Daily Archives: October 17, 2011

4,3,2,1

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Sunday 16th October 2011

Kompetitie 3e Nationale B

K.F.C. VIGOR WUITENS HAMME 1 (De Lange 88)

KSV BORNEM 2 (Janssens 11 Muttinck 40)

Att c2,000

Entry €17 (seat in the middle of the main stand)

Programme €1

Braadwurst hotdog €4

Back to another Belgian Division 3 game, and this time in an atmospheric town centre ground. Plenty to like here, including the typically Belgian touch, the bar that you can see the game from. Friendly locals too, I showed my ticket at the wrong gate, and the steward informed me, in Flemish, that I needed to use the middle entrance. I understood, but the locals, realising I was not local, admonished him for not telling me in English. Definitely not necessary!

I took my seat in the stand and immediately spotted a problem. Behind my left ear a small boy with a high-pitched voice was shouting his support for Hamme, and to my right a middle-aged man and his wife were indulging in a see who can chain-smoke the smelliest cigarettes! Small irritants, because this was a great game to watch, two good sides, but Bornem always looked just that little bit fleeter of thought, and it was that little extra competitive edge that allowed them to prevail. Janssen’s thunderbolt free kick was worthy of a bigger stage, and whilst I was sad to see friendly Hamme lose, it did keep the little boy quiet!

So, 4 games, in 3 countries, in 2 days, with 1 Country point, and all down to the efforts of Peter Ford. Many Thanks mate.

4,3,2,1

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Sunday 16th October 2011

Kompetitie 3e Nationale B

K.F.C. VIGOR WUITENS HAMME 1 (De Lange 88)

KSV BORNEM 2 (Janssens 11 Muttinck 40)

Att c2,000

Entry €17 (seat in the middle of the main stand)

Programme €1

Braadwurst hotdog €4

Back to another Belgian Division 3 game, and this time in an atmospheric town centre ground. Plenty to like here, including the typically Belgian touch, the bar that you can see the game from. Friendly locals too, I showed my ticket at the wrong gate, and the steward informed me, in Flemish, that I needed to use the middle entrance. I understood, but the locals, realising I was not local, admonished him for not telling me in English. Definately not necessary!

I took my seat in the stand and immediately spotted a problem. Behind my left ear a small boy with a high pitched voice was shouting his support for Hamme, and to my right a middle-aged man and his wife seemed to be indulging in a see who can chain-smoke the smelliest cigarettes! Small irritants, because this was a great game to watch, two good sides, but Bornem always looked just that little bit fleeter of thought, and it was that little extra competitive edge that allowed them to prevail. Janssen’s thunderbolt free kick was worthy of a bigger stage, and whilst I was sad to see friendly Hamme lose, it did keep the little boy quiet!

So 4 games, in 3 countries, in 2 days, with 1 Countrypoint, and all down to the efforts of Peter Ford. Many Thanks mate.

Germany, but only just!

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Sunday 16th October 2011 ko 11.00am

Kreisliga A Aachen

SV 1927 KOHLSCHEID e.V. 4 (Savelsburg 30 Sendscheid 32 39 Ronneie 81)

SV RHENANIA 05 WÜRSELEN 1 (Böhnen 59)

Att 132 (h/c)

Entry €3

Programme FREE

Coffee €1

So, after leaving Belgium we managed to be in 3 countries within 2 hours. From Belgium to Holland, then a mere 5 miles into Germany, and the Casinostrasse, Hertzogenrath. In fact, I bought a cup of coffee in Holland, drank it in Germany, and disposed of the cup back in Belgium!

In German Kreis means circle, or less literally local, and this level of football is towards the bottom of the German pyramid, Kreisklasse does need to be seen to be believed!

Whilst I’m always up for a game, and especially in a new league,  I wasn’t expecting much at all. I was not so much surprised, more amazed, firstly at the well appointed ground, but the major surprise was the excellent programme!

We decamped to the clubhouse where the 2 English visitors caused a little disbelief! “You come all the way here to watch this?” As a hopper I live for comments like that!

It was easy enough to get the lineups, and I got talking to the announcer. It transpires that the visitors have a rich history, playing in the top flight of German football pre-Bundesliga. One of the trainers of the German national side started his career at Würselen.

