Nieuw Zuid, Tweede Divisie, 16/5/26
Katwijkse Voetbal Vereniging Quick Boys
Founded – 1920
Nickname – Blauw Witte Narren (Blue and White Jesters)
Honours – Divisional Champions – 1941/42, 1943/44, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1950/51, 1952/53, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1957/58, 1959/60, 1961/62, 1968/69, 1990/91, 1991/92, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2015/16 and 2024/25
Random Fact – The club were originally called Quick. But it turned out there was another club in Holland by that name, the Boys was added.
A day trip to the Netherlands…..why not? One of the perks of my jobs is the accumulation of air miles. To be honest it is not a perk I have used often in the past and have just allowed them to grow. During my last trip away I noticed I had a huge amount stocked up and got me thinking about a splurge. How about the red eye from ABZ and the late one back from Schiphol with a game chucked in, I had promised a game in the Netherlands for Wee Man for years. This was a chance. Another perk of my work life over the years has been the ability to get to random fitba matches all across Europe. This threw up many a Dutch game at all levels but recently I was introduced to the third tier, or Tweede Divisie after visits to AFC in Amsterdam and HFC (the oldest club in the country) in Haarlem, leading to following the league since my gateway into it. A few names in the league stick out, one of which, today’s team of choice and current league champions. Quick Boys, a team who I fly over and see from the air often as I return from work as I come in to land at Schiphol. A day trip to Katwijk an Zee sounds a bit mad, but a bit of justification. The overall travel time is equivalent of a drive to Glasgow from home and the extra money needed along with the airmiles was less than the petrol would cost to drive to Glasgow and back these days. So why the hell not. It was set up perfectly in a fitba sense too.
On the 3rd of May 1980 Aberdeen ‘won’ the league at Easter Road. In truth they did not actually secure it that day in mathematical terms but goal difference was playing the extra point and was insurmountable. This scenario was the potential outcome for us in Katwijk today. A win should be enough to win the title for Quick Boys. This aided by nearest challengers Hoek defeated last weekend by Barendrecht and De Treffers draw with Spakenburg. Three points for Quick Boys today would see them at least three points clear with a significant goal difference over Hoek and De Treffers who coincidentally play each other on the final day while Quick Boys are away to Kozakken Boys(another ace name for the record) in Werkendam. Barring a crazy turn of events, a win for the home side at Nieuw Zuid would be enough for celebrations.
Landing at Schiphol at 08.40 after the ungodly departure of 06.15 from Aberdeen, it was a case of all trains lead to Leiden (a wee translation joke there). The initial idea of a bit of sightseeing and food in the city which is just the 16 minutes on the train from the airport. This followed by nipping west to Katwijk for a bit more or the sights on the South Holland coast and then the game obviously. After a border guard laughing at us at immigration for travelling to see a “little team” we were off to Leiden for a rake about. Sometimes places just blow you away and I have to say this seems to be a gem of a place. Bars galore, restaurants galore, fantastic old architecture galore and a really chilled out feeling to the place. I was really taken with this university city which dates back to just after the middle ages. This despite the briefness of the visit from us which was just a couple of hours. Maybe more advantage could be taken when sans 11 year old son. A mental note for future for sure . As we looped the city on foot we got to see points of interest such as De Valk, Moorsport and Bruockhovenshof among other things including the bustling Saturday morning markets. This was a city which was a very welcome surprise for me which I have to say is not unusual in the Netherlands as I have had the same feeling in Deventer, Leeuwarden and Utrecht in the past. Leiden really is stunning place at times. From here it was on to Katwijk an Zee as Wee Man was champing at the bit to get across for a second city wander of the day changing the food plan, but no issue. 18 minutes on the 401 bus and we were there and only a five minute walk from the stadium. This trip was turning into one of the simplest ever undertaken for fitba for me to date. A wander about in the sand and up the dunes to get a look at the stadium from afar was worth filling my Adidas Superstars with half a beach. As passing dog walkers just had it as the norm, we marvelled in the tidiness of the set up in front of us. A bit of food followed at the beachfront Kattukkerzant restaurant where the beef croquettes went down a treat. I can’t head to the Netherlands without sampling these crispy delights which always hit the right spot with me. From here it was fitba related things. First up was the obligatory scarf purchase which had an added away kit for the Wee Man chucked in. I can’t see many of them being worn in Aberdeenshire. In the QB shop the staff were really nice to us and seemed genuinely happy to see Scottish people over up see their team. As we exited I fancied watching a game on one of the ‘lesser’ pitches to fill in time but it was only lacking in age youths, girls or slightly portly men and to be honest Wee Man’s plan was better. Get in the ground (which was open early for end of season partying) and follow what was happening at Parkhead and take in the atmosphere of the locals on the beers. As we entered, the place was having a ball almost two and a half hours before KO, the cacophony of Gabber music was filling the air and I imagine handing out many a migraine, the beer was flowing, the spirits were high as it seemed to many that the league was a foregone conclusion. It was a cracking atmosphere despite my brain being pounded with the relentless beats from the PA. We decided to take a seat away from the shindig and sit in the empty terrace to listen to where the Scottish title was heading. This with a coffee and an almond cookie. Trust me when I say this, those cookies are one of the best fitba foods I have eaten anywhere, hence why I had three. As we sat we watched a robot painting the lines on the pitch. For those of a certain vintage, this contraption was reminiscent of those ‘Roamer’ things you used to get at primary school. What a great invention, but made me think that we are heading towards a world where robots will take all our jobs. Thats pitch lining now out the window. At the same time I noticed a big display being hung across the front of the Dirk Kuyt Tribune(the 104 time capped ex-Dutch international is a Quick Boys old boy and local legend). This display looked like it was to be an impressive one. As Derek McInnes had finished doing Derek McInnes things and Celtic had been crowned champions it was time for the main event in front of a packed Nieuw Zuid. Could Quick Boys emulate Celtic and Stonehaven back home and become champions on the day?
