Hoogezand pushes Gorecht into the swamp. Trainer Hans van der Ploeg: ‘We kill our own attackers’

Hoogezand is back in a safe place and will play a crucial game against Leeuwarder Zwaluwen in two weeks.

It took some effort to get the extremely disappointed Hans van der Ploeg, coach of Gorecht, out of the dressing room. But then the always realistic coach indicated where things had gone wrong with his team: ,,Hoogezand’s positional play was better, we were not fierce enough and much too rushed forward in the transition. At halftime I said that we ‘kill’ our attackers by letting them go deep. Only when it really had to, did something happen. We lose too many points against close competitors. But we can also beat everyone.” That will have to be, because Gorecht will meet three strong opponents with ONS Sneek, Blauw Wit and PKC.

‘The atmosphere is better and the discipline is back’

Hoogezand obviously came off the field very differently. Captain and maker of the second goal, his fifteenth, Heine Uuldriks: ,,It was necessary, but it is getting better. We should have been ahead at the break. Three points and scoring again, that was also nice.”

Hoogezand said goodbye to trainer Germain Beck in February. Secretary Cock van Vliet before the game: ,,No, that was no longer possible. Confidence was gone. The players went to an away game by bus and the trainer drove behind them in the car. Then you know enough. The atmosphere is better now and the discipline is back.” Clubman Bart van Veen, who retired nine years ago, was persuaded to save things. Van Veen: ,,If your own club calls on you, then you go. I got my license in three weeks, you can do that online these days. That was also necessary, a lot is changing in football. Next game against Leeuwarder Zwaluwen, that’s decisive.”

Skirt day

It was skirt day in Haren and the club song blared over the sunny sports park when the gladiators entered the field, but partly due to nerves and tension, both teams showed that they were not unjustly fighting for enforcement.

Hoogezand showed more drive, a fighting machine with midfielder Robert Hamming in a leading role. Before the break, Jimmy Anakotta blasted just over on behalf of the guests and the clever striker Uuldriks was often threatening. Van der Ploeg about this: ,,We had agreed on double coverage when he touched the ball, but that often went wrong.” Gorecht played like a screw that had to be squeezed through a nail hole. It was dangerous once, but Tom Traas failed to punish the wavering defense.

Uuldriks scores his fifteenth goal

The 0-1 shortly after the break was brilliant, although it was not preceded by a streamlined attack. Wyatt van Engel shot from 25 meters into the top corner. Shortly afterwards, Uuldriks did what he did so often, at ZNC, Hoogezand, Harkemase Boys, Staphorst and now for the fifth season at the club from the Veenkoloniën. The Gorecht defense headed the ball in front of his feet and the shot was dry, hard and accurate: 0-2.

Van der Ploeg changed three men in one go. Bob Poorta came back (operated) after a long injury and Sam Niewold was also allowed to show it again after physical problems. It gave a quality impulse to the until then apathetic football team.

Ten minutes before the end, Poorta crowned his comeback with the 1-2. Gorecht claimed another penalty kick, but the good leading Gils did not budge. In goal, Teun Hoekstra was reliable as a civil servant in the 1970s. The man who put away his goalkeeper glove last year to become a striker was occasionally not unfortunate, but stood in the way of more goals against.

In the counter-attack, Kasper Oldenburger hit the inside of the post. Gorecht is now in a post-competition place and of the eight teams that will participate, only one will play in the first division next season.