SC Cambuur had its sights set on a second victory in a row, but hardly claimed three points when visiting FC Emmen. “We played without any salt,” he said.
The signs became visible during the outward journey. On the way to Emmen, the SC Cambuur team bus broke down a few kilometers after Donkerbroek had passed. The driver couldn’t get it to work again, pure bad luck. Fortunately, replacement transport could be arranged in time, albeit decorated with a pompeblêd, and so the group finally arrived at De Oude Meerdijk stadium just before seven. Anything but an ideal preparation for Henk de Jong and his men.
“And it was also very dangerous,” De Jong said after the match. “We were in the rush-hour lane. At one point a truck drove past our bus. That was close. Everything rushed by and we couldn’t get out. You’ll just see… We normally always leave in the morning, but this time in the afternoon and then you get this. A very unpleasant situation. Fortunately, Birwa Tours from Damwâld provided replacement transport fairly quickly.”
A request from De Jong to the KNVB to postpone the start of the match was not answered. The person in question, competition affairs manager Jan Bluyssen, informed the trainer that Cambuur should simply show up for the kick-off at eight o’clock despite the inadequate preparation. “I asked for a fifteen-minute delay,” said De Jong. “He replied that there were eight thousand people waiting for us. But hey, that wasn’t the cause of our loss.”
‘We played without any salt’
Cambuur hardly claimed victory for a moment. Players kept arriving late, the ball tempo was too slow and the spaces were too big. The contrast with the match against NAC Breda last Monday, when the Leeuwarders won with a lot of fight, was enormous in that respect. FC Emmen set the course, took advantage of the terrible game and stringed together opportunities. It was almost a miracle that it was ‘only’ 1-0 at half time.
“We played without any salt,” De Jong continued. “Even our substitutions and tactical changes made no difference. I found it downright disappointing. Look, losing here can happen. FC Emmen has a very good team. And, let’s be honest, maybe better than ours. But losing like this just shouldn’t happen. Our fighting spirit has been bluffed. And while I thought the victory over NAC Breda was a turning point. So we can do it, we have proven.”
While Cambuur went all out for the equalizer in the final phase, FC Emmen ended the match. Joey Konings’ header at the far post was too much for Yanick van Osch. Just like with Maikel Kieftenbeld’s opening goal in the eighth minute of the first half – a dry shot from about twenty meters – the goalkeeper could not be blamed for much. Van Osch, on the other hand, could blame his defense. They visibly lacked the necessary ruthlessness at the back.
A player who is generally brimming with ruthlessness, sometimes even a little too much, unintentionally became the schlemiel of the evening. Remco Balk, just back from a suspension for his tenth yellow card, received his eleventh yellow of the season with a rough charge on Jeff Hardeveld. And so the attacker, who from now on will be suspended for a match for every yellow card he receives, will not be present when Cambuur visits Jong PSV. The disappointment dripped from his face afterwards.
‘I’m a bit ashamed of it’
“Super stupid,” said Balk. “I’m disappointed with myself and I’m letting my team down with this. I simply shouldn’t use a sliding at that spot in the field. I thought I could have that ball, but afterwards I think: why are you doing that? Of course it’s a bit in my game, but that’s no excuse. I just shouldn’t do that. I’m also a little ashamed that I’m taking my eleventh yellow one. I would think it would be fair if the coach were angry with me. I am also angry with myself.”
While Cambuur had set its sights on the second victory in a row, it was already the tenth defeat of the season. As a result, the team dropped one spot in the rankings, from seventh to eighth place. Could the cup semi-finals already be on your mind? “At least not with me,” Balk said firmly. “Maybe with others, but I don’t think so. That would also be an easy excuse. Whether it is a competition or cup, you always want to win and you don’t play football to lose.”
