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| Eikel Fans in Xpert Arena Delay Chaos |
There were chaotic scenes at Xpert Arena yesterday, as nearly a hundred important matches were postponed for 6 hours, leaving thousands of fans to entertain themselves all day as they waited for the Pro League playoffs to commence. The reason for the delay was apparently the installation of new security fences around each of the pitches, as the current ones had been discovered to be defective.
Playoff days are always a hectic day at Xpert Arena at the best of times, but yesterday saw bored fans dozing on the ground between the pitches, getting drunk in the bars and basically getting up to mischief. Some fans were furious because they had return flights that left before their game even started. Fans flying with Xpert Air were unaffected as the airline sensibly delayed its own schedule by 6 hours so fans would not be further disadvantaged.
When the games finally began, the boredom and frustration was replaced by adrenaline and tension for most supporters. This was certainly true of the Dutch fans of Go Ahead Eikels, some of whom were making their 6th trip to Xpert Arena this season. After a strong showing in Division 3d, they were left having to defeat Merikotkat in a winner-takes-all battle. Both sides showed signs of nerves - unsurprisingly, as both sets of players had spent most of the day in the training zones and changing rooms. With the whole outcome of the season at stake, both sides seemed afraid to make mistakes, and the first half was nervous and cagey, with some niggling fouls. Berenger had a shot on goal, but Ademar Sul saved comfortably.
The second half was more of the same, but some over-entusiastic tackling earned them a couple of free kicks, but Pedro Rotched was unable to make them tell. The Eikels got the breakthrough with only 5 minutes left, when Romeo Massa found space 20 yards out to steer a shot past the unsighted keeper. The Merikotkat fans seemed to sense that their opportunity was gone. Their team had been short of creativity, and only mustered one attempt on goal. Go Ahead only needed to keep their heads for 5 minutes to secure their third straight promotion.
The patient fans were rewarded, and the club is now eagerly anticipating being back in Division 2. The club had spent its entire history in the top 3 tiers of the Pro League, until their rebuilding project saw them fall to Division 3 in season 28. After only six seasons, they are back. And a return to the Pro League is their target.
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2015-04-23 23:50
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3506 Views |
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Reporter:
Tiggyjosh
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