KJH and 'Chari' net hattricks at ABS: 0-11
0 (0) - 11
(3)
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Sportpark Looënk, Bathmen
Tuesday, 11 July, 2006
When ABS offered themselves to Ajax as a pre-season sparring
partner, the amateur club from the village of Bathmen didn't
expect that Ajax would be interested. The Amsterdammers
normally seem to prefer opposition from the
Hoofdklasse ('Top Class') and First Class of Dutch
amateur football, and ABS are in the Third. However, much to
the excitement of the ABS board, Ajax gave them a phonecall:
"We're coming." After 90 minutes the score was 0-11 to the
red and white visitors.
Stam wears the captain's armband. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
At Bathmen's sold out Sportpark Looënk, both Jaap Stam
and Kenneth Perez played their first minutes in the Ajax
jersey. Stam actually took the pitch as Ajax's team
captain. After the game, head-coach Henk ten
Cate officially confirmed that the veteran defender will
be his
captain for this season. Perez is vice-captain, Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar the third man. "I feel honoured," said Stam
after the ABS match. "I've been captain of Manchester United a
few times in the past, but that wasn't permanently. Now I am
captain of Ajax, a great club, and I find that an honour. I
feel that something really beautiful can grow within this
squad."
The fixture against ABS was Ajax's first during their stay
at Hotel De Bloemenbeek in the town of De Lutte, the team's
traditional training camp detination in pre-season. The
Amsterdammers traditionally spend the second week of their
pre-season campaign in the friendly little town and the focus
during that week lies on running, becoming match fit and
increasing stamina. As a result the players looked tired in the
first half against ABS, after no less than two training
sessions earlier that day. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was the only
Ajacied to score before the break, but he did it three
times: his goals were a penalty, a field goal and a
free kick. Together they formed a perfect hattrick of
three goals in one half.
After the break, with Charisteas instead of Huntelaar, Perez
as a 'number 10' and Nicolae Mitea on the left flank, Ajax
played a lot better. During the day they
practiced how to keep an opponent under pressure
by knocking the ball around quickly and accurately. In the
first half the team seemed to have forgotten about the
exercises; in the second the Third Class amateurs were chasing
shadows and conceded eight goals Mauro Rosales scored twice in
120 seconds, after which Angelos Charisteas showed Ten
Cate has more than just one quality striker in his
squad: the Greek also netted a hattrick, just
like the man who will be his #1 'rival' this season.
Ten Cate and staff observe
Ajax in action. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
No less than five new outfield players saw action in
Bathmen (Ogararu, Stam, Gabri, Roger and Perez), but so
far the 'old guard' have been scoring the goals. Yet, Henk ten
Cate had special praise for Gabri after the game. The
midfielder was, indeed, Ajax's best man on the day. "He's
a total professional," 'HTC' said. "He's the type of
player that we were looking for, a type that Ajax lacked last
season. He's got a great drive, he's a ball-conqueror and
simply a very good football player. He's imperturbable and he
will never flinch."
Just like everyone at Sportpark Looënk, Henk ten Cate
had noticed that Ajax were a bit exhausted after a heavy day of
training, but the Ajax head-coach knows that his team must be
ready for the real work by 08 August, a few weeks earlier
than the rest of the Eredivisie. On that date the Amsterdammers
will play their first Champions League qualifier. That's
why Ajax need to work hard. Ten Cate: "We trained
twice today and we played a game. And tomorrow we
will do the exact same thing again." (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl
GOALS
- 09' 0-1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
(penalty)
- 17' 0-2 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 20' 0-3 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 53' 0-4 Mauro Rosales
- 56' 0-5 Mauro Rosales
- 58' 0-6 Angelos Charisteas
- 73' 0-7 Angelos Charisteas
- 81' 0-8 Angelos Charisteas
- 83' 0-9 Nicolae Mitea
- 84' 0-10 Olaf Lindenbergh
- 88' 0-11 Jeffrey Sarpong
Referee: Temmink
Yellow card: Roger (Ajax)
Attendance: 3,500
Ajax line-up: Vermeer; Ogararu (75.
Boakye), Schilder, Stam, Emanuelson (46. Vertonghen); Gabri
(64. Sarpong), Manucharyan (46. Mitea), Roger; Rosales (58. De
Mul), Huntelaar (46. Charisteas), Perez (64. Lindenbergh).
ABS (players used): Meijerhof, Oosten,
Runhaar, Schooten, Peters, Jansen, Bilkes, Muller, Markvoort,
Schoemaker, Stoel, Kloosterboer.
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