On Wednesday it will become clear which teams have managed to qualify for the final of the play-offs for promotion / relegation. FC Den Bosch played cleverly with a 2-2 draw against Go Ahead Eagles last Sunday. Can they now secure the final ticket for their own public?
FC Den Bosch:
FC Den Bosch has huge peaks in the Kitchen Champion Division this season, but has now also seen quite a few troughs. The Bosschenaren closed the first half of the season as a winter champion at the end of December and just after the winter break even the second period title was a fact. The team also had an unprecedented series of sixteen unbeaten games in a row. In the second half of the season it all went a bit stiffer at FC Den Bosch, which even thought carefully of a possible championship.
After the period title, there was no longer a rising line to see and especially it went very fast downhill. Boessen won only four games with FC FC Den Bosch in 2019 and this led to his resignation three games before the end of the regular competition. For a moment there was a rumor that Willem van Hanegem would act as an emergency solution for the group, but the former footballer subsequently suppressed these stories himself. Discarding Boessen did have the desired effect, because the Bosschenaren scored seven points out of the last three competition matches.
In the second round of the play-offs, FC Den Bosch met the Go Ahead Eagles of coach John Stegeman. Both teams also faced each other in the Vliert in the last home match of the regular competition. By goals from Amine Khammas and Vincent Vermeij, a 2-0 home win was booked at the time. On Sunday, the Bosschenaren proved extremely effective in the driving duel in Deventer. In the 18th minute, Jort van der Sande headed in against the ratio in the 0-1. Ten minutes later Julian Lelieveld names Kowet equalized the score. It was Luuk Brouwers who completed a quick Brabant attack shortly after the break and the Eagles then needed many chances to determine the final score at 2-2. Jaroslav Navratil did not fail face to face with Wouter van der Steen, but Paco van Moorsel did from eleven meters. This gives FC Den Bosch an excellent starting position for the return match.
G.A. Eagles:
Go Ahead Eagles finished the regular season of the Kitchen Champion Division fifth, after being defeated during the last three league games. Looking at the results in the second half of the season, it can safely be said that Kowet performed mixedly. Trainer John Stegeman already indicated that in the final weeks of the competition he had to move partly in the line-up and that did not benefit the steadfastness.
Towards the play-offs, Stegeman wanted to work on that steadiness again, but then some defeats followed, as a result of which the team did not face the play-offs with confidence. Thomas Verheijdt is the top scorer of the Eagles with thirteen goals, but his last hits already date from 15 April. Richard van de Venne also makes a positive impression this season. The midfielder was in fact twelve times accurate this season.
In the second round of the play-offs, Go Ahead Eagles met FC Den Bosch last Sunday. Both teams also faced each other in the Vliert in the last match of the regular competition. Due to goals from Amine Khammas and Vincent Vermeij, Kowet fell 2-0 at the time. On Sunday, Go Ahead Eagles proved to be less effective in the driving game in Deventer than the Bosschenaren. The team from Deventer got the better chances, but in the end had to fight back two times from behind. Paco van Moorsel even had the perfect opportunity to give the Eagles the win, only the midfielder failed from eleven meters.
