Wickie 1 - 0 PFC1968 (374798381)

15905 spectators had come to Drakar this cloudy day. Hermann 'fon' Behren was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Frode Jochmans and Aaron Mattys. A 5-3-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Wickie. The following players had been chosen: Starke - Aćimić, Koshaev, Snoek, van de Heuvel, Brackx - Wittenberg, Karabaş, Kopland - Crombach, Delfgauw.

PFC1968 tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Starters: Pannekoek - Olivier, Cianci, Reale - Le Provost, Gerbaudo, Starrock, Dell'Orto, Goma - Beusmans, van Voorn.

Counter-attacking seemed to be the preferred strategy of Wickie. The wings were the focus of most of PFC1968's attacks today. PFC1968 had a good opportunity to attack in the middle, but remembered their instructions to focus on wing attacks instead. 16 minutes into the match, PFC1968 nearly took the lead, as T. Olivier broke through on the right. G. Starke made the save, however. The guests almost went up by a goal after 28 minutes when P. van Voorn came through and shot from the right. The ball bounced harmlessly off the post, though. Wickie had a great opportunity to score following a counterattack after 29 minutes, but R. Delfgauw's shot from the left sailed high over the bar. Given a free kick in a difficult position after 35 minutes, PFC1968 tried a variation that they had practised in training. The kick was sent into the area just in front of the keeper. However, the defence were on their toes and allowed no space for a finish. Wickie's counterattacks created a good chance for H. Karabaş on the right after 36 minutes, but he could only look on with dismay as his strike rebounded off the crossbar. After 38 minutes PFC1968's T. Olivier contracted a slight foot injury, but didn't want to leave the game. Halftime score was 0 - 0. PFC1968 enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 56 percent of possession.

R. Delfgauw was very close to giving Wickie the lead with an ingenious free kick routine 61 minutes into the match, but the ball just grazed the bar. This was a good period for the visitors, with several opportunities to take the lead, particularly when D. Dell'Orto slipped through the defence on the right to come up alone against G. Starke, but the home side's keeper showed his lightning reflexes. With 66 minutes played, the home side managed to get a 1 - 0 lead as A. Brackx flipped the ball in after a cross from the right. PFC1968's P. van Voorn had to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines, after twisting his ankle with 70 minutes having been played. A. Marbizza was the replacement. T. van de Heuvel's lack of experience almost gave PFC1968 a goal after 76 minutes, but the shot went right into the keeper's arms. PFC1968 had most of the ball, with 60 percent of possession.

Wickie's top performer was clearly R. Delfgauw. On the other hand, R. Koshaev's play was disheartening. Most important PFC1968 player was E. Starrock. A. Marbizza turned in a dismal performance, however. The match ends 1 - 0.