Justin Mulder is aiming for a place in the top 5 with ACV at the end of the season. On Saturday afternoon, the Asser Saturday club will play at home against the famous AFC from Amsterdam. “We are going for three points again.”
Assen, Thursday evening. The ACV players trickle into the canteen. The last training for the home match two days later against the Amsterdam Football Club is over. Justin Mulder, a two-time goalscorer against Royal HFC a week earlier in Haarlem, had an evaluation interview with trainer Ruud Jalving earlier that evening. “We do this once every six months.”
His trainer, he says, was satisfied. “He thinks I have an important role in the group. My motivation is good, he said. I always have the will to win. Of course, the other players have it too, but for me it might stand out a little more. I do think my returns should increase. I have scored three times and provided one assist this season. Too little for an attacker.”
Richairo Zivkovic
Justin Mulder, 27 years old, Surinamese father, Dutch mother, born, raised and living in Hoogezand, is in his seventh season at ACV. He is a friend of Richairo Zivkovic, the former player of FC Groningen, Ajax and FC Emmen, who also grew up in Hoogezand and currently plays for Lion City Sailors in Singapore.
“I have contact with him almost daily, usually with FaceTime. He likes it in Singapore. He scores a lot and also plays in the Asian Champions League with his club. We used to go to each other by bike. We lived close to each other. Richairo was already playing for FC Groningen. Did we play football together a lot? No actually not. We were more concerned with girls. We also found it interesting. And we played a lot of games. We still do that. Now via the internet, in a party with a headset on. Richairo may not have made it all the way, but he’s done, has played himself financially independent. It’s also worth something.”
Dreaming of a glittering professional career
Mulder also dreamed of a glittering professional career and financial independence. The hope for this only increased when he switched from vv Hoogezand to FC Emmen at the age of sixteen and one year later made his debut in the main force of the Drenthe football pride. “Against Fortuna Sittard. Joop Gall was a trainer. I came on in the final phase, only hit two or three balls, but you don’t forget your debut.”
The following season he started once and came on ten times. “I also enforced a contract. Things looked pretty rosy at the time.” Unfortunately for him, things came to an end. “I came on as a substitute in the first match of the following season, but after that I never took part again. Dick Lukkien was trainer. He indicated that I had to take football more seriously, get more out of myself, that I was too lax. Maybe I came across as a bit lazy at the time, but I’m not at all.”
‘Lukkien has always been honest with me’
No, Mulder shakes his head, he doesn’t blame Lukkien. “He has always been honest with me. I think he is a good trainer. Maybe I should have gotten more out of myself and I didn’t do enough with my talent. When you are young you often look at it differently. In February/March of that season I had a conversation with the club and decided not to continue with Emmen. If you don’t make it at Emmen, there is no longer a good chance that you will be financially independent.”
Mulder moved to ACV and started working in healthcare at Veni Itinam, a youth care institution in Zuidlaren. “I help boys with problems in the age category of 10 to 18 years. Grateful work. It is a job that gives me great satisfaction. Fortunately, I can separate work and private life well. I don’t take my work home with me. It is also important if you do this work.”
He is also having a great time at ACV. Last season he became champion in the third division with the Asser Saturday club and the Jalving team has also been doing great at the highest amateur level so far. With three games left until the winter break, AFC and Excelsior Maassluis at home, Katwijk away, ACV has advanced to third place with 26 points from 14 games. “We can end the first half of the competition with 35 points. That would be absolutely fantastic.”
Friends team
Mulder says that his club started the season with the aim of not being relegated. “I thought we could end up at the bottom of the left row. We have a young team with fit, combative players. It is a close-knit team, with guys who are willing to go through fire for each other. It’s a team of friends. No, we have not yet adjusted our objective. Maybe we’d better not do that either. Then you might bring it on yourself. We have to keep taking it from game to game, as the coach always says. We will no longer be relegated; I think we can say that. If we play the way we can play, we can beat any opponent. Only De Treffers was better. If we maintain our level, I think a place in the top 5 is feasible.”