The Kitchen Champion Division will start on Friday evening. Due to the relegation of Willem II, no fewer than seven Brabant teams will play at the second highest level in the Netherlands. Newcomers, trainers, veterans and supporters look ahead to the start of the season of their clubs.
William II
Freek Heerkens is happy with the support that the fans of Willem II continue to give after the relegation: “We have now gone over ten thousand season tickets, so I hope the stadium will be full again every week. We will need that support badly. “
Willem II had a busy transfer summer: “We have chosen to get players who already have some experience at this level. So far, I think each and every one of them has been able to bring in good players,” says Heerkens, who has already ten years with Willem II.
Willem II impressed in the last two exhibition games. The 5-0 win against Lyon stands out. Heerkens thinks the team is ready to take on the title fight: “We are fit and at times show nice football. Whether we are ready for the competition will have to be seen, but I do have that feeling.”
NAC Breda
Everyone in Breda hopes that NAC will do better than last season’s eighth place. Due to the relegation of PEC Zwolle, Willem II and Heracles Almelo, the NAC fans know that this can be quite a task.
Boyd Lucassen, who came over from Go Ahead Eagles, is realistic: “With all the competition and strong teams, placement for the postseason is the most important thing for us. Last season we saw how crazy the play-offs can run.”
The preparation went well according to 24-year-old Lucassen: “We have a nice group that trains hard and is very eager. I think we are doing well.”
FC Eindhoven
Last season’s revelation has pretty much lost all its seasonings. “We actually started all over again,” says Maarten Peijnenburg. The defender, who has been wearing the blue and white uniform for four seasons, remained loyal to FC Eindhoven.
The results in the preparation were disappointing. Eindhoven only beat Jong PSV (1-0) and amateur club RBC (0-6): “You do see a certain development in the team”, Peijnenburg notes. “We’re starting to get used to the system more and more and guys know what to do.”
FC Den Bosch
Last season’s number eleven, FC Den Bosch, saw the majority of the selection remain intact. ‘Prodigal son’ Danny Verbeek has to absorb the departure of tastemaker Soufyan Ahannach.
The preparation of the Bosschenaren was not optimal, according to Verbeek: “That had to do with safety reasons. The local triangle has banned a number of matches against professional clubs. That’s a shame, you prefer to practice against clubs that play at the same level,” says Verbeek.
The native of Bossche is clear about the goal: “We want to do better than last season, so that means we want to finish in the left row.”
TOP Oss
TOP strengthened the selection with no fewer than eleven new players. Thanks to the support of entrepreneurs, the budget of the Osse club has been increased considerably this summer. TOP Oss wants to grow and get out of the right row.
With new trainer Kristof Aelbrecht, the people of Ossen want to continue to grow. Six weeks ago, the Belgian left the PSV youth academy behind for his first job as head coach: “The practice matches were changeable. If you look at the playing style, progress has definitely been made,” says the coach.
“We have to see from match to match whether we can go for maximum results and where that will ultimately end will have to be shown,” says Aelbrecht about the Osse objective.
Young PSV
Thanks in part to the major changes at the large PSV, a lot also happened among the young Eindhoven residents.
Levy Leduc is a follower of Jong PSV and thinks it could just be a nice season: “There has been a lot of flow from Jong to PSV 1 this year, but those places have been filled with U19 talents who can certainly be there,” says levy.
Helmond Sports
The ambitions of Helmond Sport are clear to everyone: the club wants to participate in promotion within three years. The Kattenmeppers bought a lot this summer and will compete for participation in the play-offs this year.
On Thursday an extensive story was published about the ambitions of Helmond Sport.
Who will be champion?
“Willem II is favorite for the championship”, think Verbeek, Peijnenburg and Aelbrecht. Only NAC player Lucassen points out two other favorites: “I expect a lot from ADO Den Haag and Heracles Almelo.”
First round with three Brabant get-togethers:
FC Den Bosch – FC Eindhoven
Willem II – Young PSV
NAC Breda – Helmond Sport
TOP Oss – Young Utrecht