Football Season Guide

Eerste Divisie dwellers since the early 90s, not considering a return to the Tweede Divisie in 2011, Top Oss mostly had forgettable seasons over the past decade and last campaign was no exception. They did well in the initial 3 weeks but subsequently started a dive, only interrupted by occasional wins, which brought them to a 16th place finish. While they conceded 61 goals, thus doing better than 6 other sides, they held the worst attack of the league, together with Jong Utrecht, with 31 goals scored. This means that they failed to score 18 times. Despite such a performance, 38-year-old coach Sjors Ultee, who arrived at the club in July 2024, after negative experiences in the Eredivisie, was confirmed at the helm. Living on a shoestring, MVV tried to rejuvenate their squad over the transfer campaign, while also reducing their expenses. Back-up goalie Van Herk, who never set foot on the pitch last season despite making the squad in almost every single game, was let go while 20-year-old Milder arrived after playing too little for Vitesse youngsters. The latter seems unlikely to represent any threat for Havekotte. At right-back, starting Troupée left for a Bosnian club. Back-up centre-back Cox could be adapted to the role or, as an alternative, 21-year-old De Lannoy, arriving from Go Ahead Eagles youth sides, could become a protagonist. Back-up centre-back Mac-Intosch, now in the wrong half of his 30s, will keep on playing football for an Amateur side. The midfield saw van der Werff’s departure but he should not be missed as he only played occasionally. The attack is the area which changed the most this summer as they lost key striker Allemeersch, who was lured away by a Belgian club, while starting winger Korte, now in his early 30s, was let go. The two scored 11 goals and served 4 assists together, last season. On the other hand, De Wit, an attacking midfielder who could also act as a winger, joined in after hardly ever playing at NEC Nijmegen.