Hoogeveen has its defensive affairs much better in order. ‘We are all handling it very well’

After eight matches as a PhD student in the third division, Hoogeveen had already scored 24 goals. Only bottom line Odin ’59 did worse defensively. But Hoogeveen seems to have solved the defensive problem.

Two weeks ago against Rijnvogels, goalkeeper Stan Meekhof kept his goal clean for the first time, while the Drenthe players were also well on their way to a clean sheet . Fifteen minutes before the end, Urk scored the equalizer, while Hoogeveen had no major problems with the guests from Flevoland.

Hoogeveen finally looks stable, including the tall Alex Blekkink in the heart of the defense. The difference with the opening phase of the season? Blekkink, who ruled the air last Saturday, thinks his team now operates more as a team. “There is now a very good drive in our team,” he explains. “The wingers defend well, while communication is also in order. We are all handling it very well.”

Bowball

Blekkink could certainly look back on a nice evening. In the eighteenth minute he opened the score with a free kick from midfielder Jim Veltmaat. Blekkink is dangerous with his head on free kicks and corners, but he also knows what to do with his feet in the enemy penalty area. With a nice curved ball over the Urk goalie he got the hands of Hoogeveen together. “At half-time, teammates already said that it looked technically very nice,” beamed the goalscorer, who scored for the first time at this level.

After Blekkink’s goal, the greatest danger continued to come from Hoogeveen, although on the other hand, attention had to be paid when Lucas Tol van Urk got the ball. The left flank player sometimes dribbled past his opponents as if it was nothing. Although the actions of the playful Tol were delicious, there was no return from his feet.

In the second half Urk became stronger and stronger. It led to the equalizer by Iede den Dulk, who received the ball from a corner in the 76th minute and shot diagonally into the far corner. Urk then smelled blood and diligently looked for victory. The guests had wonderful opportunities to do so, but found Stan Meekhof in their way several times. The excellent goalkeeper dragged his team through a difficult phase with technical fine saves. Urk goalie Richard Strijker also got his hands on each other earlier in the game.

Good level competition

The game went back and forth in the final phase, but no more goals were scored. Hoogeveen coach Stef Lamberink said he “enjoyed an open match”. “In terms of intensity, Urk is one of the best teams in this competition,” he complimented the physical qualities of the opponent. “It was therefore not surprising that they came across better than us in the end. It was a good level match. That’s why I feel satisfied about it.”

Hoogeveen took no fewer than ten points from the last five matches. The Drenthe people still remain in sixteenth place in the rankings. However, the gap with the left row is small: number 9 RKAV Volendam only has three points more.