HOVC has convincingly qualified for the final of the post-competition and is close to enforcement in the second division. Muntendam was put aside with 5-1 on the basis of attacker Frank Fokke.
For a moment, coach Marcel Vasse hoped for the same scenario as he had experienced ten years ago as a player in the post-competition against ZBC. Even then, the Muntendammers had no chance for a long time. After a big loss in the first game and a 3-1 deficit at halftime in the second game, the Muntendammers still won after extra time in that crazy game.
“Of course you think about that for a while. We tried. Only when we missed the penalty kick after the 1-3 was it over. If the ball goes in, I want to see it again. Anyway, we had a great season.” Where Muntendam has been played, HOVC has to go to work one more time.
,,If we play football as we can, it should be all right”, star Fokke said about the upcoming game against Beilen. With four goals and one assist, the attacker personally ensured that his team qualified for the final of the playoffs.
‘As a team we are good enough’
“It went well, although I could have scored more often. As a team we are good enough to stay in the second division. Only we have had a strange season. With a bit more luck we could have finished fourth. We dropped quite a few points against the bottom, while we won against the better .” Against Muntendam, HOVC dominated from the start.
HOVC had a chance after a chance, but had to be content with a 1-0 lead for a long time. HOVCC struck mercilessly in the final minute of the opening half. First, Fokke shot in a free kick, to immediately put the 3-0 halftime score on the scoreboard from a penalty kick.
After the break, Muntendam played a lot more energetically. From the first minute, the trainer duo Robert Nieborg and Vasse saw their team go into battle. HOVC was pushed back on fighting spirit and character and Michael Imminga scored from a corner.
Guts seemed to be rewarded
In the back, the team consistently played one on one, which was almost asking for trouble with the life-threatening Fokke nearby. But the Muntendammers didn’t have much more choice. That guts seemed to be rewarded when the team received a penalty kick after Michael Ploeger was knocked down by keeper Maarten Ritsema.
Pascal Oldenburger was allowed to moor from eleven meters and suddenly everything seemed possible again for the home team. ,,At that stage we completely lost it”, said Fokke. “There was some panic. That was not necessary, because otherwise we played a good game.”
But Ritsema reversed the self-caused penalty kick, after which Fokke closed the game completely with his fourth goal. Fokke: ,,We have to give everything one more time. When we reach our own level, we will certainly make it.”
Muntendam-HOVC 1-5
Score: 22. Fokke 0-1, 45. Fokke 0-2, 45. Fokke 0-3 (penalty kick), 57. Imminga 1-3, 77. Fokke 1-4, 79. Kimmel 1-5.
Yellow card: Eikema (Muntendam), Peter Fokke (HOVC).
Referee: 300.
Muntendam: Wijsbeek; Imminga, Bijl (46. Oldenburger; 88. Van der Veen) and Oosting (88. Raven); Schipper (68. Loots), De Vries, Puister, Vasse, Luttje (38. Lamain) and Ploeger; Eikema.
HOVC: Ritsema; Weerink, Peter Fokke (81. Meerkerk), Middeljans and Wiggers (81. Tewis); Beek (81. Enting), Hiemstra, Van Bergen (76. Kor) and Spijker; Frank Fokke and Siekman (76. Kimmel).