Heracles Almelo relegated from the Eredivisie after 2-0 home defeat to FC Volendam
After three seasons in the Eredivisie, Heracles Almelo has been relegated. Ernest Faber’s side suffered a 2-0 home defeat against FC Volendam, eliminating any chance of ending the season in 16th position. The game was temporarily suspended late on when Heracles fans tossed fireworks onto the pitch.
FC Volendam’s win pushed them out of 16th place, which is now held by Telstar. The team that ends the season in that position will enter the promotion and relegation playoffs, while the 17th-placed side joins Heracles Almelo in dropping down. With 31 of 34 games played, Excelsior and Volendam sit on 31 points, Telstar trails with 30, and NAC Breda has 25.
Heracles dropped out of the Eredivisie in 2022 following a 17-year stay but returned right away the next season. In both of the past two campaigns, the club ended up in 14th place.
In the first half, Heracles pushed hard in a final bid to stay in the game and nearly scored early on, but Kayne van Oevelen denied Alec Van Hoorenbeeck’s attempt. Just past the half-hour mark, they threatened again, only for Henk Veerman to clear Sem Scheperman’s header off the line with his head.
Just before the break, FC Volendam created their first real danger, but Remko Pasveer denied Anthony Descotte.
After the break, Descotte made it count, getting past Pasveer on his second effort in the 55th minute. Not long after entering the match, Robert Mühren added another goal in the 62nd minute to extend the advantage.
The victory marked just FC Volendam’s second away success of the Eredivisie campaign.
Heracles captain Damon Mirani looked visibly dejected following the loss. “It’s tough that it’s already certain; it really stings. We only have ourselves to blame,” he told ESPN after the match.
“It comes down to this: we let in too many goals and didn’t score enough,” Mirani explained. “And if anyone claims we didn’t do everything we could this season, that really frustrates me.” He was responding to questions about the behavior of Heracles supporters, who hurled fireworks in frustration. “We gave absolutely everything, day in and day out. As a team, we worked extremely hard, but in the end, it still wasn’t enough.”
Manager Ernest Faber called it a black day for Heracles Almelo. “It’s hit everyone hard; the players were in the dressing room feeling physically sick,” he told ESPN.
Faber pointed to insufficient results as the main reason. “We had solid plans and phases where we could have closed out games, but we didn’t take those chances. This is the outcome. Even today, we should have taken more control, despite the added pressure,” he said.
The coach, who also serves as technical director, explained that the squad consciously avoided dwelling on relegation. “Staying positive was the only way to keep ourselves in it, but sadly, it wasn’t enough. Now we’ll complete the season in a proper way, which allows us to take a thorough look at everything afterwards,” he said.
