommedijk. In the end, it remained a matter of equaling the club record, with the note that the Groningers were still ranked high in the Premier League during the previous series of successes.
The more critical FC Groningen followers come up with a more disturbing fact. They take a look at the rankings of the first division and conclude that Dick Lukkien and his men from the top eleven clubs only managed to beat VVV-Venlo. The other matches only resulted in draws or defeats.
‘Conclusion only in May’
“What conclusion should I draw from this?” the trainer repeats the question. ,,Not a single one. I might as well say that we haven’t lost thirteen times. What does that say? There is only one conclusion this season and we will draw it in May when the last match has been played. We just keep going. In the second half against Dordrecht I saw a team that wanted to win and was very resilient. That is always a foundation to build on.”
The fact that FC Groningen was unable to break the old club record at the Krommedijk in Dordrecht meant little to Lukkien. “That hardly crossed my mind,” the Veendammer coach admits. “The rankings are much more important to us. FC Dordrecht was one point behind us with one match less played. We could have done very well, especially because all the clubs above us did not get further than a draw. Except for ADO. We have failed to take advantage of that. That’s a shame. If you want to continue to compete for the top spots, you have to keep winning.”
Lots of mistakes at 1-0
According to Lukkien, the defeat in Dordrecht was primarily due to the qualities of the opponent. “And with the resistance we offered. That was below par, especially in the first half. They were on top of it. FC Dordrecht is also known for that, we knew that. Of course, the quick goal didn’t help us either. Still, I think we still had enough chances to score a goal, even though the defeat was ultimately deserved.”
When Dordt scored 1-0 from a corner, the trainer saw a lot go wrong with his own team. “It all started with Thijmen Blokzijl, who should have played his long ball deeper than he did. Then a situation arose on the counterattack in which Marco Rente apparently was not coached, so he simply gave away a corner. Then Jorg Schreuders lost his man at the corner kick, allowing FC Dordrecht to work freely. It all sucked, but it’s part of it. We have to recover and move on.”
“I like pyro, but…”
The fact that the match was stopped for more than twenty minutes in the first half because FC Groningen supporters lit one torch after another in the away section did not help, according to Lukkien. The trainer does have a message for the supporters. “I like pyro, but the regulations dictate that it is not allowed. That’s why I don’t think it’s useful for them to do that anyway. There are rules and you have to follow them.”
It wouldn’t have made much difference before the match was stopped permanently. Then FC Groningen would have had to make the trip again within the already busy schedule. “Referee Richard Martens was very clear,” says Lukkien. “He said: if it happens again, I will stop the match permanently. He deliberately waited a while before resuming the match, so that the responsible people in the profession could do their jobs. It had nothing to do with the defeat. We mainly blamed that on our own play in the first half. We have to collect and move on.”
