matchreport - 26-Sep-09 - hotspurs v. hollandse
Team Hollandse
Author Partick Pieket Weeserik
line up
vd Hulst, Poot, Rave, Gavin, Busser, Vd Merwe, Jansma (55. Wentink), Saarloos, Holthuizen, Huisman, Simon
HFC as inconsistent as the Dutch weather; still no points
After last week's failure against the Lions the Dutch had another tough game ahead - this time against Hotspurs, currently occupying the top spot in the competition. The preparation was good though and after Thursday night's training the sparkle of hope of performing well, had already changed into a victory - on paper indeed.

Match kicked off at 5.15pm on an immaculate SCC Dempsey pitch. The Dutch started with a 4-4-2 formation, with veteran Erik leading the defense, which consisted of himself and Jacco in the centre and Gijs and Gavin on the flanks. On midfield we had Stephan and Arjan playing centre, Winnie on the right and Jamie on the left. The forward line was represented by Ard and youngster Simon. 

The first fifteen minutes was a great quarter for the Dutch, with good passing and some may say that we even dominated the game. However, a lapse in concentration in the defense resulted in the opening goal for the Spurs. It was a good through pass though and the Spurs forward finished it off well in the short corner. Nevertheless, the Dutch were able to recover quickly from this mental blow and pretty soon after this goal it was a swift combination of passes which brought Ard one on one with the goalkeeper. Without hesitation, he managed to slot it home to covert the season’s first for the Dutch. Ard, congratulations, you’re now sovereignly topping the team’s topscorers' list – let's make sure you will loose that position soon. With the goal in the pocket the Dutch were playing on wings and it was only in the last minute of the first half that a corner resulted in the second Spurs goal of the match - both our goalkeeper and defender timing inaccurately offering the Spurs’ attacker to head it in. All in all it was one of the best halfs we played this season - compliments to the team.

The second half has been on several occasions before the weaker half for the Dutch (but just as often, we make a strong comeback in the third half) and this time it was no exception. Having said this, it wouldn't however convey the credits to the team they deserve to get. Okay, the Spurs started to take the upper hand in the match, but that was not so much because we started to play a weaker game. As such there was more and more pressure on our defense, but further than some long range shots ending up outside the goal post and a few dangerous corners the Spurs never really came. On the other side of the pitch there were some incidents as well: youngster Daniel just missing a closed range shot, Ard being flagged for a misjudged off-side and one may even argue that Erik should have been awarded a penalty after being pulled down by his shirt in the opponent’s box. Instead he got awarded with a red card directly after when he made a flying tackle from the back. Although from the sideline it seemed like he played the ball first, it was looking dangerously enough and it was not surprising that the ref decided to send him away for an early bath. Nobody got hurt - even not when one of the Spurs players felt it necessary to personally punish Erik for the tackle (after which he was sent off with his second yellow). All in all it was a an incident not representing the spirit of the game. The last hick-up of the game was a free-kick from the side that miraculously ended up in the upper right corner of our goal. Final score: 3-1 for the Hotspurs.

All in all it was a matched played well for the Dutch. We showed a strong fighting spirit, were comfortable in our passing and managed to create some good chances against a team much higher positioned on the league table. It was a well-balanced match and people with an orange heart would even agree that a split of points would not have been unrealistic or undeserved. The upcoming weekend will give us some time for the after-glow and make sure we will be prepared for the match with our fellow league-strugglers from France.

Thanks to the Hotspurs for playing a good and fair game and we're looking forward to our next confrontation.    
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