Once again the sting was in the tail of a Telstar match. The Velsen team was down to ten men against TOP Oss for almost the entire match due to a red card from Danny Bakker. Nevertheless, it was the superior party in large phases and in injury time it still took the 1-0 victory.
In the run-up to the game, there was a lot of fuss about the rainbow shirt in which Telstar played. Four Telstar players refused to wear the shirt and so they were left out of the selection. Zakaria Eddahchouri, Leonardo Rocha de Almeida, Mohammed Tahiri and Alae-Eddine Bouyaghlafen were missing from Telstar and were also not present in the stadium. In addition, nine players were missing due to injuries and suspensions.
Quick red card
Things quickly went wrong for Telstar in the opening phase. After just six minutes, signing Danny Bakker knocked down Joshua Zimmerman of TOP Oss, who was on his way towards goalkeeper Joey Houeweling, just outside the penalty area. The central defender, who only came into action for the Velsen team for twenty minutes, was immediately sent off and Telstar was able to continue with ten men. It was already the fifth red card for the Velsen team this season.
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In the following minutes Telstar immediately had a hard time. Delano Ladan took advantage of a back pass from Robin Polley that was too short, his effort was blocked and in the second instance Amine Rehmi pushed the ball over the goal. In attacking terms, the White Lions only find their feet after more than fifteen minutes. With one man less, both teams were evenly matched, but it remained difficult to create opportunities for coach Mike Snoei’s team. Danzell Gravenberch was dangerous ten minutes before half-time, but his effort was cleared in front of the goal by a TOP Oss defender.
Rain of opportunity
The level of the match was not spectacularly high, but Telstar did have opportunities after the break through Polley. The right back was the most dangerous man on the home team’s side. However, Polley’s finishing left much to be desired. Still, it was admirable that Telstar was the better team. Alex Plat tried with a falling ball from a corner, but his effort went meters over.
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Gravenberch also tried from a distance, as he saw goalkeeper Mike Havekotte standing in front of his goal, but that attempt also went over. Because Telstar was stronger offensively, goalkeeper Houweling had a fairly quiet time. Yet he stayed focused, as he cleverly handled a shot from Enrico Hernández with his fists.
Again in injury time
With Quinten van den Heerik within the lines, Telstar could work towards a final offensive. Despite being down, they managed to keep the pressure on and made the most of the three points. They came thanks to a late goal from Mitch Apau. The captain scored the 1-0 in injury time after the ball was headed back from a corner kick. For the third time in a row, Telstar wins at home thanks to a goal in injury time of a match.
Thanks to the victory, Telstar climbs to seventeenth place in the first division. It now stands at ten points from twelve games. Next Friday the North Hollanders will visit Helmond Sport.
Telstar setup: Pickaxe; Polley (Koswal/68), Apau, Soares, Bakker, Peat Cruiser; Van de Loo, Overtoom, Plat; Gravenberch (Van den Heerik/71), Seedorf (Boussakou/71)