FC Emmen was given a glimpse of leading position, but Willem II is forcing the Drenthe team to face the facts

In the almost sold-out King Willem II Stadium in Tilburg, the spectators were presented with an interesting match between the numbers one and two of the first division from the first whistle. At times very entertaining football was played, but above all it was hard work. It was clear in advance that something was at stake.

With a win, FC Emmen could level with Willem II, which recently displaced Bas Sibum’s Roda JC from first place. Moreover, an almost thirty-year-old club record could be equaled. Only once before did FC Emmen win nine away games in a row (1996/1997). Before the visit to the Tricolores on Friday evening, the counter stood at eight.

Slipper Hoekstra?

Although the scores are not often high, away games are often good for coach Fred Grim’s team this season. It was also noticeable on Friday evening that FC Emmen wanted to take control outside the home. It was significant that the Drenthe pride was allowed two corner kicks within the first four minutes. It did not lead to any goals, but the message was clear.

However, the first chance was for the home team. A rare slip by Jan Hoekstra, who has generally been very reliable this season, almost cost FC Emmen dearly, but the goalkeeper could breathe a sigh of relief when Willem II defender Raffael Behounek shot the ball wide. Later in the first half, Hoekstra would save the day from a close-range shot by the agile Ringo Meerveld.

FC Emmen had a slight upper hand during the first act. The team passed the ball around well at times and also had opportunities to take the lead. Piotr Parzyszek was the final stadium twice. The first time, the striker narrowly headed Jeff Hardeveld’s cross wide. The second time, Mike te Wierik, who came along, was the caller, but Parzyszek saw his shot hit the crossbar.

William II strikes

While FC Emmen had undoubtedly hoped to convert their slight dominance into a lead after the break, it was Willem II that struck. Barely five minutes had been played when Jeredy Hilterman, the former striker of FC Emmen who was controversial during the championship celebration of the Drenthe two seasons ago, headed a deflected cross past Hoekstra.

An additional setback was the injury of Jorrit Smeets not much later. The midfielder, who was preferred to Lucas Bernadou in Tilburg, received a serious blow to his ankle. However, with his French replacement in the field, the team did not fare much better. Grim tried to put things in order by bringing in Ben Scholte and Joey Konings, but to no avail.

Willem II further demonstrated the dominance that the team had for almost the entire second half on the scoreboard. While substitute Jeremy Bokila became man of the match with two goals, Michaël Heylen played a lesser role twice. First the Belgian defender mismanaged a ball that allowed Bokila to print, then he let the striker run away from his back far too easily.

Damage somewhat limited

To be fair, looking at the entire match, FC Emmen in Tilburg was the deserved loser. So no shared top position for the team of coach Fred Grim and no equaling of an almost thirty-year-old club record. In fact, Willem II is now six points ahead of the Emmen team. One stroke of luck: because competitors Roda JC and ADO Den Haag also lost, the damage was somewhat limited.