Ajax-2 are champions of reserve competition

14 May: Ajax-2 won their last match of the season on Monday evening, at the home field of rival contenders FC Utrecht-2, and therefore claimed the championship of the reserve-competition. The team of coach Jan Olde Riekerink played its matches this year almost exclusively with young players. Older substitutes like Aron Winter, Richard Witschge and Jan Van Halst weren't allowed to play. Therefore this cup can be seen as an important victory for the club who once claimed all their historic successes as a result of a their world famous youth academy. It's not without good reason that the youth complex is called De Toekomst (The Future).

It's an exception worth noting that two elder players joined this young team yesterday: Richard Knopper and André Bergdølmo. Olde Riekerink: "We wanted to play with young players, but Bergdølmo and Knopper needed experience on the pitch. In that case the club interest prevails over team interest."

Knopper, who returned from a heavy injury he suffered from this entire season, opened the score after only 35 seconds. A few minutes later Kwame Quansah scored the 0-2 which made the victory hardly inevitable. Olde Riekrink: "We played well and cunning after the 0-2. But if those goals hadn't been made, things could have gone very difficult. We had to consolidate our lead. This is not our strongest point, but I think we did it in a professional way."

Man of the Match was the young Brazilian Walker, who scored the 0-3, just before time. (BV)

Ajax line-up: Didulica, Kanu, Bergdolmo, Heitinga, Walker, Valencia (Obodai), Cruz, Hersi, Quansah (81. Pienaar), Knopper (67. Longuet), Bobson

Source: Ajax.nl