FOOTBALL – Hoogeveen has closed the regular competition with a 3-0 defeat against HBS from The Hague. Nico Haak’s team therefore finishes third in the Hoofdklasse A. The postseason will start next Thursday with a home game against Third Divisionist Hoogland.
HBS was not much stronger than Hoogeveen, but was able to create a few opportunities and take advantage of them. The home team went into halftime with a 2-0 lead and also made the decisive 3-0 in the final phase of the game. In a match that was about nothing, trainer Nico Haak still had a bad taste.
“It was a dramatic game and we sold the club poorly today,” Haak said in front of the Hoogeveen TV microphone. “We didn’t shoot on target, showed no emotion and fighting spirit and I only saw bad balls. If this is a harbinger of the playoffs, then I’m holding my breath.”
Hoogeveen was the unthreatened leader in the Dutch big league for most of the season, but in a disappointing second half of the season, the team suffered one setback after another. “As a club, we really want to be promoted and the players have indicated that they want that too. That only involves a certain behavior and if you can’t muster that, then my expectation is that we will play in the Dutch big league again next year. If they can still adjust their behavior and motivation, then I have every faith that they can do it. Then the ambition must be presented differently than what they have shown today.”
Change will have to come quickly, because Hoogeveen will play against Third Divisionist Hoogland next Thursday. An old acquaintance from the 2018/2019 season, who was promoted from the post-competition that season while Hoogeveen had to bow his head in that.
Hoogeveen will have to do without top player Kjelt Engbers for the entire post-season. He will make the switch to the Third Divisionist Staphorst next season, but the way in which this switch came to his current team has caused a breach of confidence among the players. “I have every respect for the switch that Kjelt wants to make, but the way the news reached us does not deserve the beauty prize. That has caused resentment among the players. In consultation with the players, staff and technical committee, we decided not to to use more during the post-competition,” Haak said in the same interview.
The lack of Engbers causes a serious curtailment of the selection, after Ayoub Ben Ali Ahlaq (broken foot) and Jim Veltmaat (concussion) are also not fit.