PSV, Ajax or Feyenoord to Schaijk? It could easily happen next season. Second division team DAW Schaijk already qualified on Easter Monday for the first preliminary round of the national KNVB Cup tournament next season. “Give us Feyenoord,” said Jacco van der Heijden (22), who plays in the midfield of DAW Schaijk together with his twin brother.
The football players met ZSV from Zeilberg on their own field. The aim was to reach the semi-finals of the district cup tournament and thus also receive a ticket for the first preliminary round of the KNVB Cup next season. DAW chairman Henrie Lamers was cautious beforehand. “Many of the selection players have been to Paaspop. But the opponent will also be affected by that.”
“The further you go, the more it comes alive.”
Just before the match it was still quiet at D’n Heuvel sports park. It was still quite full in the last minutes before kick-off. Lamers: “The first rounds in the district cup are seen as practice matches by many clubs. But as you get further into the tournament, things become more and more alive. It would be great if we managed to get into the national league table with our club. cup to come.”
DAW Schaijk certainly has no shortage of fans. Board member Bert Knipping: “We have a large supporter base, we regularly have more people at away games than the home club. When it’s about something like the play-offs, then the support is really special.”
The match against ZSV was definitely not a boring one. The guests went into halftime 0-1, but in the second half the home team took the win. The winning 3-2 only came just before the end, also because DAW missed two penalties. ZSV keeper Leon Thijs made the save on the second pin, but the ball still went in on the rebound. “It was a spectacle,” said Jacco van der Heijden. “Our goal was to get to the semi-finals of the district cup. And of course winning the cup is now our next goal.”
“The cup is very much alive within the club.”
Additional prize is a ticket for the national KNVB Cup. The first preliminary round next season will include the clubs that qualify through the district cup and clubs from the Third Division. This may be followed by a second round, after which the main tournament for professional clubs starts. “This is very much alive within the club. The national KNVB Cup is a great reward for our hard work. Now let Feyenoord come to Schaijk,” Van der Heijden jokes.
“It was exciting until the last count, but the cup adventure is over for ZSV,” the losers tweeted afterwards.
DAW Schaijk is not the only Brabant amateur club that has secured a spot in the national cup via the district cup. Second division Zwaluw VFC from Vught, Udense UDI’19 and Achilles Veen from the fourth division also qualified for this.
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The Van der Heijden brothers. (Photo: Leon Voskamp)