Not much to call between the two sides in a good passing game whose skill level far exceeded my expectations. The main difference was Fabian Sendscheid who took his goals well, to put the game well beyond the visitors before half time. The seond half eased off a little, perhaps inevitably, but this was a mighty fine game, at a fine ground, a little off the beaten track.

Top Geel

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Saturday 15th Ocotber 2011 ko 8.00pm

Kompetitie 3e Nationale A

VERBROEDERING GEEL-MERHOUT 3 (Frederik 81 Lacroix 86 Riyani 90)

K.Sv, TEMSE 0 Stoclet sent off 72 (2md booking)

Att c1,800

Entry €12

Teamsheet FREE

Fricandel (Currywurst Hot Dog) €3.50

Now, there’s a Geel, and there’s a Meerhout, and they’re fairly close to each other. So with a team named after both, where’s the Stadion de Leneun? The answer is Geel, although the club offices are in Merhout.

Yes folks, this is the wonderful world of Belgian football, and to be honest I was beginning to get something of a complex about it. In March, Lierse refused to sell me a ticket for a night game like this, as a rule was in force that you couldn’t buy a ticket after 12pm, so when this one kicked off I was please to collect the Country Point!

This division, the third in Belgium is known also (in Flemish) as the Derde Klasse, and is split along regional lines, imaginatively known as A and B. Both are of equal status and to my untrained eye seem to be on roughly Flanders and Wallonia lines.

The ground is modern, well appointed and frankly a little bland. I won’t complain too much as the view was excellent, and my Fricandel at half time was delicious!

The game, well, oh dear. For 80 minutes it had nil nil written all over it. Neither side had a decent forward, and Tim Renier in the visitors’ goal was having an inspired evening. Then two things happened to change the pattern of play. Firstly Kenneth Stoclet got himself needlessly sent off, Temse were no longer able to stifle the game, and Geel-Meehout took full advantage, Thomas Frederik firing home at close range. Then, Michael Lacroix came on as a substitute, and had a point to prove. He found space that simply hadn’t been there scored within a minute of coming on. He then set up Mohammed Riyani, himself on for only a minute!

The last 10 minutes’ action saved the game as a spectacle, and gave Peter and I something to smile about on the short drive back to out overnight accomodation in Retie.

Rhyme and Rjissen

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Saturday 15th October 2011 KO 2.30pm

Topklasse Zaterdag

SVV EXCELSIOR 31 2 (Wilens 46 56)

IJSSELMEERVOGELS 1 (Ramic 30)

Att c1,500

Entry €8

Programme FREE

Teamsheets FREE

Coffee €1

These 4 games were the brainchild of well-respected hopper Peter Ford; I merely provided company, and occasional directions! We used the Channel Tunnel on Friday night, well Saturday morning and stayed the remainder of the night at the spartan, but cheap Formule 1, at Calais Coquelles. Despite a massive hold-up on the Antwerp ring road, we arrived at Sport Park De Koerbelt,in Rjissen, Netherlands around 45 minutes before kick off.

Despite the name the Dutch Topklasse is in fact the 3rd tier, and there’s very little promotion up to the next level the Erstedivisie. In fact the vistors have won the Topklasse Zaterdag for the last 2 seasons, and it was obvious that the locals were keyed up for this game against the “Big Boys.” Which brings me neatly up to the Zaterdag bit. Below the top two levels, Dutch football is split into Saturday and Sunday football, a remnant of the influence of the two major religions in the country. Nominally at least the Catholics play on the Sunday, and the Protestants on the Saturday. Odd, but handy for the groundhopper!

The ground is on the edge of town and has a rural feel, even featuring a narrow gauge railway outside. There’s a large wooden stand, but the impression is one of space, the main pitch is “Veld 3” and there plenty of space for the patrons to mill around or use the excellent clubhouse behind the near goal. It reminded me of Degerfors of Sweden, but smaller.

The game was a cracker. Spakenburg based Vogels clearly had it well within themselves easily and Ramic’s opener, a spectacular overhead kick will live long in the memory. But they reckoned without their host’s persistance, and Wilen’s 25 yard free kick was an excellent reposte. The winner was almost as good as what had preceded, Ten Hove’s cross from the left fooled the Vogels defence, I though Wilens touched it in, the stadium announcer didn’t!

Make no mistake, this was a huge shock, and the expressions on the faces of the home fans at the end spoke volumes. It was then back over the border to Belgium for our second game.