The second half of the season started immediately in the Fourth Division with an extremely interesting match in the middle bracket. As a PhD candidate, Hoofddorp performed excellently in the first part of the competition and in this first round after the winter break, it was visited by HBC. And because many teams that are low in the rankings took points the day before, a win for both Hoofddorp and HBC was highly desirable.
There was not much to do for the many spectators in the first half. The man who was heard most at Sportpark De IJvelden was Jasper Ketting. HBC’s successful trainer returned to Heemstede earlier this month after an absence of a year and a half to ensure that HBC is retained for the Fourth Division. It must not have always been easy for him today, because HBC often had a particularly difficult time.
Corners
The home team started well and were awarded half a dozen corner kicks in the opening phase. However, it did not produce any great opportunities, after which HBC started to become more involved in the game. With the exception of a sweeping shot from Nick de Graaf and a deflection from Arno Dijkstra high over the enemy goal, the visitors were unable to score. In the end, the biggest chance was even for Hoofddorp, but Dylan van Schaik failed to complete an excellent run.
The home team came out of the dressing room strong and hunted for the opening goal. Nigel Compter and Jeremiah Kigongo failed to do so, but halfway through the second act it finally happened. Dylan van Schaik made an excellent move on the sideline and finished it hard in the short corner. HBC goalkeeper Bram Verhage defeated and therefore 1-0.
Did HBC leave it at that? No. Substitute Jeroen de Bruijn provided new energy and this gave HBC a boost. Daan Tervoort had a nice move, played De Bruijn who in turn found the far corner: 1-1. “Afterwards I had the feeling that we could press on for the win, but that didn’t work. In addition, Hoofddorp has weapons on the sides that we had a very difficult time with,” Ketting explained afterwards.
New lead
Hoofddorp even proved Ketting the opposite. A beautiful long through ball from Miliano Groenbast was not selfishly completed by Stanley van den Assem but put aside at the far post. Khalil Elmont was in the right place to shoot the 2-1 low against the ropes.
Because the new lead for the home team was minimal, HBC remained hopeful of a result. Especially when De Graaf was tackled in the Hoofddorp penalty area. However, referee Van Pinxteren saw nothing in it and decided to continue playing. In the final minute, HBC was allowed to build again for a free kick. Trevon Akello produced a mediocre shot that went wide of Halil Suzulmus’ goal. It was the final achievement in an entertaining second half.
Hoofddorp coach Jorg Smeets looked back with satisfaction afterwards. “The first half hour did not go entirely as planned on our side, so we made some adjustments. After that we were the stronger team and we deserved to win. An important victory to start the second half of the season.”
All results, standings and the program of the Fourth Division can be found here.
Text and photo: Martijn Prinsen
