Football Season Guide

Dordrecht had an absolutely stellar campaign last season and played some fantastic football under coach Michele Santoni, wildly exceeding expectations to finish in the top four. They did not go all the way, being edged out by Emmen in the playoffs, but the memories they left to their fans will not be forgotten in a hurry. Sadly for the Sheepheads, that great season already looks like an aberration rather than a start of something more enduring as Santoni decided to leave and return to Italy, while most of the key performers from last season returned to their parent clubs and the squad already looks quite weaker. The new man in charge is Melvin Boel, who mostly has been working with the Feyenoord youth sides in recent years and has no real experience with first-team management. Naturally, he will look to keep the principles that worked so well last season but will have to find some solutions with what seems like a pretty mixed bag of a squad. Most of the new additions have been youngsters from various youth sides in the country and the one more experienced one is that of keeper Liam Bossin, returning to his old club after just a year. There is still some decent quality in the ranks as players like Joe van den Avert at the back and Jari Schuurman and Tim Receveur in midfield will ensure a base level of competence, but it is hard to expect much more than a respectable mid-table finish from the team in its present form.