As a supporter, he saw many matches of NAC from the stands. Since this season, the supporters in the Rat Verlegh Stadium are watching Pepijn Reulen. The 17-year-old attacker from Dussen is this young season one of the surprises at the Eredivisionist. “I want to make the fans completely crazy.”
Pepijn is a real goaltjes thief. Last season he scored 34 goals as left winger last season. Trainer Carl Hoefkens achieved the great talent in the selection and let him gain experience with the ‘big men’ during the preparation for the season.
Pepijn made an impression at the main force despite being 17 years old. Hoefkens therefore kept him in the selection and let him come in the first two league games. “My debut in De Kuip against Feyenoord was great. But then on Sunday my raid against Fortuna Sittard in Breda. You cannot compare the atmosphere in the Rat Verlegh Stadium in an evening match with other clubs.”
For his raids, the former youth player of Dussense Boys and VV Almkerk felt healthy tension. “I lived towards the game all day. Before the moment of raids I felt the tension, but once I was in the field I didn’t think anymore. It’s just going to give gas.”
“NAC feels like family.”
His sense of NAC is deep. As a supporter, he cheered in his yellow shirt as hard as possible for his heroes. “NAC is everything for me. I can explain it hard, it feels like family. I used to stand in line for signatures and photos, now I am the one with whom fans want to be photographed. I really enjoy it. I did not expect that my development would go so fast. It is also nice for youth education, let’s hope that boys break through more often.”
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His first goal was to make playing minutes in the Eredivisie and now he goes for his first competition goal for NAC. “Whether I have already thought about how I am going to celebrate a goal? No, but I want to let the supporters go completely loose. The most important thing is to grab as many points as possible with NAC so that we stay in the Eredivisie. We are a good team with a lot of quality.”
He has already taken his first steps as a professional football player. To take the following steps in the coming years, he sucks as much information as possible within the selection. “I learn a lot from a player like Sydney van Hooijdonk. For example, I look at his completion at the training. But I also get help from Lewis Holtby, a real leader in the field. And of course the technical staff. Hoefkens is a very sweet man.”
NAC is in eighth place in the Eredivisie after two games. On Sunday the team from Breda will visit leader NEC.