FC Emmen has secured a spot in the Eredivisie. On a visit to FC Dordrecht, the 0-1 win was enough for promotion. Rui Mendes scores the only goal for the leader of the Kitchen Champion Division.
Spread over different sections, they fell into each other and the players’ arms, the hundreds of FC Emmen fans who had traveled with them. Dick Lukkien’s team needed one more victory in advance to be sure of promotion to the Eredivisie. And that victory was achieved tonight against FC Dordrecht, albeit with difficulty with 0-1. It led to intense joy among those otherwise sober Drenthe. They transformed De Krommedijk into a true festival temple. ,,We are at the top’, it echoed cheerfully over the stands.
Before the ceremony on the field, things threatened to get out of hand for a while, when FC Dordrecht supporters sought a confrontation with the visiting fans who had entered the field. The ME had to come in to restore peace.
FC Emmen will play against Feyenoord and Ajax again next season. Unofficially, they had known this for a while in the Kitchen Champion Division, in which Lukkien’s team simply turned out to be the strongest of all after a poor start. After the victory over FC Dordrecht there is no longer any doubt about the near future. A goal from Mendes sufficed in the atmospheric Krommedijk to secure the promotion definitively.
As is often the case in these kinds of matches, the tension was palpable. Until Mendes’ goal, the red and white already had a hard time with the tough Dordrecht, which defended itself bravely. After that goal, the nerves only seemed to get worse. That was especially the case after Kezia Veendorp had to leave early in the final phase after his second yellow card. Still FC Emmen stood their ground.
That is why the red and white can be officially honored tomorrow. This takes place on the square in front of the town hall in Emmen. It is expected that at least 20,000 fans will attend the party. Tonight, players, staff members and supporters of the club already took an advance on that feast. The beers were pressed to the sounds of the ‘we are on top’.
Battle for place 2
In addition to FC Emmen, another club from the Kitchen Champion Division will be promoted, but which one that is will remain exciting for a while. FC Volendam is currently in that coveted second place, but is far from certain. For example, FC Eindhoven – the number three – lost 1-3 to Jong PSV, and saw Roda JC come closer again. That team from Kerkrade won in a spectacular game against last-placed Helmond Sport (5-3).
But there are even more contenders for that coveted second place. ADO Den Haag won 0-1 at Jong AZ and can climb to third place via the make-up match against Jong PSV. Excelsior could have come in third place today, but ended up with a 1-1 draw at MVV Maastricht.
FC Volendam will play against Jong Ajax tomorrow at 4:30 PM. View all results and standings here†
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