A frenzied crowd welcomed the Willem II selection on Friday night after promotion was secured in and against Dordrecht. Thousands of fans stood in the parking lot next to the stadium to sing to their heroes. The architect of the success, trainer Peter Maes, waited a long night.
After arriving in Tilburg, Maes was still in good spirits enough to give his team some compliments. “We have been in first place since November,” he began. “If we can finish it this way, those players deserve this respect.” It was already one big party in the dressing room. “All discharge,” he described the moment after the whistle had blown. “Sometimes harsh words are said. But when you arrive at this end result, it is fantastic.”
For Maes there was one catch to the festivities. He had to return to Belgium, where he lives, late at night. “I don’t know. I still have to go back to Lommel,” De Maes answered when asked how much beer was going to be drunk.
William II lives everywhere
If there is one player who knows what will happen when Willem II is promoted, it is Freek Heerkens. The defender, born in Heeswijk-Dinter, has been playing for the Tricolores since 2013 and has grown into a real club man. “Willem II lives in Tilburg, around the city and peripheral municipalities, regardless of what level we play at,” Heerkens explained. “Children in Willem II shirts: everyone is proud of the club. I am very happy that we have been able to achieve promotion.”
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De Leeuw and Heerkens go crazy: “Willem II is alive”
A frenzied crowd welcomes the Willem II players after promotion to the Eredivisie is a fact.
Michael de Leeuw became the golden boy in Dordrecht. The 37-year-old attacker’s equalizer meant a return to the Eredivisie for Willem II. “Let’s stick to one important thing,” De Leeuw said about his number of goals this season.
He was ‘only’ accurate three times, but peaked at the right time. “I have had conversations with Michael more often,” Heerkens says about his teammate. “He didn’t always play. I have also been in that situation, but he was convinced that he was going to score an important goal this season. Then I said: I hope you save it for a good moment, and he did well. done.
