Amstel Cup: FC Zwolle prove too strong for Ajax amateurs: 0-3
Ajax (Saturday amateurs) - FC Zwolle: 0-3
Sportpark De Toekomst, Amsterdam
Tuesday, 10 August, 2004
For the first time in the history
of the Dutch cup one club (namely: Ajax) entered
the competition with no less than three teams: the first team
(Ajax-1), the second team (Young Ajax) and the first team of
the club's Saturday amateur section. A promising position for
the Amsterdammers, given the fact that Young
Ajax weren't exactly helpless cannon fodder in
recent seasons. However, the two lower Ajax teams saw
their safari in the 'big' Amstel Cup end in the earliest
possible stage. A 'Top Class' amateur outfit eliminated
Young Ajax on Saturday. For the brave Saturday amateurs a home
tie at De Toekomst versus FC Zwolle turned out to be a 'mission
impossible': 0-3. Ajax supporters will now have to wait for the
club's flagship to enter the competition in the fourth round in
January 2005.
Thousands of Ajax supporters have embraced Young Ajax.
They follow the team fairly closely and are able to make a
good assessment of the team's qualities. The qualities
of the 'Saturday-1', on the other hand,
were much harder to estimate. Most Ajax supporters don't
follow the amateurs closely and only remember the two or three
times that the team had a modest, but direct impact on
the world of the professional Ajax. Such as in April 2003
when former Saturday-1 striker Jamal Akachar made it to the first
squad, or in May 2004 when the amateurs
qualified for the 'big' Amstel Cup. Shortly thereafter a
handful of 'Saturday-1' players got to perform under the name
of Ajax-1 in a
post-season friendly against 'AT5 United'. But otherwise?
No Ajax fan really knew how they were going to look against FC
Zwolle, a professional outfit, albeit one that finds
itself back in the First Division this season.
Were they going to be strong enough? The answer was,
eventually, 'no' - which can impossibly be held against
the Ajax amateurs. They battled bravely, put the professionals
under pressure in the second half and - for a split second -
actually thought they'd equalized (Sander Mallie was off-side
when he netted). The figures, however, left no
room for doubt at the end of the day: 0-3.
Ajax, coached by Bob de Klerk and playing in the 4-3-3
formation that typifies every Ajax team, had a
particularly nervous start and soon was a goal down. Zwolle
striker Bert Zuurman saw an early attempt from a corner kick
saved from the goal-line by Ajax captain Mark Geestman,
but calmly converted on an Ivar van Dinteren pass in
the 14th minute: 0-1. Zuurman could have made it 0-2 before the
break, but once again saw an Ajacied (Krommenhoek, this time)
clear his attempt off the line when goalkeeper Pascal Doest was
already beaten.
"I think we were a little bit awe-struck in the first
half," admitted coach Bob de Klerk. "We passed nervously.
During the break I told them to play freely. What did we have
to lose anyway? I told them to dare more. 'Have fun
and play football,' I told them."
And, indeed, things changed after the break. Ajax
did play freely and actually managed to put Zwolle
under pressure for almost half an hour. Creating chances,
however, is a different story. Danny Moinat could have tapped a
free kick against the nets had he been an inch taller, Sirik
Goeman saw his shot go inches wide, Sander Mallie was convinced
that his goal around the 65th minute should have stood
(until he watched the videotape at home, probably) and the
Amsterdammers managed to (ineffectively) increase the pressure
a bit more by bringing tall battering-ram Arthur Vinkenoog into
the team. However, as the 450 spectators at De Toekomst
noticed, it simply wasn't enough.
As the Ajacieden got tired in the latter stages of the game,
FC Zwolle did the business like a professional side should.
Ajax defender Marc Wolthuis assisted his goalkeeper once
again by clearing a Tjeerd Korf attempt off the goal-line, but
minutes later the Zwolle winger was pulled down by Dick
Krommenhoek, so that Ruud Berger could wrap it up for Zwolle
from the penalty spot: 0-2 (83'). Arco Jochemsen's third
goal for the guests (89') was a bit more than Zwolle
deserved - and a little bitter for Ajax. But that was, by that
time, a detail.
So far for the Ajax amateurs's adventure in the
'big' Amstel Cup. Bob de Klerk's men can now focus on
their second season in the Hoofdklasse ('Top Class')
of Dutch amateur football. Having an amateur team on the
highest level is, no doubt about it, very good for Ajax's
reputation. FC Zwolle, meanwhile, advance to the second round
to take on ADO Den Haag. (MP)
Sources: Ajax.nl, FC Zwolle.nl, SBS6 highlights
GOALS
- 14' 0-1 Bert Zuurman
- 83' 0-2 Ruud Berger (penalty)
- 89' 0-3 Arco Jochemsen
Referee: Goossens
Yellow cards: Soetosenojo, Moinat, Vinkenoog,
Krommenhoek (Ajax)
Attendance: 450
Ajax Saturday amateurs line-up: Doest;
Soetsenojo, Wolthuis, Krommenhoek, Mallie; Demirtas (46.
Goeman), Baddaou, Geestman; Blankendal (54. Vinkenoog), Moinat,
Dekker (82. Ahaddouch).
FC Zwolle line-up: Ten Rouwelaar; Almeida,
Berger, Van Dinteren (44. Hogenkamp), Jochemsen; Korf,
Lim-Duan, Ravensbergen; Schol, Zuurman, Bischop.
Ajax Saturday amateurs eliminated
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