FOOTBALL – On an afternoon that should have resulted in a championship celebration for VV Dwingeloo, disappointment ultimately lingered at the De Hulsebosch sports park. Against Protos, the home team did not get further than a spectacular but bitter draw: 3-3.
The match started uneasily. Thunder and lightning caused a fifteen-minute delay and that ominous atmosphere seemed to extend onto the field. Within ten minutes, Protos took the lead with a lot of luck, when a cross via defender and captain Joris Jans disappeared behind his own goalkeeper: 0-1. Dwingeloo looked nervous and had difficulty getting a grip on the game.
Halfway through the first half it became even more difficult for the home team. Tigo Berends doubled the lead from a free kick, with the ball ending up in the goal via the underside of the crossbar and the back of goalkeeper Schieving: 0-2. Only in the closing stages of the first half did Dwingeloo recover somewhat. After a few warnings, the important tying goal came via Guus Huisman just before half-time: 1-2.
With the score between Schoonebeek and Hoogersmilde (0-0) in mind, Dwingeloo knew that there was work to be done after the break. The team came out of the locker room furious. Within two minutes the deficit was reversed: first Nemo de Vries made it 2-2, after which Sven Venema even scored the 3-2. The championship still seemed within reach.
However, Dwingeloo could not enjoy that lead for long. Less than a minute later, Stan Meijerink equalized again: 3-3. The blow hit hard and caused disbelief in the stands. In the final phase the tension remained high, partly because developments at competitor Hoogersmilde were closely followed. When the score was 0-1 late, Dwingeloo knew that at least one more goal was needed for the championship. Despite more than nine minutes of injury time, the goal failed to materialize.
This is how an afternoon of celebration became a deception. Dwingeloo must postpone the championship for at least another week. A direct confrontation with Hoogersmilde awaits next week, in which the title can still be secured with a win or a draw. Protos did excellent business with the point achieved and seems almost certain to have maintained itself in the fourth class C.