The teams lined up for the pre-match formalities in the sun to the sound track of fireworks and what seemed to be military grade bangers. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, every one scaring the shite out of Wee Man and no wonder, these things went off with a hell of an explosion as the blue flare smoke blew across the park. Quick Boys saw a lot of the ball early but didn’t cause much of a threat on visiting keeper Kaarsgaren’s goal. It seemed to be going to plan with the dominance, this was until IJsselmeervogels took the lead. The goal will be given to Azzedine Dkidak who cut in from the right to shoot from the edge of the box, his effort took a wild deflection completely wrong footing Jansen in the Quick Boys goal leaving him helpless. The direction of the ball changed entirely. Luck was well on the visitors side, but, if you don’t shoot you don’t score and the IJsselmeervogels man wasn’t to care, nor did the travelling fans who went berserk climbing and shaking the fence while launching what seemed every beer in the away end on to the pitch. A twist in the title tale. But Quick Boys to be fair did not seem to fazed and continued in the same manner with Noordhoff in the middle dictating a lot of the play. The lead only lasted six minutes as Lukas Hamann was on hand to out jump everyone at a corner to powerfully head home a Reemnet corner. A booming equaliser and the temperature raised with the punters around us who resembled a mosh pit at a Slayer gig when the ball smashed into the net. If IJsselmeervogels opener was a minging deflection then the second was just equal. Receiving the ball, Jurgen Mattheij shot, seeing his effort deflect and and more importantly totally wrong foot Jansen, leaving van der Velden there to stick it into an unguarded net. The match was not going to the script that many had written before hand. Before the half was out IJsselmeervogels were patting the back of their keeper Bram Kaarsgaren who looked to be unsighted by his wall at a Roep free kick but the keeper got down brilliantly at the last millisecond to his right hand corner brilliantly keeping the ball out and the visitors lead intact at the break.
HT 1 v 2
For the second half we had the terrace pretty much to ourselves as the locals had swapped ends, unlike the first 45 where we were penned in against the fence in a plume of fag smoke (it was quite old school seeing so many smokers in one place). From our vantage point we saw Quick Boys again keep a load of the ball but we couldn’t help but notice the amount of unforced ball losses by the home side. While they played some really bonnie fitba at times they also lost the ball needlessly at times. However, the equaliser came in the 57th minute when Roep was wiped out in the box. This causing rammy between the the two sides and I am sure there was a headbutt in the melee. I am positive I saw it unless my eyes deceived me. Once the referee had regained control, Tren Drexhage sent the ball into the bottom corner despite the best efforts of Kaarsgaren who got his hand to it. Could the home side push on from here? They tried and tried but credit has to go to IJsselmeervogels who defended well to which Wee Man was full of praise and rightfully so. They adopted a crowding out approach to keeping Quick Boys out and it was working. Nothing was happening in the box as the visitors were up to everything in front of them. Really Quick Boys needed to shoot as opposed to trying to work the ball and on that again well noticed by the 11 year old brain of Wee Man, they didn’t seem to be keen to despite a few edge of the box opportunities to do so. They wanted the extra pass too often. With seven minutes added at the end the last chance of the game looked to be the moment……..but it wasnt . A decked Roep ball from the right across the face of goal looked perfect from our position but in what seemed to happen in slow motion, player after player threw themselves at it one after the other like tipping dominoes with not one managing contact leaving the referee to blow for time. This leaving Quick Boys kicking themselves and just one point ahead of the chasing two as second placed De Treffers beat Jong Sparta Rotterdam 1 v 4 and Hoek beat Quick Boys neighbours, Rijnsburg Boys 2 v 0. Quick Boys know they just have to beat Kozakken Boys away next week and ignore what happens in the De Treffers v Hoek game. As we finally made our way out of the throng of fans (it took ages due to a bottleneck) we headed back for a bus to Leiden. On this journey a guy next to us heard the English being spoken and struck up a conversation. He was an expat, Ian from Coventry who had lived in Leiden for two decades. A sound guy who was over the moon that his team had got up to the Premiership and was hoping for a double header of his adopted Quick Boys doing the business.A fine 20 minute conversation with him was had, but he did say he really wanted a triple header of Coventry, QB and England winning the World Cup. We can just forget about the third thing.
One issue I cant help feel perturbed about is, the Dutch pyramid is stupid. It is cut off after tier two, this meaning no promotion from the Tweede Divisie. With clubs like Quick Boys with big supports, great facilities and what I gather through conversations are a financially sound club they are stuck where they are. This while the second tier has the likes of Jong Ajax, Jong PSV, Jong AZ, Jong Utrecht, surely it would be more beneficial to have a club like Quick Boys in the the mix there as opposed to B teams? Maybe it is just me.
A trip well worth the early morning and so simple to pull off too. Going by my Flying Blue account, something that could be carried out again in future a few times. Especially with that net zero lunatic Ed Milliband trying to shut down the North Sea which means ill no doubt be working abroad forever.
A superb experience although we did not get the title party.
Entrance – Me €10, Wee Man €5
Attendance – 3070 (official)
Pie – €3.60 Coffee and Almond Cookie
Pint – €2.80 Heineken, stadium bar
Score Predictions – Me 3 v 0, Wee Man 2 v 0
Season Score Predictions Total – Me 3 v 3 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 